Primal Fear is Edward Norton's first film and all I can say is wow. Norton stars as Aaron Stampler, a shy and formerly homeless alter boy who stands accused of murdering a prominent bishop, one who took him in. When community leader Bishop Rushman is found brutally slashed to death in his bedroom, the only suspect is Aaron Stampler, an alter boy found covered in the bishop's blood and hiding in the bushes of the rectory. But things are not as they appear. In waltzes arrogant and successful defense lawyer Martin Vail (Richard Gere), who takes Stampler's case pro bono, just for the media frenzy alone. As Vail interviews the boy and digs deeper for the truth, he finds that he is the only person who believes that the boy was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, as he claims. To complicate matters, Vail's former lover and co-worker, Janet Venable (Laura Linney), is tasked with leading Stampler's prosecution and she is going for the death penalty.
As Vail's associate (Maura Tierney) and investigator (Andre Braugher) begin to unearth secrets surrounding the Bishop and his alter boys, a clear motive for his murder surfaces. The Bishop's financial dealings also come to the forefront, namely the fact that he nixed some very large real estate deals, for the good of the community, mind you, but ones that cost some dangerous people millions of dollars, the least of which is State's Attorney and Janet Venable's boss, John Shaughnessy (John Mahoney). It seems a number of people could have wanted the Bishop dead.
To get to the bottom of things, Vail asks his friend and psychologist Molly (Frances McDormand) to evaluate Aaron and what she discovers is shocking - Aaron may have multiple personalities due to childhood and current trauma. Could he have committed the murder without even realizing it?
Primal Fear will take you on a roller coaster with its twists and turns. Just as you think you've got things figured out, they throw you a curve ball. Edward Norton is brilliant as he transforms from quiet to violent on a dime and Gere is equally impressive as the manipulative attorney who never loses his cool. Laura Linney was also quite good in this early role and she plays perfectly off Gere as Janet. As always, Frances McDormand is superb. While watching the special features, I found it fascinating that Norton and Linney were gambles, both being fairly new on the acting scene. They were definitely gambles that paid off big. Norton added Aaron's stutter on his own, which adds so much to the character, and much of the climax of the movie is improv on both Norton and Gere's part. If you are a fan of legal thrillers, this is a must-see film. Just reading the back of the DVD case, I was intrigued, but this movie is fantastic. The special features alone may not make it worth a purchase if you already own it, but since there are several retrospectives with the actors today, they are well worth watching.
