*****SPOILER ALERT***** I was surprised looking at the IMDb top 250 movies that "Primal Fear" isn't among them while the more elaborately made and overrated thriller "The Usual Subjects" is listed as #17 among the all time best in motion picture history. Both movies have narratives that build up to a shocking and surprising ending but the movie "Primal Fear's" ending fits right in with the story that it's presenting and doesn't take anything away from it. While at the same time when you see the movie again for any clues for the surprise ending as hard as you try you can't find them because the ending was, in the true sense of the word, a total surprise.
"Primal Fear" is really one of those movies that has a good story that builds up the suspense level with acting and directing and delivers a shocking ending. The film climax not only stuns the audience but makes total sense and doesn't take away anything from the story that you saw up to that point when it hits you. Where as "The Usual Suspects" surprise ending seems totally contrived and completely negates the story that you were seeing up to the part that you were hit by it that the movie plot that you were watching becomes utterly senseless.
Marty Vail, Richard Gere, is one of Chicago's top defense attorneys who likes to take on high-profile cases for a hefty fee or Pro-Bono as long as it gets him publicity and embellishes his already envious reputation. Marty also believes that everybody no matter how repulsive their crime, which there accused of deserves to be defended to the utmost of his ability. One morning in a bar watching the TV Vail sees a live news report of the police chasing down a young man who is reported to have murdered a very powerful and popular man from the Catholic Church Archbishop Richard Rushman, Stanley Anderson.
Smelling publicity in defending that person, if he's not killed by the police or ends up killing himself, Vail uses his connections to get on the case defending him. At the jail-house talking to the young man Aaron Stampler, Edward Norton, he finds out that he's a 19 year-old altar boy at the church that the Archbishop was in charge of. Stampler tells him that he blacked out, lost time as he puts it, when he came into the Archbishops office when he heard that there was someone else there. Stampler blacked out but when he woke up from his unconscious state he found himself covered with blood and the Archbishop was dead! Seeing that he just panicked and ran.
The state wants the death penalty for Stampler and assigned to prosecute the case Janet Venable, Laura Linney, who once had an affair with Marty Vail and is very surprised that Vail is handling the case for Stampler's defense. Before he's to go on trial when Stampler is examined by a defense paid psychiatrist Dr. Molly Arrington, Frances McDormand. It's then discovered that he has a split personality and is not in control of himself when his other self takes over his mind and he becomes "Roy", a completely different and violent person! Marty Vail later also finds this out the hard and brutal way about Stampler's condition by being banged around by "Roy".
It's determined by Dr. Arrington that Sampler is a very sick person and should get help in a mental hospital not in a prison but since the trial is already on Vail can't change the plea from not guilty to innocent by reason of insanity. Vail later finds out that Stampler was sexually abused by the Archbishop by tracking down a video tape with the Archbishop having Stampler and other altar boys and girls engage in sexual activities while he watched. The tape would not only be very embarrassing to the church but to a lot of high powerful people in the city and state government if it were released.
Vail sends a copy of the tape to the prosecutor, Miss. Venable, so it would force her to use it at the trial. At the trial State Prosecutor Venable has the tape played,to the total shock of those in the courtroom, to show that Stampler had cause and reason to murder the Archbishop. Just as Vail expected, by releasing the tape to Venable, the case starts to backfire against her. It's then when Vail puts Aaron Stampler on the stand to be cross-examined by Miss. Venable who aggressive and belligerently questions him on the archbishops murder he goes completely berserk. "Roy" takes over Aaron's mind and attacks Miss. Venable and almost ends up breaking her neck. Everybody decides, the Judge as well as the prosecution, that Stampler is insane and not responsible for his actions and drops the murder case against him. I's agreed that he needs to be in a mental hospital and not in a state prison ;but the story is not over for the movies shocking and surprising ending is just about to happen.
One of the best crime/court dramas ever made with outstanding performances by, of course, Edward Norton, Richard Gere, Laura Linney and everyone else involved with the acting in the movie. Don't miss seeing it you won't be disappointed, you'll be rewarded with one of the best crime/court dramas and surprise ending movies of all time.
"Primal Fear" is really one of those movies that has a good story that builds up the suspense level with acting and directing and delivers a shocking ending. The film climax not only stuns the audience but makes total sense and doesn't take away anything from the story that you saw up to that point when it hits you. Where as "The Usual Suspects" surprise ending seems totally contrived and completely negates the story that you were seeing up to the part that you were hit by it that the movie plot that you were watching becomes utterly senseless.
Marty Vail, Richard Gere, is one of Chicago's top defense attorneys who likes to take on high-profile cases for a hefty fee or Pro-Bono as long as it gets him publicity and embellishes his already envious reputation. Marty also believes that everybody no matter how repulsive their crime, which there accused of deserves to be defended to the utmost of his ability. One morning in a bar watching the TV Vail sees a live news report of the police chasing down a young man who is reported to have murdered a very powerful and popular man from the Catholic Church Archbishop Richard Rushman, Stanley Anderson.
Smelling publicity in defending that person, if he's not killed by the police or ends up killing himself, Vail uses his connections to get on the case defending him. At the jail-house talking to the young man Aaron Stampler, Edward Norton, he finds out that he's a 19 year-old altar boy at the church that the Archbishop was in charge of. Stampler tells him that he blacked out, lost time as he puts it, when he came into the Archbishops office when he heard that there was someone else there. Stampler blacked out but when he woke up from his unconscious state he found himself covered with blood and the Archbishop was dead! Seeing that he just panicked and ran.
The state wants the death penalty for Stampler and assigned to prosecute the case Janet Venable, Laura Linney, who once had an affair with Marty Vail and is very surprised that Vail is handling the case for Stampler's defense. Before he's to go on trial when Stampler is examined by a defense paid psychiatrist Dr. Molly Arrington, Frances McDormand. It's then discovered that he has a split personality and is not in control of himself when his other self takes over his mind and he becomes "Roy", a completely different and violent person! Marty Vail later also finds this out the hard and brutal way about Stampler's condition by being banged around by "Roy".
It's determined by Dr. Arrington that Sampler is a very sick person and should get help in a mental hospital not in a prison but since the trial is already on Vail can't change the plea from not guilty to innocent by reason of insanity. Vail later finds out that Stampler was sexually abused by the Archbishop by tracking down a video tape with the Archbishop having Stampler and other altar boys and girls engage in sexual activities while he watched. The tape would not only be very embarrassing to the church but to a lot of high powerful people in the city and state government if it were released.
Vail sends a copy of the tape to the prosecutor, Miss. Venable, so it would force her to use it at the trial. At the trial State Prosecutor Venable has the tape played,to the total shock of those in the courtroom, to show that Stampler had cause and reason to murder the Archbishop. Just as Vail expected, by releasing the tape to Venable, the case starts to backfire against her. It's then when Vail puts Aaron Stampler on the stand to be cross-examined by Miss. Venable who aggressive and belligerently questions him on the archbishops murder he goes completely berserk. "Roy" takes over Aaron's mind and attacks Miss. Venable and almost ends up breaking her neck. Everybody decides, the Judge as well as the prosecution, that Stampler is insane and not responsible for his actions and drops the murder case against him. I's agreed that he needs to be in a mental hospital and not in a state prison ;but the story is not over for the movies shocking and surprising ending is just about to happen.
One of the best crime/court dramas ever made with outstanding performances by, of course, Edward Norton, Richard Gere, Laura Linney and everyone else involved with the acting in the movie. Don't miss seeing it you won't be disappointed, you'll be rewarded with one of the best crime/court dramas and surprise ending movies of all time.