Primal Fear **** (1996, Richard Gere, Laura Linney, Edward Norton, John Mahoney, Alfre Woodard, Frances McDormand) – Classic Movie Review 471

Director Gregory Hoblit’s 1996 film Primal Fear is an excellent, neatly twisting thriller that grips throughout, with Richard Gere in top gear as Martin Vail, a smug Chicago attorney getting out of his depth when he tries to defend a choirboy of a charge of murdering an archbishop.

Edward Norton gives a sizzling, star-making turn in his film debut as the choirboy. The brilliant cast also includes Laura Linney as Janet Venable, John Mahoney as the crooked attorney John Shaughnessy, Alfre Woodard as Judge Shoat, Frances McDormand as Dr Molly Arrington, Terry O’Quinn, Andre Braugher, Steven Bauer, Joe Spano, Tony Plana, Maura Tierney and Jon Seda.

This brilliantly wrenching, sweaty-palmed movie is tensely and elegantly filmed by director Hoblit, conjuring up several bravura scenes and keeping the mystery always in his sights while effectively diverting the attention from the surprises. Steve Shagan and Ann Biderman turn in a polished screenplay, very effectively adapting a novel by William Diehl.

Norton won a Golden Globe as Best Supporting Actor but alas didn’t turn his Oscar nomination for the same into a win. Nevertheless it is the foundation of his star career. By 2015, it was the first of three Oscar nominations, with no wins so far. In 1999 he was nominated as Best Actor for American History X and in 2015 as Best Supporting Actor for Birdman.

Primal Fear runs 129 minutes, is produced by Rysher, is released by Paramount, is shot by Michael Chapman, is produced by Howard W Koch Jr and Gary Lucchesi, is scored by James Newton Howard and designed by Jeannine Claudia Oppewall.

Gere and Linney star together again in The Mothman Prophecies (2002) and The Dinner (2017).

RIP John Mahoney {1940–2018).

Kelsey Grammer says he is grieving the loss of John Mahoney, who played his dad Martin Crane on the TV sitcom Frasier. ‘He was my father, he said. ‘I loved him.’ He died on 4 February 2018, aged 77.

© Derek Winnert 2013 Classic Movie Review 471

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