Efficient and immediately engrossing Hollywood legal thriller (not so popular these days) in which unprincipled defence attorney Richard Gere takes case of Priest-murdering teenager Edward Norton (his debut), vs. former colleague / lover Laura Linney (all three great, especially steely Linney). Steve Shagan and Ann Biderman adapted William Diehl's novel - you can kind of see the twist ending coming.
Nicely edited (David Rosenbloom), apparent in exciting suspect-chase scene; but also in more subtle sequence of Gere and Linney's opening remarks cut against their pre-trial preparations, which take us into court - very smooth.
Michael Chapman lights beautifully.
Music: James Newton Howard (with help from Mozart's Requiem - the 'Lacrimosa' which pops up all over the place - glad I've tracked it down). 'That trumpet sounds like the guy who plays on Perry Mason', I thought at the end: it was - Terence Blanchard. And actually that show is I suppose a resurfacing of the courtroom drama genre. (In retrospect I'm not sure it's ever gone away - wasn't there that terrible and endless Viola Davies series...?)
With John Mahoney, the original Viola Alfre Woodard, Frances McDormand, Terry O'Quinn, Andre Braugher (Gere's investigator), Maura Tierney, Steve Bauer.
Wasn't sure about the title, though. The Hawthorne 'Scarlet Letter' quote may suggest a better one as Two Faces. ("No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude without finally becoming bewildered as to which may be true”.) Actually Two Faces isn't much of an audience-gripper. I bet a Hollywood Exec came up with Primary Fear.
Who the hell is Gregory Hoblit?
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