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Primal Fear

“Sooner or later, a man who wears two faces forgets which one is real.”

1996 · 2 h 10 min
Directed by Gregory Hoblit · USA · American Independent Cinema
CrimeDramaThriller

Where to watch in the United States: Stream: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel · Free: Kanopy, Hoopla · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home. Streaming data from JustWatch via TMDB; availability changes.

Cast

Richard Gere Laura Linney Edward Norton John Mahoney Alfre Woodard Frances McDormand

Plot

Defense attorney Martin Vail takes on jobs for money and prestige rather than any sense of the greater good. His latest case involves an altar boy, accused of brutally murdering the archbishop of Chicago.

Sinekatalog’s take

A slick legal thriller about a hotshot lawyer and a seemingly meek client, anchored by a startling screen debut. The courtroom moves are engrossing and the final reveal has real sting. Tidy, tense entertainment for fans of cat-and-mouse mind games.Sinekatalog’s own editorial review – not a user or critic quote.

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Ratings

IMDb: 7.7 / 10 (300,345 votes)
Rotten Tomatoes: 77%
IMDb rating and vote count from the IMDb ratings dataset (October 2026). Scores change over time.

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