Primal Fear

The whole world's a con game for a hotshot attorney whose winning touch is more machiavellian than magic. But when he takes the defense of a naive young man accused of a brutal murder, truth itself goes on trial.

The whole world's a con game for a hotshot attorney whose winning touch is more machiavellian than magic. But when he takes the defense of a naive young man accused of a brutal murder, truth itself goes on trial.

Martin Vail (Gere) is a famous defense attorney in Chicago who jumps at the chance to represent Aaron Stampler (Norton), a young altar boy accused of murdering the city's archbishop. Stampler admits to having been with the archbishop at the time of the murder, but claims that an unknown third person committed the crime while he (Stampler) had 'lost time' (blacked out). At first interested primarily in the publicity that the case will bring, Vail comes to believe that his client is innocent.