Primal Fear (1996)

Directed by: Gregory Hoblit
Starring: Richard Gere

It's been years since I've seen Primal Fear but I remembered what I thought was enough to analyze it as a pretty typical courtroom drama with good to great performances but a lack of substance. It is in fact a pretty typical courtroom drama with good to great performances however, lacking substance it does not.

The film opens in cliche fashion. Martin Vail (Gere) is a headline chasing ex-prosecutor turned defense attorney whom we learn made the switch because he believes in the goodness of people. Well, while it may take some time to believe this, by the time he tells us this, it is very hard not to believe him. He's representing a mobster, whom we don't know much about, but Vail is charming and smart so we like him and it doesn't matter. His mobster client takes a backseat when he takes on the major case representing Aaron Stampler (Edward Norton) who is charged with murdering the Archbishop.

Long story short, as we wonder whether or not Stampler is innocent so does Vail and cliche's aside, we have the opening to an intriguing story.

I was desperately looking for something about this film that would suggest that my one-time fondness for this film was based only on performances as Gere is good and Norton is great and well-deserving of his Oscar nomination. As I looked, what I found in leui of flaws, was a growing excitement for what was going to happen next. Having seen the movie before, my excitement would be a first time viewers suspense, anxiety or... okay, excitement.

There are flaws unfortunately. Some of the supporting characters as so unestablished that you spend the majority of their screen time trying to figure out who they are. In particular, Shaughnessy (John Mahoney) who evidently is the State's Attorney but doesn't have enough backstory to even get a first name. Stampler's girlfriend Linda and friend Alex are important small characters that don't need much time alotted to them but not enough imformation is conveyed during that time.

I was pleased that I liked this movie. Not in the sense that I'm always happy when I see a good movie but because I expected to find so much wrong with it and didn't, I was pleased.

***1/2