Primal Fear

"Sooner or later, a man who wears two faces forgets which one is real."

Apr 3 1996 R 2h 9m
Crime, Drama, Mystery

An arrogant, high-powered attorney takes on the case of a poor altar boy found running away from the scene of the grisly murder of the bishop who has taken him in. The case gets a lot more complex when the accused reveals that there may or may not have been a third person in the room.

Official Trailer
Plot

When a young man, Aaron, is charged with the horrific murder of Archbishop Rushman, hot-shot Chicago lawyer Martin Vail takes on his defense at no charge. Aaron was a homeless street kid before he was taken in by the Archbishop. He's shy and speaks with a stammer. Vail is convinced that Aaron is innocent but after discovering a video that shows Aaron may have had good reason to want the Archbishop dead, he begins to question that conclusion. When Aaron lashes out at the psychologist examining him another personality, Roy, is revealed. With the trial already underway, Vail cannot change Aaron plea and so has to find a way to introduce his client's condition. Aaron has something of a surprise for him as well.

Written by

William Diehl, Steve Shagan, Ann Biderman

Directed by

Gregory Hoblit

Cast

Richard Gere, Laura Linney, Edward Norton

Crew

View crew

Production Countries

United States of America

Production Companies

Rysher Entertainment, Paramount

Languages

Español, English

Awards

Nominated for 1 Oscar. 10 wins & 12 nominations total

Trailers
Primal Fear - Trailer
Scores
# of Votes
257,334
Average Rating
7.7 out of 10
Metascore
47
Popularity
NA