Primal Fear

Primal Fear (1996) is a courtroom thriller starring Richard Gere that you can watch online on iFILM. A powerful Chicago archbishop is found savagely murdered, and a shy altar boy is caught nearby, soaked in blood. Hungry for the spotlight, defense attorney Martin Vail takes the case for free.

Vail plays to the cameras and lives for headlines, yet his client Aaron Stampler keeps throwing him off balance. The young man stutters, blacks out, swears he remembers nothing. The prosecution is led by Janet Venable, Vail's former student and former lover, so the trial doubles as a private war between them. The deeper Vail digs, the more the picture of an innocent victim cracks, and the dead archbishop turns out to have buried secrets the Church would rather keep sealed.

Directed by Gregory Hoblit and adapted from William Diehl's novel, the film marks Edward Norton's screen debut. His turn as the altar boy won a Golden Globe and earned an Oscar nomination. The ending is the kind that sends you straight back to rewatch the opening scenes. Stream Primal Fear (1996) online on iFILM.