Primal Fear

The only complaint I have about PRIMAL FEAR is the title. It really has nothing to do with anything this courtroom murder thriller is all about but that is neither here nor there. What is here is PRIMAL FEAR is one hell of a tight little gripping story, provided by William Diehl who also gave us SHARKY'S MACHINE. Richard Gere excels as the arrogant glory seeking lawyer Martin Vail and Laura Linney matches him pace for pace. Wicked support is given from John Mahoney, Frances McDormand, Alfre Woodward, Andre Braugher and Terry O'Quinn but the real stand-out is Edward Norton. This was his debut on the big screen and his work earned him an Oscar nomination, deservedly so! Gregory Hoblit wields his directing skills to perfection here making PRIMAL FEAR, wrongly titled or not, a must see!