An Archbishop is murdered, the suspect is caught running and is aired in live TV. He gets caught right after. Now, this question is for you. How far do you think an attorney should go when he is defending a seemingly innocent suspect in a murder case? Your answer could be anything; For Martin Vail (Richard Gere), however, this case represents an opportunity to advance his career. Martin Vail is one among-st the many attorneys who want to make it big in his life and career. And this person sees this as the perfect-est opportunity to make use of his skills. He hunts down possible suspects, takes a long time assessing the psychological state of Aaron Stampler ( The Primary Suspect ) and swears on his colleagues for making a big mistake after which he says “We’re losing this case”.
Aaron Stampler, one of the choirboys, initially appears to be an innocent young man. Yet his occasional lapses in memory, which he describes as losing time, add another layer of uncertainty to the case.Edward Norton delivers a phenomenal, layered performance, making Aaron one of the film’s most compelling characters. Inevitably, it is Richard Gere’s ex-girlfriend ( Janet Venable ) who is the prosecutor in this case played by Laura Linney. And Martin Vail seems to utilize his relationship with Janet to his advantage and we see it in one of the most integral sequences in this film.
As a courtroom thriller, Primal Fear delivers tense courtroom confrontations and gripping chase sequences, keeping the audience guessing about what really happened.
But after the end, it kept me thinking, “Would things like these happen in real life? However, the ending left me questioning the plausibility of the events that unfold. Some developments stretch credibility, making it difficult to accept everything the story asks of its audience. The pacing is good and there are very few unnecessary sequences. The film has even cut short the courtroom sequences without losing it’s core plot points. Those who love films which balance Courtroom Drama, Action, Thriller genres will absolutely love this!