26 - "Primal Fear" (1996)

      This is one of those movies that I need to tread carefully when talking about it due to the many secrets it holds. For that, I won't give too much of a plot synopsis but the main gist is this: Richard Gere plays a hotshot defense attorney in Chicago who takes the case of a young altar boy who is accused of brutally murdering a local Archbishop. Gere doesn't care if the boy is actually guilty or not, he has a job to do as the defense attorney and that is to get his client off of the charges. He is opposed by the prosecution attorney, played by Laura Linney, whose character also happens to be an ex-lover. As the case unfolds, we learn that things are not as simple as they seem at first. That's about all I'm willing to give away of the plot. The altar boy is played by Edward Norton who is making his feature film debut here. He would go on to be one of the best young actors in Hollywood and we can easily see why here. He is brilliant as the young, confused altar boy who is claiming his innocence. Primal Fear unfolds slowly and takes several different twists in the story, but everything is pretty simple to follow. Gere is at his best in this role and should have gotten Oscar consideration. Norton did receive a Supporting Actor nomination for his part. If this is a movie that you have passed on before, don't make that mistake any longer. Give it a shot and I think you will be pleasantly surprised....literally.