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by R.J. Carter Published: March 13, 2009
No, it's not a scene from Norton's "Incredible Hulk," but a far better Jekyll and Hyde performance offered up in "Primal Fear," a film that will best be remembered as the movie that launched Norton's career. The Richard Gere / Laura Linney courtroom procedural drama would have been interesting enough on story alone, but Norton's portrayal of accused killer, altar boy Aaron Stampler and alter ego Roy, really put this film over the top with its "whoa!" factor. "Primal Fear" follows criminal defense attorney Martin Vail (Gere) -- a confident, self-absorbed and vain man who takes on Aaron as a pro-bono for the publicity, certain he can get a jury to side with him in proving the stammering, simple Aaron not guilty in the brutal slaying of a Chicago archbishop. But when Aaron presents a whole new side to himself, in the separate personality of the aggressive Roy, it seems that Aaron may actually have done the deed after all, pushed into doing so because of abuses suffered. Twist follows twist until the climactic ending, which sets the entire plot on its head as the viewers realize just how duped they've been from the get-go, making "Primal Fear" a classic of the surprise-ending genre. Bonus features on this "Hard Evidence Edition" rerelease include an eighteen minute documentary, "Primal Fear: The Final Verdict." Here, Director Gregory Hoblit and the production crew talk about the making of the film, with a focus on Norton's performance and what he brought to the character of Aaron Stampler (the stutter was apparently Norton's invention). Norton and Linney are also interviewed about scenes in the film. Following that is another eighteen minute feature, "Primal Fear: Star Witness," which also focuses again on Aaron Stampler, called by casting director Deborah Aquila as "a layer cake of a character." Viewers learn that the role could have gone to Leonardo DiCaprio, who had to turn the role down, kicking off a very wide casting search for the right actor. Norton discusses how he learned of the part, and credits his career to being allowed the chance at the role. Finally, the fourteen minute featurette, "The Psychology of Guilt," explores the real-world side of the insanity defense. Justice Roger W. Boren educates viewers to the McNaughton Rule, and two forensic experts in the field -- Park Dietz, M.D. and Dan Sussman, PhD -- talk about Dissociative Identity Disorder, with some doubt cast on whether it's even real. The feature takes a quick look at some famous cases that attempted to use the insanity plea, including David Berkowitz and John Hinkley. The feature presentation has a new audio commentary track with Hoblit and Aquila, joined by screenwriter Ann Biderman, producer Gary Lucchesi, and executive producer Hawk Koch. Audio for the film can be set to English 5.1 Surround, French, or Spanish, with optional subtitling available in all three languages. Previews on this disc include "Eagle Eye" and "The Godfather" series. |
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