Primal Fear (film): Difference between revisions

Primal Fear
Primal Fear
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Gregory Hoblit
Screenplay by	Steve Shagan; Ann Biderman
Produced by	Gary Lucchesi; Howard W. Koch, Jr.
Starring	Richard Gere; Laura Linney; John Mahoney; Alfre Woodard; Frances McDormand; Edward Norton
Cinematography	Michael ChapmanAlso known as
Edited by	David Rosenbloom
Music by	James Newton Howard
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures; (United States); Hollywood Pictures; Buena Vista International; (Europe); Gaumont (France)
Release date	April 3, 1996;
Running time	130 minutes
Country	Template:Film US
Language	English
Budget	$30 million
Box office	$102,616,183

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Primal Fear is a 1996 American neo-noir crime drama thriller film directed by Gregory Hoblit and starring Richard Gere and Edward Norton. The film tells the story of a defense attorney, Martin Vail (Gere), who defends an altar boy, Aaron Stampler (Norton), charged with the murder of a Catholic archbishop. The movie is an adaptation of William Diehl's 1993 novel of the same name. Norton's role in the film received multiple accolades, including a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Primal Fear is the first theatrical film for television director Gregory Hoblit, who has directed episodes of Hill Street Blues and NYPD Blue for producer Steven Bochco.

Plot

Martin Vail is a prominent defense attorney in Chicago who jumps at the chance to represent Aaron Stampler, a young, stuttering altar boy accused of murdering the Archbishop. At first interested primarily in the publicity that the case will bring, Vail comes to believe that his client is truly innocent, much to the chagrin of the prosecutor (Vail's former lover), Janet Venable.

Vail discovers that powerful civic leaders, including the District Attorney, have lost millions in real estate investments due to a decision by the Archbishop not to develop certain church lands. The archbishop received numerous death threats as a result. He also learns that the archbishop had been sexually abusing altar boys, including Stampler.

Introducing this evidence, while it would make Stampler more sympathetic to the jury, would also give his client a motive for murder, something the prosecution otherwise has lacked.

The trial does not proceed well for the defense, as there is considerable evidence against Stampler and public opinion holds him almost certainly guilty. When Vail confronts his client and accuses him of having lied, Aaron breaks down and transforms into a new persona, a violent sociopath who calls himself "Roy." He confesses to the murder of the archbishop and throws Vail against the wall, injuring him.

When this incident is over, Aaron appears to have no recollection of it. Molly Arrington, the psychiatrist examining Aaron, is convinced he suffers from multiple personality disorder due to childhood abuse by his own father.^[2] However, Vail cannot enter an insanity plea during an ongoing trial.

Vail sets up a confrontation in court. After Venable questions him harshly, Aaron turns into Roy and charges at her, threatening to snap her neck if anyone comes near him. Aaron is subdued by courthouse marshals and is rushed back to his cell. In light of Aaron's apparent insanity, the judge dismisses the jury in favor of a bench trial and then finds Aaron not guilty by reason of mental insanity, and remands him to a mental hospital.

Vail visits to tell him this news. Aaron says he recalls nothing of what happened in the courtroom, having again "lost time." However, just as Vail is leaving, Aaron asks him to "tell Ms. Venable I hope her neck is okay," which is not something that Aaron should have been able to remember if he had "lost time." Vail points this out, whereupon Stampler grins slyly and reveals that he has been pretending to be insane the whole time. But he didn't make up the identity of Roy, he made up Aaron.

Stampler now admits to having murdered the archbishop, as well as his girlfriend, Linda, whom the cleric also had molested. Stunned and disillusioned, Vail walks away, with Roy taunting him from the cell.

