Great twisted performance of Edward Norton in this entertaining courtroom thriller.

Great twisted performance of Edward Norton in this entertaining courtroom thriller.

The final scene was the best. Decent movie with 2 topactors : R.Gere and E.Norton. R.Gere was very good in his acting but E.Norton was really great in his performance. I've seen another movie of him "The Score" were he also played a nutcase. Such role he can play as the best.

Good thriller with a great Edward Norton performance.

Norton gives a very convincing performance and alongside a surprisingly solid performance by Gere. As far as legal thrillers go, this is one of, if not, the best.

There is nothing hideously wrong with this film, but there is also nothing exceptional, and it often feels like good television, which makes for a mediocre film. The plot is strikingly unoriginal and wastes the above average performances of Norton, Gere, Linney, and others. i'm certain that this same cast could have created a brilliant film if the people behind the camera could find something interesting for them to say.

Everyone keeps talking about Norton, but I was impressed by the overall performances of the main players AND consummate character actors. An above-average courtroom drama, but lessened by Gere playing the same damn thing in Chicago 5 years later.

Gere gives us his usual lovable rogue (see Officer and a Gentleman, Pretty Woman, Chicago ect) and Linney exasperates her part as prosecution- underacting and overacting balanced only by Norton's incredible performance. I cant help but feel that Primal Fear is trying to do what The Usual Suspects did a year before, and failing miserably at it. Perhaps Gabriel Byrne should have taken Gere's role instead, maybe then this thriller would have some grit.

Sorta ridiculous but plenty entertaining, and while Norton is good in his showy role, I think Gere also does well with his interpretation of an interestingly flawed protagonist. In fact, the film is generally well-acted, Linney is pretty much always good, etc.

Legal thriller that doesn't seem to break any boundaries but the great cast and well paced screenplay make it feel fresh. Edward Norton proves to be an absolute star.

Gere turns in a satisfying performance but, except when he's with his client, can't keep the script afloat. Lame plot revelations and an obvious "shocker" ending don't help matters.

Adequate, not spectacular thriller. Plot "twist" was pretty obvious from the beginning but that's mostly cause it's been done so often already.

Apart from a nice twist at the end, nothing much else happens during the movie and moves at a boring pace.Standout performance from Norton.

Edward Norton was individually great, but the movie as a whole didn't work for me.

I love movies with a twist. This has a few good ones. First time Norton really impressed me.

First-time feature-film director Gary Hoblit turns the last half of his film into a mediocre episode of "L.A. Law."