The movie ’’Primal Fear’’ is based on the book by William Diehl. Gregory Hoblit directs this movie with screen play by Steve Shagan and Ann Biderman.
The cast for this movie consists of Richard Gere as Martin Vail, Edward Norton as Aaron Stampler, Laura Linney as Janet Venable, John Mahoney
as John Shaughnessy and Alfre Woodard as Judge Miriam Shoat.
Martin Vail (Gere) is a well-known attorney in Chicago, with questionable ethics, an immense appetite for the limelight and a string of less-than-model citizens for clients. The movie opens with Vail going to a charity dinner where the Archbishop of the biggest Catholic church in Chicago is the guest speaker. The scene shows his popularity with the people in power and his lack of morality where he tries to seduce his former girlfriend, Janet Venable(Linney).
The next scene shows the gruesome murder of the archbishop and a choir boy Aaron Stampler (Norton) covered with blood running away from the scene of the crime. Vail decides to defend the poor boy from Kentucky pro-bono, sensing the adulation this case will bring him. Another motive of his, is the opportunity to spite the DA, John Shaughnessy (Mahoney) who forces Vail to make a deal on one of his clients, Pinero.
When Vail meets Stampler, Stampler says that there was a third person in the room when he found the Bishop dead, and then he (Stampler) blacked out. Vail deduces that Stampler is mentally ill and persuades the court to give Stampler a psychiatric evaluation. Meanwhile Janet Venable, the assistant DA is asked to take the case, pitting her against Vail.
Vail is convinced of Stampler’s innocence and tries to gather evidence to support his notion. In the process he uncovers several shady land deals by a group of realtors which includes the Archbishop and Shaughnessy. He also comes to possess a videotape belonging to the late Archbishop. This video contains scenes of sexual acts performed by Stampler, his (Stampler’s) girlfriend and another boy, with the Archbishop dictating their actions.
The psychiatrist (Frances McDormand) determines that Stampler has schizophrenia or a ’’Split-Personality’’ disorder. He has a personality which is meek and another personality which is free of the stutter, the confident and evil side. Vail watches Stampler switch between the two personalities with the right promptings.
Vail tries to argue with the Judge (woodard) about the abuse by the Archbishop, tries to prove that the evidence presented by the prosecution is not concrete to condemn, everything except pardon on the grounds of insanity. Vail finally realizes that if he hopes to win this case, he has to resort to the insanity plea.
The catch for him with the insanity plea is that it will be disastrous, almost impossible for him to change his plea at the last moment. So he gambles on displaying to the Judge and jury, the evil side of Stampler, so that they will recommend psychiatric evaluation and treatment instead of incarceration.
The ending comes as a total surprise and is a testament to the capabilities of Norton as an actor with few peers.
The movie features some very interesting court room scenes, Vail’s love-hate relationship with Linney and the complexity of his personality. His tussles with the DA and his torment regarding his past is shown admirably. This is probably Richard Gere’s best performance and I wish he was more prudent in choosing his roles. Laura Linney is good and this performance led to her role in ’’Absolute Power’’ as Clint Eastwood’s daughter. Edward Norton is the surprise package, acting out the role of the meek, backwoods Kentucky boy very convincingly.
There is one particular song in the movie which is very impressive, probably the best foreign song I’ve heard. The song plays in the background early in the movie when Vail meets Pinero in his tenement. It is a song called ’’Cancao Do Mar’’ (Song of the sea) by a Portuguese singer, Dulce Pontes. The song is from her album Lagrimas.
’’Primal Fear’’ is distinguished by some very convincing performances by all of the cast. The movie twists and turns like a maze and at every twist the viewer is unable to decide whether Stampler is guilty or not. Its an enjoyable movie, not a great movie, but definitely several notches above the run of the mill courtroom dramas.