Primal Fear (1996)(Minor Spoilers Review)

**This review contains MINOR spoilers, no major twists or reveals**

In Chicago, a young Aaron Stampler (Edward Norton) is the prime suspect in Archbishop Rushman’s (Stanley Anderson) murder. Archbishop Rushman is a powerful and respected member of the community, who took care of Aaron as a child.

During his tenure as an altar boy, Aaron lived a life of safety and protection with his girlfriend, Linda (Azalea Davila), so if Aaron is the murder, then why did he turn on his mentor and father figure? The state attorney John Shaughnessy (John Mahoney) and Bud Yancy (Terry O’Quinn) are pushing for the death penalty, and they select Janet Venable (Laura Linney) as the prosecutor.

A famed defense attorney named Martin Vail (Richard Gere) agrees to represent Aaron free of charge. With help from his team of trusted associates Tommy Goodman (Andre Braugher), Naomi Chance (Maura Tierney), and Dr. Molly Arrington (Frances McDormand), a psychiatrist, Martin vows to clear Aaron of all charges. Shaughnesy and Yancy are still holding a grudge against Martin for his decision to quit his job as a prosecutor, and Martin is forced to deal with some bitter feelings from Janet, because Martin and Janet shared a one night stand in the past.

Martin’s mission to win the case for Aaron takes a series of unexpected turns, when Martin discovers Shaughnessy’s ties to old land deals, the Archbishop’s influence over the land deals, and Joey Pinero’s (Steven Bauer), a local thug and one of Martin‘s clients, involvement  in the land deals. Martin has plans to use a controversial tape as the clincher to prove Aaron’s innocence, but things change, when Roy, Aaron’s violent and sadistic alter ego, emerges……..

You’ll see one of the best performances in Edward Norton’s career here, and for those of you, who don‘t know, Primal Fear is Edward Norton‘s first feature film. As Aaron, Norton is this broken and paranoid victim, who’s looking for a shoulder to lean on, but in the blink of an eye, Norton switches gears to become Roy. As Roy, Norton is this hateful sociopath, with a nasty mean streak, and Roy won’t hesitate to rip your head off. Norton’s versatile performance is something to admire, and Norton’s Aaron gives Derek Vinyard in American History X a tough challenge for the best performance in his career.

Richard Gere is a solid leading man as Martin. Martin is a persistent defense attorney, who refuses to quit, and he’s willing to risk everything to save Aaron. Martin will put his toes on line, but he never crosses it, and Gere’s convincing performance will persuade you to believe in Martin’s motivations and his point of view on life, and the legal system.

Laura Linney is believable, as the merciless prosecutor, who’s holding a grudge against Martin. Mahoney’s Shaughnessy is a corrupt and nasty authority figure, who abuses his powers, and Alfre Woodard (Judge Shoat) is the strict no-nonsense judge. Steven Bauer? I can’t say too much about him, because Bauer’s screen time is limited to here and there appearances. McDormand is a suitable choice for her role, but McDormand’s character is overshadowed by Norton, Gere, and others during her screen time. 

Primal Fear is loaded with sub-plots. Aaron’s relationship with Archbishop Rushman, Roy taking control of Aaron, Joey and his legal troubles. But if I had to pick a stand-out favorite, I would go with the feud between Janet and Martin. Janet resents Martin for his holier-than-thou attitude.

Martin’s act as the defense attorney, who’s motivated by a good will mission can’t fool Janet, because she knows Martin is motivated by money and big headlines. There’s a scene, where Janet is about to light up a cigarette in the halls of the courthouse. Martin tries to lecture Janet about respect, but Janet knocks Martin off of his soap box, when she pulls out a magazine with Martin’s picture on the cover. Martin tries to play the role of protector for Janet. Martin pushes Janet to follow his lead, and leave Shaughnessy, because Janet is just dancing around on strings, with Shaughnessy and Yancy as the puppeteers. But Janet won’t budge, because she’s still holding on to some bitter feelings for Martin. Linney and Gere did a good job of selling the friendly rivalry between Janet and Martin, and they provide most of the laughs in Primal Fear during a handful of back and forth bickering scenes.

