dir. Gregory Hoblit
writ. Steve Shagan and Ann Biderman from novel by William Diehl
feat. Richard Gere, Ed Norton, Frances McDormand, Laura Linney, John Mahoney
Expectations endanger all movie viewing. On rare occasions they can work to one's advantage. I remember my impression that Lawrence of Arabia was going to be a Ben-Hur studio era epic and being blown away by how completely wrong I was. But this little picture, Primal Fear, had stayed on my radar since it came out, always toted as a decent flick with a notable Ed Norton performance. And anyone with an ever-growing list of films to see will understand the satisfaction in clearing a title from the memory by finally bringing it up on the screen.
And so it was that I permitted this disc into my home and player, only to find a heaping pile of garbage spewed out before me. If the ages of the actors weren't verifiable, I would have thought this was a mid to late-80s film with its symphonic soundtrack, douchebag lawyers, churchy sex scandal, and double identity clincher. Really?! People thought this was good entertainment in the mid-90s? And I suppose it wasn't predictable then either. Yes, Norton is convincing and enjoyable to watch, mainly for the 5 cumulative minutes when he plays the "bad guy," but I prefer there to be at least 15 watchable minutes in a feature film.
Gere is trademark arrogant obnoxious. Linney is ripening for her stock role as the aging, wronged, barely-sympathetic woman. And Mahoney is simply wasted as a single-faceted, ho-hum, politician-crook.
If you're lucky enough not to have seen this yet, consider yourself lucky and do not waste your time.
No comments:
Post a Comment