History Film / PrimalFear

** The film implies that Aaron "gets away" with murder because of his insanity defense. In reality, he'd likely be committed and spend the rest of his life in a mental institution, with actually ''fewer'' legal rights than on death row or serving a life sentence.

* PedophilePriest: Technically averted, though the truth is still pretty despicable. [[spoiler: Archbishop Rushman apparently only targets those in the youth home who have reached legal maturity, threatening them with expulsion and being thrown on the streets if they don’t perform in his {{Home Porn Movie}}s.]]

* PedophilePriest: Technically averted, though the truth is still pretty despicable. [[spoiler: Archbishop Rushman apparently only targets those in the youth home who have reached legal maturity, threatening them with expulsion if they don’t perform in his {{Home Porn Movie}}s.]]

** Reveal #2: [[spoiler:Vail discovers a HomePornMovie where the archbishop [[RapeByProxy coerced Aaron and another young man to have sex with a girl on camera]]. The archbishop was an AssholeVictim of the most [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil special kind.]] The tape is a SmokingGun that both serves to make Aaron sympathetic to the jury and provide a motive for the murder.]]

* HangingJudge: Hangin' Harry Shoat.

* GoodLawyersGoodClients: {{Averted}}. Marty defended a drug dealer before, but he seems to really believe that everyone is entitled to the best defense they can have, and gives Aaron[[spoiler: (who turns out to be even worse)]] his services free (although it's also good publicity).

* CorruptChurch: The archbishop records his sermon for the upcoming Sunday, and then [[spoiler: forces homeless youth to have sex with each other while he records it]]. It’s also suggested that the Church was involved in some shady land deals.

--> '''Marty''': “Tell me, counselor: which one of us is the true headline chaser?”

-->'''Naomi''': “What does he look like—in person?”\\
'''Martin''': “[[EmbarrassingNickname The Butcher Boy?]] Like a Boy Scout.”\\
'''Tommy''': “A Boy Scout. With a merit badge in carving.”

-->'''Janet''': “Oh I know, Doctor. It was ''[[ImaginaryFriend Roy.]]''”

* PrecisionFStrike: Roy's first appearance is him frustratingly asking the psychologist, “How the ''fuck'' should I know?”

* ClearTheirName: Aaron claims to be innocent and [[spoiler:Vail eventually comes to believe him, despite overwhelming evidence against him and the fact that most people think he's guilty seeking to prove it at his trial. He's wrong.]]

The movie proved to be Norton's StarMakingRole.

* TheJudge: [[BlackBossLady Judge Miriam Shoat.]]

* GreyAndGrayMorality; In spades, and pretty much one of the main topic of the movie. [[spoiler: Aaron really is a complete monster, but he actually had a very strong motive for his murders. Marty behaves like a very regular cynical laywer, and makes no mystery of his love for money and fame, but he ends up having his idealism and naiveté get in the way of his work. Archbishop Rushman abused young homeless people by forcing them to have sex in front of him on the threat of throwing them back on the streets, but we learn that he saved the homes of a whole neighborhood of mostly poor squatters when Shaughnessy was planning to requalify it and evict them all in the process. Pretty much only Shaughnessy is a complete asshole, and even if he ultimately had no connection at all with the murder, he indirectly caused it by not exposing Rushman's abuses when he had the chance.]]

* GreyAndGrayMorality; In spades, and pretty much one of the main topic of the movie. [[spoiler: Aaron really is a complete monster, but he actually had a very strong motive for his murders. Marty behaves like a very regular cynical laywer, and makes no mystery of his love for money and fame, but he ends up making his idealism and naivety get in the way of his work. Archbishop Rushman abused young homeless people by forcing them to have sex in front of him on the threat of throwing them back on the streets, but we learn that he saved the homes of a whole neighborhood of mostly poor squatters when Shaughnessy was planning to requalify it and evict them all in the process. Pretty much only Shaughnessy is a complete asshole, and even if he ultimately had no connection at all with the murder, he indirectly caused it by not exposing Rushman's abuses when he had the chance.]]

* PedophilePriest: Technically averted, though the truth is still pretty despicable. [[spoiler: Archbishop Rushman apparently only targets those in the youth home who have reached legal maturity, threatening them with expulsion if they don’t perform in his HomePornMovie.]]

'''Martin''': “[[EmbarrassingNickname The Butcher Boy]]? Like a boy scout.”\\
'''Tommy''': “A boy scout. With a merit badge in carving.”