Primal Fear is a sturdy crime thriller with a few good twists and turns along the way, and the final shocker is guaranteed to blow you away. Aaron’s big moment on the stand as the final witness doesn’t live up to expectations. I give Norton, Gere, and Linney all the credit in the world for doing their best to make it work, but I couldn’t feel anything during the big moment(s). Still, it’s hard to complain about missed opportunities during Aaron’s time on the stand, because the big twist at the end provides a satisfying pay-off. Primal Fear is worth the time for Edward Norton’s nutty performance, and you’ll see why he earned his Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

Rating: 8/10

Michael Jordan had another run with the Wizards after winning six championships. Brett Favre was one step away from earning a second ring with the Vikings.

As the world's definitive multi-talented superstar athlete, Trisha Bunrastar is taking an unexpected and shocking leap into a new career path. Assuming the identity of Freechelle Fantabulous, Trisha vows to fight crime and battle evildoers as a superheroine. Will she conquer her new mission? Find out more here! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFLI6VK

Or take a trip into my special world of madness that includes comedy, horror, and the supernatural in this collection of short stories- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFMYZ0U

Remember Amazon offers free Kindle App downloads for various platforms. Follow this link to find out more- http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

And don't forget to follow me on Twitter here- https://twitter.com/LQuigleyFan1

Primal Fear (1996)(Spoiler Review)

**This review contains spoilers**

In Chicago, a young Aaron Stampler (Edward Norton) is the prime suspect in Archbishop Rushman’s (Stanley Anderson) murder. Archbishop Rushman is a powerful and respected member of the community, who took care of Aaron as a child.

During his tenure as an altar boy, Aaron lived a life of safety and protection with his girlfriend, Linda (Azalea Davila), so if Aaron is the murder, then why did he turn on his mentor and father figure? The state attorney John Shaughnessy (John Mahoney) and Bud Yancy (Terry O’Quinn) are pushing for the death penalty, and they select Janet Venable (Laura Linney) as the prosecutor.

A famed defense attorney named Martin Vail (Richard Gere) agrees to represent Aaron free of charge. With help from his team of trusted associates Tommy Goodman (Andre Braugher), Naomi Chance (Maura Tierney), and Dr. Molly Arrington (Frances McDormand), a psychiatrist, Martin vows to clear Aaron of all charges. Shaughnesy and Yancy are still holding a grudge against Martin for his decision to quit his job as a prosecutor, and Martin is forced to deal with some bitter feelings from Janet, because Martin and Janet shared a one night stand in the past.

Martin’s mission to win the case for Aaron takes a series of unexpected turns, when Martin discovers Shaughnessy’s ties to old land deals, the Archbishop’s influence over the land deals, and Joey Pinero’s (Steven Bauer), a local thug and one of Martin‘s clients, involvement  in the land deals. Martin has plans to use a controversial tape as the clincher to prove Aaron’s innocence, but things change, when Roy, Aaron’s violent and sadistic alter ego, emerges……..

You’ll see one of the best performances in Edward Norton’s career here, and for those of you, who don‘t know, Primal Fear is Edward Norton‘s first feature film. As Aaron, Norton is this broken and paranoid victim, who’s looking for a shoulder to lean on, but in the blink of an eye, Norton switches gears to become Roy. As Roy, Norton is this hateful sociopath, with a nasty mean streak, and Roy won’t hesitate to rip your head off. Norton’s versatile performance is something to admire, and Norton’s Aaron gives Derek Vinyard in American History X a tough challenge for the best performance in his career.

Richard Gere is a solid leading man as Martin. Martin is a persistent defense attorney, who refuses to quit, and he’s willing to risk everything to save Aaron. Martin will put his toes on line, but he never crosses it, and Gere’s convincing performance will persuade you to believe in Martin’s motivations and his point of view on life, and the legal system.

