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Primal Fear
Primal Fear is a 1996 American crime legal drama mystery thriller film directed by Gregory Hoblit, based on the 1993 novel of the same name by William Diehl, written by Steve Shagan and Ann Biderman. It stars Richard Gere, Laura Linney, John Mahoney, Alfre Woodard, Frances McDormand, and Edward Norton in his film debut. The film follows a Chicago-based defense attorney who believes that his client, an altar boy, is not guilty of murdering a Catholic bishop.
Plot
Martin Vail is an arrogant Chicago defense attorney, known for defending undesirable but high-profile clients, including alleged mob boss Joey Piñero. Vail was previously a state prosecuting attorney, but after finding it to be a dead-end career, he became a defense attorney. Fond of the spotlight, Vail is profiled for a magazine cover story, then attempts to rekindle a casual relationship with a former colleague, prosecutor Janet Venable. Publicly beloved Archbishop Rushman is found murdered and mutilated in his bedroom. Aaron Stampler, a 19-year-old altar boy from Kentucky, is caught fleeing the scene covered in blood and subsequently charged with murder. Vail offers to defend him .
More details
| author | Ann Biderman Steve Shagan |
|---|---|
| contentLocation | Chicago |
| director | Gregory Hoblit |
| editor | David Rosenbloom |
| genre | crime drama mystery thriller |
| keywords | altar boy altar server amnesia archbishop attack attorney bench trial chain of custody crime scene death penalty defense attorney difficult childhood disillusion dissociative identity disorder flee group home insanity defense kentucky kill missing girl mob boss murder mutilate neuropsychologist pro bono psychiatric hospital real estate search sexual act state\'s attorney stutter the scarlet letter to remember vhs |
| musicBy | James Newton Howard |
| nomination | Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor |
| producer | Gary Lucchesi |
| publisher | Paramount Pictures |
| recordedAt | Chicago |
| theme | legal drama legal thriller mystery thriller neo-noir psychological thriller religion |