PRIMAL FEAR (1996)

Richard Gere (Pretty Woman, Chicago, American Gigolo) plays Martin Vale, a hot-shot Chicago attorney who just landed his latest high-profile case, the suspected brutal murder of the Archbishop by a rural teenager from Kentucky who was apparently working for the Archbishop.  The young suspect is the mild-mannered Aaron Stampler who is played by Oscar-nominee Edward Norton (Fight Club, 25th Hour, A Complete Unknown) in his on big-screen debut which he also received an Oscar nomination for.  At first, Aaron seems mild-mannered and innocent....but there's more to him than he seems. :o What results is a wild courtroom drama with lots of twists and turns, also featuring a stacked supporting cast featuring Oscar-nominee Laura Linney, Oscar-nominee Alfre Woodard, Emmy-nominee John Mahnoney, Emmy-nominee Andre Braugher, and Oscar-winner Frances McDormand.    

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon 

Transcript

PRIMAL FEAR - 1996

Directed by Gregory Hoblit

Starring Richard Gere, Laura Linney, Edward Norton, John Mahoney, Alfre Woodard, Frances McDormand, Terry O’Quinn, Andre Braugher, Joe Spano, Tony Plana, Maura Tierney, and Steven Bauer

Genre: Courtroom Drama (Audio clip)

I remember first seeing this with my mother around thirty years ago and we walked out pretty much saying the same thing about Ed Norton, "Who is that guy??" His performance in this film was just a revelation and I knew I had to see everything else he did....and for about five or six years, he didn't disappoint.  And then....well it doesn't matter.  He justifiably received an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of young murder suspect Aaron Stampler which was actually his on-screen debut at the time.  This film’s legacy now pretty much rests ENTIRELY on that performance and for good reason.   

This is just one of those underappreciated Chicago movies....it doesn't get the attention of The Fugituve or Blues Brothers or any of the John Hughes ouvre but it just gets how the city feels - the gorgeous architecture and scenic views of the lake with tons of seediness just under the surface. (Or under Wacker Drive) Gere is great, so is Laura Linney (she ends up being the character you most empathize with), Steven Bauer, Alfre Woodard, Maura Tierney, Andre Braugher and the rest of a stacked cast INCLUDING Frances McDormand literally the same year she had her first Oscar-winning turn in Fargo!  

What’s even better is that pretty much all of them get a chance to shine for at least one scene – I have always been a HUGE fan of the late, great Mahoney who remains one of my ALL-TIME favorite character actors…..most now remember him as Frasier’s dad for several years and he was admittedly great on that show.  But from the mid ‘80’s until well into the ‘90’s, he also just had a series of scene-stealing performances on the big screen too, including Barton Fink, Moonstruck, Tin Men, Say Anything, and one very fun exchange he has in this film playing Shaughnessy, a local politician who is delivering veiled threats to Gere’s Martin Veil….while LITERALLY making a meal out of it, including devouring some delicious-sounding Chinese food. (Audio clip) 

Though make no mistake Richard Gere is the actual STAR of this movie and while on the surface, it feels like any number of other slickster role he has taken on before and/or since – including the Oscar-winning Chicago a few years later – I think it still stands out as one of his best.  In fact, the now ICONIC twist ending does not work NEARLY  as well without his contributions – this is some one who is always trying to convince himself (and others) that he doesn’t have nor need a moral compass and you can FEEL it at moments when that veil collapses.  (Audio clip) 

Although that also brings to light the film’s sometimes overstuffed, overwrought screenplay (co-written by Steve Shagan and Ann Biderman) which through no fault of Gere’s just gives his character TOO much rope at points.  For example, the courtroom trickery which Gere's Martin Vail gets away with seems to stretch things a bit and I don't know if what this film has to say about the effectiveness of forensic psychology has aged particularly well. But overall a highly entertaining legal thriller that at the very least knows JUST when to conclude its story. 😉

Best Needledrop (best song cue or score used throughout runtime of film): 

Overall, music just doesn’t play that much of a factor in this film including the generally non-descript score from James Newton Howard.  That said, there IS one particular needle-drop which I believe is actually heard three times throughout the film including the closing credits and even though it’s pretty much related to this film’s B-plot, it DOES leave a mark.  Martin first hears it upon visiting Steven Bauer’s local gangster Pinero who is his client…we then hear it later when Martin finds Pinero’s body in the Chicago river, allegedly killed by some local thugs dispatched by John Mahoney’s Shaugnessy.  AND….it happens to be a genuinely good song.  Haunting, atmospheric, just lovely – it is performed by Montijo, Portugal’s own world-renowned pop/folk artist Dulce Pontes from her 1993 album, “Lagrimas.  The song is the gorgeous mid-tempo ballad “Cancao do Mar.” (Audio clip)   