Laura Linney is believable, as the merciless prosecutor, who’s holding a grudge against Martin. Mahoney’s Shaughnessy is a corrupt and nasty authority figure, who abuses his powers, and Alfre Woodard (Judge Shoat) is the strict no-nonsense judge. Steven Bauer? I can’t say too much about him, because Bauer’s screen time is limited to here and there appearances. McDormand is a suitable choice for her role, but McDormand’s character is overshadowed by Norton, Gere, and others during her screen time. 

Primal Fear is loaded with sub-plots. Aaron’s relationship with Archbishop Rushman, Roy taking control of Aaron, Joey and his legal troubles. But if I had to pick a stand-out favorite, I would go with the feud between Janet and Martin. Janet resents Martin for his holier-than-thou attitude.

Martin’s act as the defense attorney, who’s motivated by a good will mission can’t fool Janet, because she knows Martin is motivated by money and big headlines. There’s a scene, where Janet is about to light up a cigarette in the halls of the courthouse. Martin tries to lecture Janet about respect, but Janet knocks Martin off of his soap box, when she pulls out a magazine with Martin’s picture on the cover.

Martin tries to play the role of protector for Janet. Martin pushes Janet to follow his lead, and leave Shaughnessy, because Janet is just dancing around on strings, with Shaughnessy and Yancy as the puppeteers. But Janet won’t budge, because she’s still holding on to some bitter feelings for Martin. Linney and Gere did a good job of selling the friendly rivalry between Janet and Martin, and they provide most of the laughs in Primal Fear during a handful of back and forth bickering scenes.

So who’s the killer? Aaron urges Martin to believe in a third man, who was in the room during the murder. Well, after some sleuthing around, and with some help from Dr. Arrington, Martin finds the third man, but there’s one big problem: Roy is the third man. Yep. In his mind, Roy is Aaron’s guardian/enforcer, when Aaron is backed into a corner from pressure, bullying, or any attacks. So Roy murdered Archbishop Rushman, but Martin knows he can’t switch his plea to insanity during the trial.

Martin is out of tricks and plans to win the case, because his entire defense revolved around a third man theory. But Martin uses Janet for one last chance to win the trial. Martin knows Judge Shoat and Shaughnessy will change their minds, if Roy emerges out of nowhere.

The key? Someone has to push Aaron to the edge, so Roy can step in and take over. Enter Janet. During the finale, Aaron is on the stand, and Janet unleashes a harsh attack. She tries to walk away after her series of questions, but Roy takes over. Roy jumps out of his seat, and he tries to choke Janet. After Aaron’s outburst, Judge Shoat announces a mistrial in her private chambers, and Janet is a nervous wreck, because she lost her job. Long story short, Shaughnessy and Yancy threatened Janet’s job, if she didn’t win the case. Martin tries to comfort Janet, but Janet is hesitant to accept Martin’s open arms.

But it’s not over yet! To close out the movie, Martin takes the time to visit Aaron in his cell to say good-bye. Martin and Aaron embrace, but Aaron makes one crucial mistake, when he sends out his get well wishes for Roy’s attack on Janet. Remember, Aaron is supposed to be lost in a blackout, when Roy takes control of his body, so there’s no way he could’ve known about the attack on Janet……unless Aaron created Roy to fool everyone. That’s right. Roy is not real, and Aaron is not a victim of a multiple personality disorder. Roy was a creation, and Aaron admits he exaggerated his own personality (the innocent act, the stuttering, etc.) to trick Martin and everyone else.

A disgusted Martin walks away from Aaron‘s cell, while Aaron taunts him. Aaron brags about murdering the Archbishop, and Aaron admits he murdered Linda, because Linda was a promiscuous girlfriend, who toyed with Aaron‘s emotions. Martin uses the backdoor to exit the courthouse, because he’s too ashamed to face the crowd of reporters and Aaron’s supporters at the front doors.

A great shocker to end the movie. Martin put all of his faith and trust in innocent Aaron, but Aaron duped him. Norton did a good job of showing no remorse during his cocky confession. When Martin puts the pieces of the puzzle together, Aaron starts clapping and laughing in Martin’s face, because he knows it’s too late to do anything. Throughout the movie, Aaron played the role of this sympathetic kid with a soft southern accent, and a stuttering problem. Deep down inside, Aaron was a cold-blooded murder, who wore a mask in front of everyone, but he waited for the right moment to pull it off. 

