Date: Fri 19-Apr-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: SHANNO

Illustration: C

Location: A-10

Quick Words:

Playing-Primal-Fear-Gere

Full Text:

(rev "Primal Fear" for Now Playing, 4/19/96)

Now Playing-

Gere's `Fear' Is Playing Near

By Trey Paul Alexander III

My theory about Richard Gere is he is at his best when playing characters of

shady or downright disreputable demeanor, such as a grippingly sinister,

crooked cop in Internal Affairs , or the disarmingly sympathetic but

mysterious protagonist of Sommersby . Gere is in his element again with Primal

Fear , currently the No. 1 film in the country, playing locally at the Crown

Cine in Danbury.

Gere stars as Martin Vail, a flashy attorney who typically gains even more

celebrity than the high profile people he defends. If the actor was looking

for a role that was, at its core, fundamentally questionable, what better part

to tackle than that of a defense attorney? (Sorry, low blow to all you lawyers

out there.)

Vail notches a headline-grabbing client when he commits to the cause of Aaron

Stampler (Edward Norton), an altar boy caught fleeing the scene of a violent

crime where the archbishop of Chicago was brutally murdered. The case against

Stampler appears open-and-shut to most Windy City denizens, who witness live,

via a TV news broadcast, the blood-soaked Stampler in his sprint from city

cops.

The movie begins with Vail being interviewed by an inquisitive writer. Vail's

comments to the journalist, who appears sporadically, help convey his inner

psyche to the audience. Of particular relevance is an early claim he cares not

for the truth or innocence or guilt, but only for "the truth I can convey to

the jury."

The significance here is that Vail's undertaking of Stampler's case - an

apparently simple situation in which the accused is obviously guilty - would

make perfect sense in this shrewd lawyer's mind. However, the twist comes when

the pragmatic Vail begins to believe Stampler is innocent and begins investing

himself into excavating the truth behind the archbishop's death.

Primal Fear feels much like City Hall , a political thriller from earlier this

year. Both films are above-average efforts that nonetheless fall short of

becoming anything triumphantly special. Primal Fear shares the weakness of a

rather calculating story, although the film does throw the audience a number

of curves trying to keep viewers off its scent. The bad news about all the

plot surprises is the narrative begins to lose its momentum about

three-quarters of the way through, thus sapping the last portion of the film

of some potential punch. What elevates this effort, when all is said and done,

is some fine work by its cast, particularly Gere and Norton.

Edward Norton, making his big screen debut, is impressively complex as

Stampler, a stuttering kid who appears overwhelmed by his situation and

incapable of the heinous crime with which he has been charged. His scenes with

Gere, whose lawyer becomes increasingly perturbed by the preponderance of

evidence that points to his client, are taut and mesmerizing, with neither

actor upstaging the other.

It is also refreshing to see a number of familiar TV faces getting some big

screen action. Among those involved are Maura Tierney of "NewsRadio," John

Mahoney of "Frasier" and Andre Braugher of "Homicide: Life on the Street." (By

the way, here's a free plug: If you haven't been watching NBC's criminally

neglected "Homicide," you're missing out on television's finest hour drama,

bar none.)

Ultimately, Primal Fear offers up enough dramatic potency to merit a viewing,

but it nearly sabotages its endeavors by pumping the production full of

unnecessary profanity and sexual content. Primal Fear , understandably rated R

due to its subject matter, is adult fare and handles its material as such.

Nonetheless, the frequency of expletive-filled dialogue is too high and adds

little impact to the film, aside from drawing attention to itself.