Wasted Talent (most under-utilized talent involved with film): 

Now back to McDormand who plays Molly, the court-appointed psychologist who is evaluating Norton’s Aaron - don’t get me wrong, she is actually very good in this.  However and I kind of just alluded to this….for the main twist of this film to really work, the screenplay has to still present her as some one who is NOT particularly good at her job.  I mean she REALLY misreads her client in this particular situation, mistaking him for having a disorder that he’s only pretending to have.  And over the past thirty years SINCE this film, this three-time Oscar-winning actress has just EXCELLED at portraying characters who suffer no fools.  So yeah in retrospect though you really can’t even fault those who cast her….it just makes it a BIT harder to swallow. (Audio clip) 

And along those lines….Oscar-nominee Laura Linney who plays the main prosecutor, Janet Venable – the screenplay doesn’t do her any favors either.  Linney is pretty much nailing this character but wow…..on-screen, she is just SUCH a bundle of nerves throughout, always reaching for cigarettes, downing soda, etc…hey it’s entertaining and we DO feel for her.  It just also gets to be a BIT too much with some of the stuff we hear HER character spout off in court towards the end too. (Audio clip) 

Trailer Moment (scene or moment that best describes this movie):

Maybe this is an obvious choice or maybe it isn’t, not sure…..anyone who loves this movie LOVES that final courtroom exchange and even moreso, the late film reveal in the jail cell – don’t get me wrong, great stuff!  Norton and Gere (and even Linney) are ALL truly delivering on the promise of a juicy third actor payoff.  But for me, THE best actor’s showcase for both Norton AND Gere occurs about 70 minutes into the film during another psychiatric session for Aaron when Martin comes to interject…..and THIS is when he officially meets ROY. (Audio clip) 

What’s really good about this scene is not only the full-on reveal of this new character but it becomes a genuine face-off between two characters who are both being much more performative than either of them will admit – for me, it’s KIND of the Oscar clip for Norton moreso than any other.  While he’s clearly trying to make Roy intimidating, he’s also trying to relate to Martin AS Roy….if that makes sense, there’s probably a better way to explain it.  It’s also just fun to see the reactions on Gere’s face during this scene. (Audio clip) 

MVP (person or people most responsible for the success of this film):

Yeah in case it wasn’t already obvious, this starts out as Richard Gere’s movie but by the end….it’s Edward Norton’s movie.  This was not only the then 26-year old actor’s on-screen debut but apparently, he beat many of the best of Young Hollywood to LAND this part…..and we’re talking about several folks who auditioned who were bigger names than he was at the time, HIS landing this part over more than 2,000 other actors has also become one of the remaining legends of this film.  We’re talking Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Will Wheaton, the late great James Van Der Beek who recently left us….and wow I just learned this, Pedro Pascal too!  Yeah folks forget that Pedro was already becoming a TV staple by the late ‘90’s appearing on shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and NYPD Blue.  But regardless with the help of apparently a mind-blowing audition video, Norton got this plum part and made it his own. (Audio clip) 

Apparently, the actor himself added Aaron’s stutter and much of the physical intimidation from Roy….it’s not a SUBTLE performance by any stretch and within a more sober legal drama, it might not have worked but here it lands just about perfectly.  This story might take place in mid ‘90’s Chicago but as written and performed, this is a HEIGTENED version of that setting….you have several prominent actors playing BIG characters.  And here is this unknown, VERY innocent-looking Catholic boy quietly ingratiating himself amongst them and then fooling them ALL in spectacular fashion.  For delivering what is very likely among THE best film debut performances of all time, Edward Norton is the MVP. (Audio clip) 

Final Rating: 3.9 stars out of 5 

What’s crazy is that as good as he is in this, I’m not even sure if I would rank this among Norton’s TOP FIVE performances…..it’s close but you still have 25th Hour, Birdman, along with previous episodes Fight Club, Rounders, his underrated turn in Kingdom of Heaven and of course…..American History X which I think remains HIS greatest performance.  Happy 30th Anniversary to a fun thriller featuring some fantastic acting!

Streaming on kanopy, hooplya, and Prime Video

And that ends another WELL GOOD FOR YOU…..MARTY review!