And kudos to Gere for Martin’s devastated body language and facial expressions. Martin couldn’t bask in the glory of his victory with reporters and supporters for Aaron, so he had to sneak out the back door. Martin fought and risked everything for a guilty man, and on top of that, he’s the primary reason for Janet’s joblessness. The final shot of the movie shows Martin standing outside the courthouse, and he’s still in a state of shock. The blank stare on Gere’s face is just perfect, and the Aaron twist is something to remember.

Primal Fear is a sturdy crime thriller with a few good twists and turns along the way, and the final shocker is guaranteed to blow you away. Aaron’s big moment on the stand as the final witness doesn’t live up to expectations. I give Norton, Gere, and Linney all the credit in the world for doing their best to make it work, but I couldn’t feel anything during the big moment(s). Still, it’s hard to complain about missed opportunities during Aaron’s time on the stand, because the big twist at the end provides a satisfying pay-off. Primal Fear is worth the time for Edward Norton’s nutty performance, and you’ll see why he earned his Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

Rating: 8/10

Michael Jordan had another run with the Wizards after winning six championships. Brett Favre was one step away from earning a second ring with the Vikings.

As the world's definitive multi-talented superstar athlete, Trisha Bunrastar is taking an unexpected and shocking leap into a new career path. Assuming the identity of Freechelle Fantabulous, Trisha vows to fight crime and battle evildoers as a superheroine. Will she conquer her new mission? Find out more here! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFLI6VK

Or take a trip into my special world of madness that includes comedy, horror, and the supernatural in this collection of short stories- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFMYZ0U

Remember Amazon offers free Kindle App downloads for various platforms. Follow this link to find out more- http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

And don't forget to follow me on Twitter here- https://twitter.com/LQuigleyFan1

The Mothman Prophecies (2002)(Minor Spoilers Review)

**This review contains MINOR spoilers, no character deaths, plot twists, or major reveals**

Washington Post Columnist John Klein (Richard Gere) prepares to buy a new home with his wife, Mary (Debra Messing). John is basking in the glory of his happy and magical marriage with Mary, but a bizarre car accident changes everything.

After the accident, Mary is diagnosed with a rare brain tumor, but John is more worried about the circumstances surrounding the accident. A moth like creature startled Mary seconds before the crash, and Mary continues to feed her obsessions by drawing numerous pictures of the same creature.

Two years later, John takes a trip to Richmond, Virginia. Along the way, John’s car shuts off in the small town of Point Pleasant, West Virginia at 2:30 am. Looking for help, John knocks on Gordon Smallwood’s (Will Patton) door for the chance of a phone call, but Gordon and his wife, Denise (Lucinda Jenney)  aren’t happy to see John. Gordon recognizes John from previous visits at 2:30 am, so Gordon persecutes John as a stalker. Forcing John into his bathtub with some persuasion from a shotgun, Gordon lowers his guard, when Sergeant Connie Mills (Laura Linney) arrives to settle the dispute.

John’s unexpected pit stop in Point Pleasant turns into an investigation to discover the origins of the Mothman entity. Apparently, various citizens (including Gordon) in Point Pleasant  reported sightings of the Mothman creature, and John notices the similarities between submitted Mothman drawings to Connie and Mary’s drawings of the Mothman creature. Desperate for more information, John travels to Chicago to speak with an expert named Alexander Leek (Alan Bates). John is forced to deal with the invealtiable dilemma of stopping a tragedy, and John’s mission leads him to one unsettling question: Is the Mothman real?

Do you believe? It’s a reoccurring theme throughout The Mothman Prophecies. John wants to believe in the Mothman and the prophecies, because he’s looking for answers and closure. As the viewer, you can choose to stand on the side of logic, or you can stand on the side with the people, who believe in the Mothman and his prophecies, but one thing’s for  sure, you’ll be rooting for John to find some peace. He’s a broken man, that’s looking for the essential answers to end his sleepless nights, so he can finally move on with his life.


