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Primal Fear

7.3

33,399

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Original title

Primal Fear

Year

1996

Running time

131 min.

Country

United States

Director

Gregory Hoblit

Screenwriter

Steve Shagan, Ann Biderman. Novel: William Diehl

Cast

Music

James Newton Howard

Cinematography

Michael Chapman

Producer

Paramount Pictures, Rysher Entertainment

Genre

Mystery. Drama | Courtroom Drama / Lawyers

Synopsis

In Chicago, an Archbishop has been brutally murdered, and a sweet-faced altar boy named Aaron -- who was seen fleeing the scene of the crime and whose clothes were soaked in blood -- is charged with the crime. Aaron claims he was present when the murder occurred, but that he is not the killer. Coming to Aaron's rescue in this high-profile case is Martin Vail, a cocky lawyer who loves the media's spotlight as much as he loves his job. The legal road ahead of Martin and Aaron is filled with many obstacles, including a very determined prosecuting attorney (who's Martin's ex-lover), revelations about the Archbishop's "relationship" with the altar boys, and Aaron himself, who has a very violent, repugnant second personality named Roy. Is Aaron/Roy guilty? Or is he taking the fall for someone else?

Rankings Position

#147 Best Mystery Films

Awards: 1996: Nominated for Oscar: Best Supporting Actor (Edward Norton)

1996: Nominated for BAFTA Awards: Best Supporting Actor (Edward Norton)

1996: Golden Globe: Best Supporting Actor (Edward Norton)

1996: Los Angeles Film Critics Association: Best Supporting actor (Norton)

1996: Chicago Film Critics Awards: Most Promising Actor (Edward Norton). 2 Nom.

1996: Boston Society of Film Critics Awards: Best Supporting Actor (Norton)

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Critics' reviews

"The plot is as good as crime procedurals get, but the movie is really better than its plot because of the three-dimensional characters (...) Rating: ★★★½ (out of 4)"

Roger Ebert: Chicago Sun-Times
"One of the most unfortunate aspects of a courtroom thriller is the tendency to degenerate into preposterous melodrama (...) ['Primal Fear] is an obvious example"

James Berardinelli: ReelViews
"A tight courtroom melodrama that serves up twist after twist (...) this film handles its suspenseful material with skill and style"

Kenneth Turan: Los Angeles Times
"You'd get more of a jolt from Angela Lansbury on "Murder, She Wrote" and more intellectual stimulation from a cozy game of Clue"

Peter Travers: Rolling Stone
"'Primal Fear' resembles a high-end telefilm (...) [The] film has plenty to say, but does so a bit insistently and obviously"

Todd McCarthy: Variety
"Confusing, badly scripted courtroom thriller that is more contrived than believable (...) Rating: ★★ (out of 5)"

Kim Newman: Empire
"There are twists, but few surprises (...) Norton shows notable range, but unfortunately in an environment too mechanical for it to prove much."

Time Out

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Ranking Lists Position

41 Movies with the Best Endings (200)
61 My Favorite Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Movies (166)

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Primal Fear

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