Primal Fear poster

Primal Fear( 1996)

TV-MACrimeDramaMysteryThriller
77%
User
Score

Sooner or later, a man who wears two faces forgets which one is real.

Overview

An arrogant, high-powered attorney takes on the case of a poor altar boy found running away from the scene of the grisly murder of the bishop who has taken him in. The case gets a lot more complex when the accused reveals that there may or may not have been a third person in the room.

    Top Billed Cast

    1. cast image

      Richard Gere

      Martin Vail

    2. cast image

      Laura Linney

      Janet Venable

    3. cast image

      Edward Norton

      Aaron

    4. cast image

      John Mahoney

      Shaughnessy

    5. cast image

      Alfre Woodard

      Shoat

    6. cast image

      Frances McDormand

      Molly

    7. cast image

      Terry O'Quinn

      Yancy

    8. cast image

      Andre Braugher

      Goodman

    9. cast image

      Steven Bauer

      Pinero

    10. cast image

      Joe Spano

      Stenner

    11. cast image

      Tony Plana

      Martinez

    12. cast image

      Stanley Anderson

      Rushman

    13. cast image

      Maura Tierney

      Naomi

    14. cast image

      Jon Seda

      Alex

    15. cast image

      Reg Rogers

      Connerman

    16. cast image

      Kenneth Tigar

      Weil

    17. cast image

      Brian Reddy

      Woodside

    18. cast image

      Christopher Carroll

      M.C.

    19. cast image

      Wendy Cutler

      Lou

    20. cast image

      Ron O.J. Parson

      Turner

    21. cast image

      Sigrid K. Zahner

      Vail's Secretary

    22. cast image

      Dianne Burns

      WLS Anchor

    23. cast image

      Linda Yu

      WLS Anchor

    24. cast image

      Andy Shaw

      WLS Location Reporter

    25. cast image

      Mary Ann Childers

      WBBM Anchor

    26. cast image

      Lester Holt

      WBBM Anchor

    27. cast image

      Sylvia Gomez

      WBBM Location Reporter

    28. cast image

      Jon Duncanson

      WBBN Location Reporter

    29. cast image

      Greg Bronson

      Banquet Patron (uncredited)

    30. cast image

      David Eckert

      WGN Anchor

    31. cast image

      Robert Jordan

      WGN Anchor

    32. cast image

      Joanie Lum

      WGN Location Reporter

    33. cast image

      Randy Salerno

      WGN Location Reporter

    34. cast image

      Kyle Colerider-Krugh

      Postman

    35. cast image

      Joseph Luis Caballero

      Joe

    36. cast image

      Randall Slavin

      Young Boy

    37. cast image

      Mike Bacarella

      Sergeant

    38. cast image

      Turk Muller

      Precinct Jailer

    39. cast image

      Joseph F. Kosala

      Cop

    40. cast image

      Lenny Wilson

      Bartender

    41. cast image

      Peter Schreiner

      Bailiff

    42. cast image

      Joseph R. Ryan

      Old Man

    43. cast image

      Azalea Davila

      Linda

    44. cast image

      Wayne Wright

      Court Clerk

    45. cast image

      Tony Fitzpatrick

      Duty Officer

    46. cast image

      Clarence Williams, Jr.

      Arresting Cop

    47. cast image

      Rosalie V. Lewis

      Stenographer

    48. cast image

      Dwight Brad Dyer

      Prison Guard

    49. cast image

      Larry Cook

      Pilot

    50. cast image

      Bob Kenney

      Pilot

    Social

    Review 2Discussion

    A review by CinemaSerf

    7
    Written by CinemaSerf on Thu Jun 30 2022
    I was never the greatest fan of Richard Gere, but this is certainly one of his better performances. He is cocky lawyer "Vail", adept at ensuring his criminal fraternity clients evade justice. When the shocking news that an archbishop has been savagely murdered is announced, he decides on a bit of pro-bono work to defend the young "Aaron" (Ed Norton) against the prosecuting skills of his ex-girlfriend "Janet" (Laura Linney). As the courtroom drama unfolds, though, we soon establish that there are undertones that call into question not just who did what to whom, but also the integrity of the vict...

    Media

    Videos 1Backdrops 27Posters 51

    Recommendations

    1. The Score

      The Score67%

    2. Rounders

      Rounders70%

    3. An Officer and a Gentleman

      An Officer and a Gentleman70%

    4. Se7en

      Se7en84%

    5. Shall We Dance?

      Shall We Dance?64%

    6. Autumn in New York

      Autumn in New York61%

    7. First Knight

      First Knight61%

    8. Along Came a Spider

      Along Came a Spider63%

    9. Pawn Sacrifice

      Pawn Sacrifice68%

    10. American History X

      American History X83%

    11. Mystic River

      Mystic River77%

    12. 25th Hour

      25th Hour73%

    13. The Life of David Gale

      The Life of David Gale74%

    14. The Bone Collector

      The Bone Collector68%

    15. Dogville

      Dogville78%

    16. Identity

      Identity72%

    17. The Game

      The Game76%

    18. A Good Marriage

      A Good Marriage53%

    19. The Ladykillers

      The Ladykillers73%

    20. Multiplicity

      Multiplicity58%

    Facts

    Status

    Released

    Original Language

    English

    Budget

    30000000.00

    Revenue

    102600000.00

    Keywords

    • chicago, illinois
    • child abuse
    • corruption
    • based on novel or book
    • court case
    • court
    • psychopath
    • bishop
    • manipulation
    • pornographic video
    • lawyer
    • whodunit
    • psychiatrist
    • mental illness
    • murder trial
    • altar boy
    • legal drama
    • legal thriller