Although, I have to admit, The Mothman Prophecies constant attempts at cleverness feel tedious at times. During John’s research, numbers from dreams are used to determine the real life tragedies connected to the Mothman’s prophecies. Yeah, at certain points I got the feeling I was watching The Number 23, and that’s not a compliment.

Still, The Mothman Prophecies is an intriguing psychological thriller with a unique premise and some genuinely chilling and creepy moments. A few examples are the scene, where John is stranded on a seemingly deserted road in Point Pleasant at night, and the other is John’s first verbal interaction with the Mothman over the phone at the local motel. The Mothman Prophecies isn’t perfect, but I was hooked into John’s never ending mission to discover  the truth in a battle of  heartache VS beliefs of the unknown and supernatural from start to finish. It could’ve been better, but The Mothman Prophecies has enough redeemable qualities to justify a viewing, especially if you’re looking for something scary late at night.

Rating: 6/10

Michael Jordan had another run with the Wizards after winning six championships. Brett Favre was one step away from earning a second ring with the Vikings.

As the world's definitive multi-talented superstar athlete, Trisha Bunrastar is taking an unexpected and shocking leap into a new career path. Assuming the identity of Freechelle Fantabulous, Trisha vows to fight crime and battle evildoers as a superheroine. Will she conquer her new mission? Find out more here! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFLI6VK

Or take a trip into my special world of madness that includes comedy, horror, and the supernatural in this collection of short stories- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFMYZ0U

Remember Amazon offers free Kindle App downloads for various platforms. Follow this link to find out more- http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

And don't forget to follow me on Twitter here- https://twitter.com/LQuigleyFan1

The Mothman Prophecies (2002)(Spoiler Review)

**This review contains spoilers**

Washington Post Columnist John Klein (Richard Gere) prepares to buy a new home with his wife, Mary (Debra Messing). John is basking in the glory of his happy and magical marriage with Mary, but a bizarre car accident changes everything.

After the accident, Mary is diagnosed with a rare brain tumor, but John is more worried about the circumstances surrounding the accident. A moth like creature startled Mary seconds before the crash, and Mary continues to feed her obsessions by drawing numerous pictures of the same creature. Eventually, Mary loses her fight with tumor after numerous chemotherapy sessions. One night, John receives a call about Mary’s floundering progress. John rushes to the hospital for one last good-bye, but the doctor breaks the news of Mary’s death upon John’s arrival.

Two years after Mary’s death, John takes a trip to Richmond, Virgina. Along the way, John’s car shuts off in the small town of Point Pleasant, West Virginia at 2:30 am. Looking for help, John knocks on Gordon Smallwood’s (Will Patton) door for the chance of a phone call, but Gordon and his wife, Denise (Lucinda Jenney)  aren’t happy to see John. Gordon recognizes John from previous visits at 2:30 am, so Gordon persecutes John as a stalker. Forcing John into his bathtub with some persuasion from a shotgun, Gordon lowers his guard, when Sergeant Connie Mills (Laura Linney) arrives to settle the dispute.

John’s unexpected pit stop in Point Pleasant turns into an investigation to discover the origins of the Mothman entity. Apparently, various citizens (including Gordon) in Point Pleasant  reported sightings of the Mothman creature, and John notices the similarities between submitted Mothman drawings to Connie and Mary’s drawings of the Mothman creature before she passed away. Desperate for more information, John travels to Chicago to speak with an expert named Alexander Leek (Alan Bates).

John’s obsession to unravel the mystery of the Mothman takes a dark turn, when John receives a message for a phone call from a deceased Mary. John tries to convince Connie to believe in the realistic possibility of a looming tragedy involving the citizens of Point Pleasant after a serious of ominous warnings connected to the Mothman’s prophecies, but John is forced into a tough decision. The first choice? John can patiently wait until noon for the otherworldly phone call from Mary, or John can take a shot at spending a happy Christmas with Connie in Point Pleasant. But fate alters John’s plans, when the Silver Bridge suddenly collapses……….

