this is one of the best murder mystery,psychological suspense films i have ever seen.this thing will keep you riveted and guessing right down to the end.this movie belongs to Edward Norton,who plays an alter boy accused of murdering a priest.this is an early film with Norton,in fact his first feature(big screen)film.his talent is undeniable even back then(1996).there a lot of layers to this movie and a lot going on.there are also a lot of plot twists and some red herrings(false clues)to help lead you to the wrong conclusions.Richard Gere is also in the film and he does good in his role,as does Laura Linney in her role.but like i said,this is an Edward Norton film.the success of the movie hinges on his performance.he delivers in a big way,so the film succeeds.i don't think you can go wrong with this film.i urge you to check it out.for me "Primal Fear" is a 9/10

I have long disliked Richard Gere since he's made so many bad films and yet remained a first-tier star. PRETTY WOMAN, RUNAWAY BRIDE, American GIGOLO, FIRST KNIGHT and KING David are all wretched movies despite the large numbers of the public who went to see these films. Just because people see a film does not mean the film is worth seeing or that the public is right. If you believe in the public and its collective intelligence, then perhaps you can explain WWI and WWII! So, people are, at times, quite stupid and Richard Gere is one of many actors who are inexplicably popular.

BUT, despite my long rant above, I was actually very shocked that I found a well-written and intelligent film starring Gere!! But, given my jaded view of the public, this was of course, not one of Gere's more successful films to date! Gere plays a sleazy defense attorney that takes the case of Edward Norton who is accused of a violent and senseless murder. What I loved was that Gere really didn't care at first if Norton had done it or that he posed a huge threat to the public. Instead, he saw this case as a great way to get publicity. And, after a while, he starts to believe that maybe his client actually WAS innocent! Instead of going into the movie in more detail (since this will ruin any suspense),I want to talk about Edward Norton in the film. His performance was brilliant and chilling. The writers of the movie really did their homework and with Norton created a wonderful example of a true sociopath. His performance alone make this a must-see movie.

PRIMAL FEAR is one of those well-regarded courtroom dramas of the 1990s (Oscar nominated and all) that seems to have faded into obscurity somewhat in the intervening years. I found it a bit of a slog to sit through, if I'm honest, not helped by dated stylings that make definitely it feel like a film of yesteryear. Richard Gere's slick lawyer is something of an unappealing lead, but the real stand-out is Edward Norton, fine in a star-making performance and revealing some of the vim and fire that he would go on to bring to AMERICAN HISTORY X and FIGHT CLUB in the next couple of years. Otherwise it's rather par for the course, with key plot twists that have become familiar in cinema over the years and which as such feel less than shocking these days.