Schegge di paura

Titolo originale: Primal Fear

1996
T
2h 9min

VALUTAZIONE IMDb

7,7/10

265.896

LA TUA VALUTAZIONE

POPOLARITÀ

440

Riproduci trailer2: 28

6 video

94 foto

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Un chierichetto accusato di aver assassinato un prete che lo ha molestato rivela di avere una seconda personalità, che sembra essere la vera colpevole del crimine.Un chierichetto accusato di aver assassinato un prete che lo ha molestato rivela di avere una seconda personalità, che sembra essere la vera colpevole del crimine.Un chierichetto accusato di aver assassinato un prete che lo ha molestato rivela di avere una seconda personalità, che sembra essere la vera colpevole del crimine.

Vedi le informazioni sulla produzione su IMDbPro

VALUTAZIONE IMDb

7,7/10

265.896

LA TUA VALUTAZIONE

POPOLARITÀ

440

Vedi le informazioni sulla produzione su IMDbPro

Candidato a 1 Oscar
- 10 vittorie e 12 candidature totali

Video6

Foto94

+ 87

Recensioni degli utenti429

7,7265.8K

Recensioni in evidenza

9jjnxn-1

Exceptionally good all around

If you want to see excellent acting in the service of an involving well told story this is a good place to start. Across the board there is not one weak performance. Gere has one of his very best roles as a fame loving attorney who chases a headline case that is more than he bargained for. He and the Laura Linney spar and parry both in and out of court with wonderful brio, she is his equal even if he is loath to admit it and the actress's personal strong persona fits the role perfectly. In a star making performance Edward Norton grabs his part by the throat and runs with it, a brilliant job and one that marked him as a true talent to watch. Each secondary roles is filled with top drawer character actors-Frances McDormand as an understanding therapist, Maura Tierney and Andre Braugher as Gere's assistants and on and on all deliver quality work. Alfre Woodard deserves special mention as the no nonsense slightly cantankerous judge who tipples a little on the side. She takes what could have been a throwaway part and makes her both memorable and humorous. A little overlong you won't notice so good is the acting and once it gets going the story keeps the interest level high.

8TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews

Excellent film

My fiancée suggested I watch this, and when we found it for sale at a good price, we bought it right away. I must say, this is a marvelous and quite well-crafted film. The acting is top-notch all the way. Gere manages to make us care about a type of person that few like. O'Quinn is somewhat underused, as he is a magnificent actor, but apart from that, everyone gets a good chance to perform well, and they all live up to it. I would have to say that I now have a completely new-found respect for Norton... and I had a great deal of respect for him before even knowing of this movie. The plot is well-written and has good layers to it, especially for a movie of two hours(running time does put quite a limitation on the level of detail and intricacy of the plot). The pacing is really good, the movie never moves neither too fast nor too slowly. This is the second film I've seen that was directed by Gregory Hoblit... and the second that I've really, really liked(both have received 8's by yours truly, and very deservedly so), so I will most definitely keep an eye out for any future works by the man. I haven't read the book of the same title that this is based on, so I can't comment on how accurate and true to the tone this film is. I urge anyone intending to watch this to steer clear of any spoilers on it, because the plot is too good to ruin. I won't detail it here, I'll just say that the film has many court-room scenes, and deals with a very violent crime(and it's not the only occurrence in the film of a violent nature). For that same reason, since it is depicted graphically in the film(but not too much... there was nothing gratuitous about it), I urge anyone who believes they may not be able to handle seeing such to consider if they should watch it or not. There is also quite a bit of language, as well as a brief scene of sexual nature, so if such bother you, you may want to watch a censored version, if you are interested in seeing it. I recommend this very warmly to any fan of court-room dramas and thrillers. If you enjoy an engaging and involving thriller with surprises, this is the movie for you. 8/10

8philip_vanderveken

Not just another court room drama

I was convinced that "Primal Fear" would be the type of courtroom drama that Hollywood seems to use to pave the streets with. You know what I mean: Someone gets wrongly accused of some mischief, he can't pay a lawyer, but of course there is one who is really interested in the case and he is prepared to defend the poor guy anyway. The defender finds some wholes in the police investigation or in the statement of the other party and knows to prove the innocence of his client and even get a big indemnity. Well, I was wrong, for once this was a courtroom drama that had a bit more to offer than the usual story line and twists. In fact, this was even a very enjoyable movie.

Even though I'm not really a fan of Richard Gere (I'm not a woman, so no I don't like him because the way he looks, I only look at his acting), I have to admit that this time he really did a very good job as the slick, media-friendly, arrogant lawyer Martin Vail. Still, in my opinion the real star in this movie is Edward Norton. He's really excellent as the altar boy who is accused of murdering a Catholic bishop.

