Movie Review: Primal Fear

Welcome back!  This time I am going to review the 1996 flick Primal Fear.  it stars Richard Gere, Laura Linney and Edward Norton.  "An altar boy is accused of murdering a priest, and the truth is buried several layers deep."  Over on IMDB it has a rating of 7.7 as of 8/8.  Lets get to it!

• Richard Gere is in this?  Is his gerbil?
• Wow that is a young looking Eddie Norton
• Quite a few big names showing up early on
• I really don't like Gere for some reason.  Not in the he is sometimes plays sleazy characters but in the there is something I don't like about him
• Well that was extreme!
• Is Martin Vail about fame?  The big hunt?  Does he know the kid?
• Ugg, that accent is horrible Eddie!
• WACKER DRIVE!  I always think about Blues Brothers when I hear/see Wacker Drive
• Already making you think it isn't Norton.  A red herring....like Communism?  
• Martin Vail is no Matlock that is for sure
• Janet Venable is kind of weird looking
• Vail doesn't make sense at all thus far.  Is he for justice?  Fame?  Himself?  Love?  Thus far they kind of imply all yet none
• Conrad McMasters wouldn't have got caught off guard like that....well actually he would have 
• Good grief, that earring thing...I hate that!  One of those things that give me the chills
• I bet the stuttering is an act
• Malinger in my bet!
• I think I am starting to understand Vail.  He is the master manipulator.  I am starting to like him, although I dislike Gere still, his smirk even bothers me
• Hmmm, who is this Linda?  
• Awwww, the mobster with a heart
• What big time lawyer would wear a tie like Vail is right now?  None that is who
• This flick is a little slow
• Not a fan of this judge 
• Gere is not very good in this role I don't think
• Sex Stuff?  Really?  Not fucking or anything like that...its sex stuff.  
• Man ass alert!
• Again with the sex stuff?
• Look at that old school Coke machine!
• No one knows how to wear a tie in this flick!
• I think I'd really like the Vail character if a better actor was playing him
• Vail sure isn't a very good attorney for being the best in the game, hell Aaron is better off defending himself
• Isn't that the point?  Justice?
• They just leave the door wide open?  After what Aaron did?

I think I'll start with my rating.  I give it a 6/10.  It would have been more if they had a better lead.  To be fair I can't remember watching another flick with Gere as the lead and now I know why!  Everyone else was excellent in this, especially Norton, who was amazing, so amazing he overplayed his hand!  But that is the directors fault, he should have pulled him back just a bit I think.

This flick is just over 2 hours and it needed to be pulled back.  Cut the scene with Vail and Shaughnessy in the restaurant.  Cut the case scene with Alex in half at least and that scene.  Cut the scene where Vail freaks out after the book is revealed in court.  All over those scenes could be cut. The interviews with the writer at the beginning as well.  In fact the entire interview concept went nowhere.  They tease that Vail did something illegal but it goes nowhere.  And the scenes with the mobster was pretty much pointless other then to show how blood thirsty Shaughnessy was yet he leaves Vail and Venable alone?  

Now I almost want to go back and lower my rating.  It was long, drawn out...as a matter of fact I am lowering it.  5/10!  Too many little holes now that I start thinking about it.  None with the trial but everything else around the trial with Vail.  Vail was a bad character, bad designed I mean.  He was poorly performed and poorly written.  When you have a poor main character even if everyone else around him was good, and they were, you are doom to mediocracy.  

There you go.  if you've got a couple of hours to waste and want to see an amazing performance by Edward Norton watch his scenes and skip the rest!  Until next time....Aby...Aby....Abyssinia!