Cast

Richard Gere as Martin Vail
Laura Linney as Janet Venable
John Mahoney as John Shaughnessy
Alfre Woodard as Judge Shoat
Frances McDormand as Dr. Molly Arrington
Edward Norton as Aaron Stampler
Terry O'Quinn as Bud Yancy
Andre Braugher as Tommy Goodman
Steven Bauer as Joey Pinero
Joe Spano as Abel Stenner
Tony Plana as Martinez
Stanley Anderson as Archbishop Rushman
Maura Tierney as Naomi Chance
Jon Seda as Alex

Reception

Primal Fear garnered positive reviews from critics, earning a 74% "Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes.^[3] According to Janet Maslin, the film has a "good deal of surface charm", but that the film is "pared down to a farfetched plot and paper-thin motives, [while] the story relies on an overload of tangential subplots to keep it looking busy."^[4]

The film spent three weekends at the top of the U.S. box office.

Primal Fear inspired the 2002 Bollywood movie Deewangee.^{[citation needed]}

Accolades

Edward Norton's depiction of Aaron Stampler garnered him multiple awards and nominations. Norton won:

Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor (won for Primal Fear as well as his roles in Everyone Says I Love You and The People vs. Larry Flynt)
Boston Society of Film Critics Awards for Best Supporting Actor (won for Primal Fear as well as his roles in Everyone Says I Love You and The People vs. Larry Flynt)
Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promising Actor (but lost to Cuba Gooding, Jr. for Best Supporting Actor)
Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor

Norton was nominated for

Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Edward Norton (lost to Cuba Gooding, Jr., who won for his role in Jerry Maguire)
British Academy Film Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (lost to Paul Scofield depiction of Judge Thomas Danforth in The Crucible)
National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor (lost to co-winners Martin Donovan and Tony Shalhoub, for their roles in in The Portrait of a Lady and Big Night, respectively)
MTV Movie Award for Best Villain (lost to Jim Carrey's portrayal of the title character in The Cable Guy)

American Film Institute recognition:

AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains:
- Aaron Stampler - Nominated Villain^[5]

References

^ Primal Fear (1996). Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2011-01-16.
^ Psychologist Richard Gartner reports that as of 1999, Primal Fear was one of only two feature films to feature male-male incest as a theme (the other film was the 1998 Danish drama The Celebration). See Gartner, Richard. 1999. Cinematic Depictions of Boyhood Sexual Victimization (Page four, Cinematic Depictions). Gender and Psychoanalysis (1999), Volume 4:253-28.
^ Primal Fear Movie Reviews, Pictures. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2011-01-16.
^ Janet Maslin (April 3, 1996). "A Murdered Archbishop, Lawyers In Armani". The New York Times. Retrieved 2011-10-24.
^ AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains Nominees

External links

[1] Primal Fear (1996). Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2011-01-16.

[2] Psychologist Richard Gartner reports that as of 1999, Primal Fear was one of only two feature films to feature male-male incest as a theme (the other film was the 1998 Danish drama The Celebration). See Gartner, Richard. 1999. Cinematic Depictions of Boyhood Sexual Victimization (Page four, Cinematic Depictions). Gender and Psychoanalysis (1999), Volume 4:253-28.

[3] Primal Fear Movie Reviews, Pictures. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2011-01-16.

[4] Janet Maslin (April 3, 1996). "A Murdered Archbishop, Lawyers In Armani". The New York Times. Retrieved 2011-10-24.

[5] AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains Nominees

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@@ Line 25: / Line 25: @@
 ==Plot==
-Martin Vail is a prominent defense attorney in [[Chicago]] who jumps at the chance to represent Aaron Stampler, a young, stuttering altar boy accused of murdering the Archbishop. At first interested primarily in the publicity that the case will bring, Vail comes to believe that his client is truly innocent, much to the chagrin of the prosecutor (Vail's former lover), Janet Venable.
+Martin Vail is a prominent defense attorney in [[Chicago]] who jumps at the chance to represent Aaron Stampler, a young, [[stuttering]] altar boy accused of murdering the Archbishop. At first interested primarily in the publicity that the case will bring, Vail comes to believe that his client is truly innocent, much to the chagrin of the prosecutor (Vail's former lover), Janet Venable.
 Vail discovers that powerful civic leaders, including the [[District Attorney]], have lost millions in [[real estate]] investments due to a decision by the Archbishop not to develop certain church lands. The archbishop received numerous death threats as a result. He also learns that the archbishop had been [[child molestation|sexually abusing]] altar boys, including Stampler.