From the Vault: Primal Fear
A Standout of the 1990s Courtroom Drama Era
During the 1990s, Hollywood had an obsession with the legal world. From the courtroom drama to the legal thriller, Hollywood was adapting or creating stories that dealt with the world of the law left and right.
America’s fascination with the courtroom was coming to fruition in the early 1990s because, at the tail end of the 1980s, countless Americans were consuming various law-related books. From Scott Turow’s Presumed Innocent to the various works of John Grisham, the courtroom drama and the legal thriller were becoming an obsession for American audiences. At the beginning of the early 1990s, Hollywood dabbled in adaptations of these works, but it wasn’t until a specific event forced them to pay more attention to the love of this genre:
The O.J. Simpson murder trial.
The opening statements for the Simpson case were made in January of 1995, and the court case continued until October when O.J. Simpson was acquitted. During that time, America was glued to the television to see what Marcia Clark, Johnnie Cochran, and others would do. What would they say? What new twist would be revealed? It was the beginning of modern reality television.
During the O.J. Simpson murder case, Hollywood released zero courtroom dramas or legal thrillers in 1995. In 1996, there were at least seven released, and in 1997, there were at least five. Hollywood was reacting to what the American culture was missing. No other years matched this output.
Even though John Grisham was the King of Legal Films in the 1990s, a film adaptation of his work was not the first film released in the post-O.J. Simpson world. That honor would go to Primal Fear, an adaptation of William Diehl’s novel. With a career-best performance by Richard Gere, several star-making performances from then-newcomers Edward Norton and Laura Linney, and a story that is full of dark twists and turns, Primal Fear stands as one of the best legal films of its era.
Primal Fear follows Martin Vail (played by Richard Gere), a slick Chicago defense attorney who focuses more on the notoriety and fame of practicing law than actually caring about justice prevailing. To Vail, it’s not about who is guilty and who is innocent, it’s about who can tell the better story. The courtroom is his stage, and the jury is his audience (an idea Richard Gere would later return to in 2002’s Chicago). Vail relishes in the media coverage that his cases attract and he never misses a chance to drop a quote for the cameras.
Vail becomes involved in a highly-publicized case of a young altar boy, Aaron Stapler (Edward Norton), who is accused of brutally murdering the archbishop of Chicago. Vail seeks the case out because of the press it will draw. But as he delves into the case, he soon believes that this young boy is innocent. It is no longer about telling the better story, it is now about proving innocence. No matter what it takes.
To make it more difficult, Vail is trying the case against his ex-lover, Janet Venable (Laura Linney), and his former boss, District Attorney John Shaughnessy (John Mahoney). Vail begins uncovering secrets that surround both the Church and the local Chicago politics. From failed business dealings to cover-ups, the story is full of twists that still resonate for a modern audience.
The plot of the story is wonderfully layered, and the stellar cast elevates it. Richard Gere’s portrayal of Martin Vail is nuanced and charming, while also being a little slimy. His worldview is made clear at the very beginning, and slowly we see it change as the story begins to unravel.
Laura Linney makes her character of Janet Venable memorable by creating a layered performance. While many films of this genre feature a one-dimensional antagonist, Linney does not fall into this category. Her scenes with Gere are not there to provide simple information for these characters. They are there to enhance both characters. They are both intelligent, and each conversation is a battle of wits and ripe with sexual tension.
The rest of the supporting cast is rounded out by Frances McDormand, Alfre Woodard, John Mahoney, Andre Braugher, and Maura Tiernay. Each of their characters are three-dimensional and not just there to move the plot forward. Each of their characters has a life to them, and their connections with one another are solid and firm. Unlike other courtroom dramas of the era that had more recognizable names to give their films more star power, like Sleepers or The Firm, Primal Fear relied heavily on lesser-known character actors of the era, many of which were completely unknown at the time. The majority of these actors have gone on to have successful careers since the release of the film.
The biggest standout of the entire film is Edward Norton, in one of the greatest screen debuts of any actor. Norton brought so much to this role that wasn’t in the script or original novel, the most integral addition being the character’s stutter. This choice adds to the Stampler character, making him an outsider. He is seen as a young innocent teenager from Kentucky trapped in the cold, dark, and corrupt world of Chicago. Norton received an Oscar nomination in the Best Supporting Actor category for his performance, and in hindsight, he should have won.
Primal Fear showcases the legal culture that America was obsessed with at the time better than any other film of the era. It explored the media’s impact on our lives, how corruption at the top affects the ones at the bottom, and how guilt and innocence are not always based in truth and facts, but in how you spin it. But most importantly, good and evil are not as clear as they should be.
Check out our podcast episode on the history and evolution of the Courtroom Drama genre on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!