** Reveal #2: [[spoiler:Vail discovers a HomePornMovie where the archbishop [[RapeByProxy coerced Aaron and another young man to have sex with a girl on camera]]. The archbishop was an AssholeVictim of the most [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil special kind]]. The tape is a SmokingGun that both serves to make Aaron sympathetic to the jury and provide a motive for the murder.]]

-->'''Janet''': “Oh I know, Doctor. It was ''[[ImaginaryFriend Roy]]''.”

* SpottingTheThread: What Martin does at the end of the film, as [[spoiler: Aaron did ''not'' actually "lose time" during Roy's attack on the prosecutor, as he'd mentioned her neck - [[INeverSaidItWasPoison information Aaron would otherwise not know]].]]
* StutteringIntoEloquence: Aaron stutters almost every other word, except [[spoiler:when he is (pretending to be) the much more aggressive "Roy"]].
* TeenGenius: Aaron, possibly. At least, he's able to [[spoiler: fool Vail and everyone else in order to get away with murder]].
* TemptingFate: Piñero refuses to leave town, despite the threat of [[PoliceBrutality police violence]], claiming, “How can they kill a man who doesn’t sleep?”

* VillainRespect: The ending, [[spoiler: in which Roy applauds Martin for SpottingTheThread as quick as he does when he slips up]].

-->'''[[spoiler:Aaron]]:''' [[spoiler:There never was an "Aaron," counselor. (wink)]]

* SarcasticClapping: Aaron eerily does this at the end of the movie , when [[spoiler:the attorney Martin Vail (Richard Gere), and us, the audience, discover that Aaron has been faking his split personality/insanity for the entire film-he is actually sane. However, due to attorney-client confidentiality, even when Vail now knows the truth he's powerless to do anything, as Ed Norton's character mocks him creepily from his cell.]]

* ClearMyName: Aaron claims to be innocent and [[spoiler:Vail eventually comes to believe him, despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary and the fact that most people think he's guilty. He's wrong.]]

* ThePerryMasonMethod: A variation, [[ExploitedTrope set up by Vail in order to prove Aaron's innocence]]; the prosecution badgers Aaron in an attempt to get him to confess, which causes [[spoiler:Aaron's split personality to show up and attack her]].
** [[spoiler: At least, that's what Aaron ''wanted'' you to think happened.]]

!The film contains examples of the following tropes:

* GreyAndGrayMorality; In spades, and pretty much one of the main topic of the movie. [[spoiler: Aaron really is a complete monster, but he actually had a very strong motive for his murders. Marty behaves like a very regular cynical laywer, and makes no mystery of his love for money and fame, but he ends making his idealism and naivety get in the way of his work. Archbishop Rushman abused young homeless people by forcing them to have sex in front of him with the threat of putting them back on the street, but we learn that he helped a whole neighborhood of mostly poor squatters when Shaughnessy was planning to requalify it and evict them in the process. Pretty much only Shaughnessy is a complete asshole, and even if he ultimately had no connection at all with the murders, he indirectly caused it by not exposing Rushman's abuses when he had the chance.]]

* GreyAndGrayMorality; In spades, and pretty much one of the main topic of the movie. [[spoiler: Aaron really is a complete monster, but he actually had a very strong motive for his murders. Marty behaves like a very regular cynical laywer, and makes no mystery of his love for money and fame, but he ends making his idealism and naivety get in the way of his work. Archbishop Rushman abused young homeless by forcing them to have sex in front of him with the threat of putting them back on the street, but we learn that he helped a whole neighborhood of mostly poor squatters when Shaughnessy was planning to requalify it and evict them in the process. Pretty much only Shaughnessy is a complete asshole, and even if he ultimately had no connection at all with the murders, he indirectly caused it by not exposing Rushman's abuses when he had the chance.]]

->'''Reporter''': ''Marty, you are a master of putting the victim on trial to help your own client. That is going to be very difficult in this case.''\\
'''Marty''': ''The victim in this case'' is ''my client.''

''Primal Fear'' is a 1996 crime drama, directed by Gregory Hoblit.

--->'''Janet''': “You think you’ve got me? You think because you know me as well as you do, you know how I think. Well, [[OutGambited I know how]] '''[[OutGambited you]]''' [[OutGambited think]].”

--->'''Janet''': “You think you’ve got me? You think because you know me as well as you do, you know how I think. Well, I know how '''you''' think.”