For once the story isn't as predictable as usual. At first the case seems rather clear: an altar boy is running away from the home of the bishop, with blood all over his clothes. No doubt about it you think, he did it, case closed, next movie! But than the first interesting twist in the movie appears: Yes, he was at the murder scene, but he can't remember anything about the grisly murder, because at that exact moment he got a blackout. He's convinced that there was a third person in the room. That third person must have killed the bishop, he's innocent. His lawyer tries to prove the third man theory in the court room, but as the process comes nearer to the end, some new evidence will make everything a lot clearer and more interesting...

As I already said, this movie is more than just worth a watch, thanks to the rather innovative story line and characters. For once, this movie didn't annoy me more than I could ever like it. That's already worth a lot, so I give it a well deserved 8/10.

tweeterbirdy

Edward norton does an excellent job

I had just gotten done seeing the movie Fight Club when a relative of mine said " If you like that movie, you'll like Primal Fear." I didn't believe him, because I had believed that Fight Club was the best movie on the face of the planet. Well, he just so happened to have a copy of Primal Fear with him. I watched it and was amazed. I was speechless.The movie has so many twists! I was convinced that it was one of the best movies I had ever seen. Gere's performance is average. I say this because it seems that in many movies he plays the same cocky character. Linney's monologue in the courtroom is mesmerizing . It was just great. And Norton? Well this may be one of his best performances ever. The fact that this was made during the starting of his acting career was unbelievable. It was a great film and Edward norton does an excellent job

9disdressed12

stunning performance by Edward Norton

this is one of the best murder mystery,psychological suspense films i have ever seen.this thing will keep you riveted and guessing right down to the end.this movie belongs to Edward Norton,who plays an alter boy accused of murdering a priest.this is an early film with Norton,in fact his first feature(big screen)film.his talent is undeniable even back then(1996).there a lot of layers to this movie and a lot going on.there are also a lot of plot twists and some red herrings(false clues)to help lead you to the wrong conclusions.Richard Gere is also in the film and he does good in his role,as does Laura Linney in her role.but like i said,this is an Edward Norton film.the success of the movie hinges on his performance.he delivers in a big way,so the film succeeds.i don't think you can go wrong with this film.i urge you to check it out.for me "Primal Fear" is a 9/10

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Trama

Modifica

Lo sapevi?

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Quiz
This is Edward Norton's motion picture debut.

Blooper
It is stated by several characters that a plea cannot be changed mid-trial. However, it is entirely possible to change a plea before sentencing.

Citazioni
[last lines SPOILER]
[while in a holding cell in the back of the courthouse]
Roy: Mr. Vail?
Martin Vail: Yeah?
Roy: [stammering] Will you t-tell Miss Venable I'm sorry? Tell her I hope her neck is okay.
Martin Vail: Yeah... I will.
[begins walking away, then turns back]
Martin Vail: Wait... What did you just say? What? You told me just a few minutes ago that you didn't remember. You blacked out. You "lost time" yet again. So, how do you know about her neck?
Roy: [slow clapping sardonically; sneers] Well... good for you, Marty. I was going to let it go at that. You was looking so happy just now. I was thinking, hmmm God. But to tell you the truth, I'm glad you figured it out, because I have been dying to tell you. I just didn't know who you'd wanna hear it from, you know? Aaron or Roy... or Roy or Aaron. Well, I'll let you in on a little secret. A sort of a client-attorney-privilege type of a secret, you know what I mean? It don't matter who you hear it from. It's the same story.
[stammering as Aaron]
Roy: [in a southern accent] I j-j-just... had to kill Linda, Mr. Vail.
[normal voice as Roy]
Roy: That cunt just got what she deserved. But... cutting up that son of a bitch Rushman? That was just a fucking work of art.
Martin Vail: You're good. You are really good.
Roy: Yeah. I did get caught, though, didn't I?
Martin Vail: So there never... there never was a Roy?
Roy: Jesus Christ, Marty. If that's what you think, I am disappointed in you, I don't mind telling you. There never was an Aaron... counselor! Come on, Marty! I thought you had it figured, there at the end. The way you put me on the stand like that? That was fucking brilliant, Marty! And that whole thing like "act-like-a-man"? Jesus, I knew exactly what you wanted from me. It was like we were dancing, Marty!
Martin Vail: Guard!
Roy: [as Vail walks away] Oh come on, don't be like that, Marty. We did it, man. We fucking did it! We're a great team, you and me. You think I could've done this without you? You're just feeling a little angry here, because you started to care about old Aaron, I can understand that, but... you know, love hurts, Marty. What can I say? Hey, I'm just kidding, bud! I didn't mean to hurt your feelings! What else was I supposed to do? Hey, you're gonna thank me down the road, because this is gonna toughen you right up, Martin Vail! You hear me? That's a promise!

Connessioni
Featured in Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: Sgt. Bilko/Jack and Sarah/A Family Thing/Carried Away/From the Journals of Jean Seberg (1996)

Colonne sonore
Introitus: Cibavit Eos
by William Byrd
Performed by The Voices of Christ Church Cathedral Choir
Conducted by Stephen Darlington
Courtesy of Nimbus Records