Project-Blu Primal Fear, by M. Enois Duarte

Primal Fear

By: M. Enois Duarte, 3.10.2009

The Movie Itself:
On the surface, Primal Fear is just like any other courtroom drama. You have your self-absorbed and narcissistic lawyer, who by film's end must learn the error of his ways, and then you have the accused he so desperately tries to defend, while the audience ponders on his/her innocence and uncertainty, adding suspense to an otherwise boring court procedure. But beneath its conventional premise, there lies a well-engineered and smart thriller, where director Gregory Hoblit carefully constructs an atmosphere of mystery and duplicity. One minute, we are lead to believe that the film will go in one direction, only to find a sudden shift in course for a story that goes beyond its legal thriller aspects and provides a well-played hand.

When young altar boy Aaron Stampler (Edward Norton) is arrested for the brutal murder of a powerful Archbishop, arrogant Chicago defense attorney Martin Vail (Richard Gere) jumps at the chance of winning the media's spotlight once again and trusts his client's claim of an unknown third person responsible for the homicide. During his investigation, he uncovers a political scandal over the loss of millions of dollars in real estate investments involving District Attorney Shaughnessy (John Mahoney) and must contend his case against determined prosecutor Janet (Laura Linney), who also happens to be an old flame. But as it turns out, Aaron suffers from dissociative identity disorder, discovered by the psychiatrist (Frances McDormand), and Vail must now figure out a way to use this information in the middle of the trial to win.

Adapted from the novel by William Diehl, the film is surprisingly engaging for such a simple, straightforward plot, one where we assume an obvious outcome and where Vail will pull out some ace in the hole to succeed. From the beginning, we take for granted the narrative is all about the childlike Stampler, his innocence to the crime, and his troubled mental state. However, that uncomplicated luxury is soon removed as things develop and discover a completely different film. This is all about Vail --- his vanity, his ideals, his determination to win an argument. Despite being told of his belief in the doctrine that one is innocent until proven otherwise, it is apparent to us his hunger for publicity and proudful pretensions for winning at all cost.

Although we are all swindled by the conspiracy in the end, it is Vail who is affected most by it. He makes it clear in the opening scenes that the illusion of Truth, of the version he manufactures, is the one that matters most and never persuaded by a defendant's actual guilt. In the final scenes, as Vail walks out of the courtroom, avoiding the media, we are left with a lasting impression of a man whose lies and conceits have turned against him, have finally caught up to him. It's as if he only just realized Hawthorne's passage of a man with two faces refers to him, becoming aware that he never knew which side of the Truth he ever fought for. It's all very compelling, watching the progress of man go from self-conceit, to champion of innocence, to a false sense of self.

Of course, this all rather moot were it not for the career-launching performance of Edward Norton as Aaron/Roy. At the time, he was an unknown actor with no prior experience in film, but his portrayal of a young man with a split personality was so captivating and engrossing that it sits as the heart of the whole film and went on to earn an Oscar nomination. And Gere gives one of his best performances, up there with Days in Heaven, American Gigolo, and Mr. Jones. He has proven that no other actor can be so convincing in displaying a man full of self-confidence and flamboyancy. Other than the shocking final reveal, Primal Fear makes for an impressive courtroom drama and legal thriller, with a bit more depth than we are initially lead to believe thanks to some fine acting, intriguing storytelling, and competent craftsmanship from Hoblit.
Rating: 8/10

The Presentation:
Arriving on Blu-ray utilizing the AVC MPEG-4 codec and a 1.85:1 window, Primal Fear looks great in high definition for the most part and a definite step up. Only, the picture seems dated and any weaknesses found are inherent to its source. Overall, it has been nicely cleaned up while retaining a thinly veiled grain structure, allowing a great amount of detail not seen before to come through.

The architecture of the Chicago buildings in the distance are very clear with well-defined lines, while close-up shots expose much in the facial features. The color palette is intentionally somber, but more vibrant than its DVD counterpart and rendered accurately. Contrast can feel a bit subdued at times but remains bright with well-resolved whites. Blacks levels are strong, but stable within the mid range and provide some depth. There were a few instances of crush, but details in the dark shadows held up decently. Flesh tones sometimes appear natural, however actors also look pale and flushed for a large part of the film. There were also scenes when the image appeared soft, colors lost vibrancy, and grain was inconsistent. In the end, the film had a pleasant filmic quality to it, making it worth the upgrade.

Paramount stamps the Dolby TrueHD label on this Blu-ray edition of Primal Fear and the results are slightly better than the video. For a dialogue-driven film, the mix is unexpectedly active, replicating the film's sound design adequately and yields some nice interior acoustics for a courtroom drama. Vocals are clean, clear, and crisp in the center of the screen and never overwhelmed by the few bits of action sequences. Activity in the surrounds are not entirely consistent, but provide some pleasantly convincing atmospheric effects, like street traffic, chatter in crowded areas or the echo of voices in the court room. The front soundstage also offered an immersive experience, with great clarity and imaging between the three channels. The musical score by James Newton Howard supplies wonderful fidelity and bleeds lightly into the rears, extending the soundfield with subtle undertones.
Rating: 7/10

The Extras:
Porting over the same bonus features as the special edition DVD, Paramount releases Primal Fear with a rather plain supplemental package, and all presented in high definition.

Audio Commentary
Director Gregory Hoblit sits down with writer Ann Biderman, casting director Deborah Aquila, executive producer Hawk Koch, and producer Gary Lucchesi.
The Final Verdict (18 min.)
Making-Of doc with cast and crew recalling the film's production.
Star Witness (18 min.)
A look at how Edward Norton become a part of the cast.
Psychology of Guilt (14 min.)
Psychologists discuss dissociative identity disorder, the lack of evidence for its existence, and how it has been used in the past as an insanity plea.
Theatrical Trailer

Rating: 5/10

Overall:
Despite being remembered best for its shocking final reveal, Primal Fear is an impressive courtroom drama and legal thriller, with a bit more depth than we are initially lead to believe thanks to some fine acting, intriguing storytelling, and competent craftsmanship from Hoblit. This Blu-ray edition offers a decent filmic picture quality and an unexpectedly attractive audio experience, making this worth the upgrade over its DVD counterpart.
Rating: 6/10