The Mothman Prophecies features a nice set of solid performances, with Richard Gere standing out amongst the pack, as an infallible leading man. Although, I don’t think it’s fair to judge Debra Messing one way or the other, because her screen time is limited to sporadic “here and there” appearances.

Do you believe? It’s a reoccurring theme throughout The Mothman Prophecies. John wants to believe in the Mothman and the prophecies, because he’s looking for answers and closure. But there’s one scene, where Connie bursts John’s bubble to bring him back to the real world. John is waiting for a dead Mary’s phone call, but Connie urges him to return to Point Pleasant to join her for Christmas, so he won’t be alone. A frantic and broken John wants that one last chance to say good-bye to Mary he missed two years ago, but Connie tells him the cold hard truth with no sugar coating: Mary is dead, and she’s not coming back. John is just using his beliefs in the Mothman to hide his pain over Mary’s death. On top of that, Mary reminds him you can’t cheat death no matter what, and it’s as simple as that.

It’s a soul crushing scene for the John character, because here, he accepts the truth from Connie’s words. John finally makes the decision to join Connie on Christmas, but as he’s leaving, the phone rings at noon. John, fed up with his own damaging obsession for the Mothman, rips the phone cords out of the wall, and he smashes what’s left of the phone on the ground…but the phone is still ringing, as John tries to leave. John is clearly disturbed, but John is determined to move on, and refuses to break his promise to Connie, so he leaves without answering the ringing phone. It’s an eerie sequence of events to witness, and I was pondering the “What ifs?” because it’s hard to ignore the possibilities, if John answered the phone.

John, feeling a sense of peace and relief about sticking to his decision to ignore the Mothman stuff, returns to Point Pleasant for Christmas with Connie. Lines and Lines of cars are stuck on the Silver Bridge……and the devastating collapse of the bridge sinks numerous cars into the freezing waters below. John jumps into the water, and he’s able to save Connie before she drowns or freezes to death in the water. On the back of an ambulance, a fireman reveals the death toll to John and Connie: 36. Why is this number significant? Well, before the collapse, Connie had a dream about drowning in a lake. Under the water, Connie is surrounded by Christmas presents, and to end the dream, Connie hears a voice telling her to “Wake up” as number thirty-seven. Here, it’s revealed Connie was supposed to die after the bridge collapsed. The Mothman Prophecies ends with a close-call shot of Connie and John sharing a fortunate embrace on the ambulance. The subtle foreshadowing was a nice touch for this particular twist, because it’s not so easy to predict the steps leading up to the tragedy.

Although, I have to admit, The Mothman Prophecies constant attempts at cleverness feel tedious at times. During John’s research, numbers from dreams are used to determine the real life tragedies connected to the Mothman’s prophecies. Yeah, at certain points I got the feeling I was watching The Number 23, and that’s not a compliment.

Still, The Mothman Prophecies is an intriguing psychological thriller with a unique premise and some genuinely chilling and creepy moments. A few examples are the scene, where John is stranded on a seemingly deserted road in Point Pleasant at night, and the other is John’s first verbal interaction with the Mothman over the phone at the local motel. The Mothman Prophecies isn’t perfect, but I was hooked into John’s never ending mission to discover  the truth in a battle of  heartache VS beliefs of the unknown and supernatural from start to finish. It could’ve been better, but The Mothman Prophecies has enough redeemable qualities to justify a viewing, especially if you’re looking for something scary late at night.

Rating: 6/10

Michael Jordan had another run with the Wizards after winning six championships. Brett Favre was one step away from earning a second ring with the Vikings.

As the world's definitive multi-talented superstar athlete, Trisha Bunrastar is taking an unexpected and shocking leap into a new career path. Assuming the identity of Freechelle Fantabulous, Trisha vows to fight crime and battle evildoers as a superheroine. Will she conquer her new mission? Find out more here! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFLI6VK

Or take a trip into my special world of madness that includes comedy, horror, and the supernatural in this collection of short stories- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFMYZ0U

Remember Amazon offers free Kindle App downloads for various platforms. Follow this link to find out more- http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

And don't forget to follow me on Twitter here- https://twitter.com/LQuigleyFan1