(trailer at end of review)
Summery:
Courtroom Drama: This 1996 movie stars Richard Gere as a flamboyant Chicago defense attorney who volunteers his services when a stray teenager from Kentucky (played by Edward Norton) who had become an altar boy in Chicago is charged with the murder of a Catholic archbishop.
Good:
1. Great acting, especially by Edward Norton. Norton was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and won a Golden Globe Award in the same category for his career-launching role.
2. Gere is good too. And I also especially liked Frances McDormand (the actress that played the pregnant cop in Fargo) who played a psychiatrist in this movie.
3. Good pace. I thought in my recent viewing that it started out slow, and seemed dated. But as the main story emerged things started moving faster, and complexities to the story seemed reasonable: sleazy lawyer, sleazy characters who run city government and sleazy church leaders all playing with the life of an inncocent ( as all are until proven guilty) young man. As Gere's character telling says at one point: "Why gamble with money when you can gamble with people's lives? "
4. If you think about this movie, it really makes you think.
5. It takes place in Chicago. (Always a plus with this reviewer.)
BAD:
1. For me the relationship with the city attorney trying the case (played by Laura Linney) and Gere's character was cliche, Linney didn't have the lines she needed to round out her character.
In essence she is a good character with a job that she tries to perform with integrity. Neither her boss or her opponent (her former boss and lover) show any integrity.She is being played by everyone - yet she comes out as looking like the real bad guy.
Other reviewers opinion:
Primal Fear garnered positive reviews from critics, earning a 72% "Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes
My Judgement 4/5
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Rated R for brief grisly violence, pervasive strong language and a sex scene
Think about this after watching the movie:
How does the title relate to the film?
In the end does the boy get the correct sentence?
Trailer
Watch Primal Fear now on your computer through Amazon's Instant Video service for as low as $2.99
CLICK HERE
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