Primal Fear appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.85:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. This was a pretty average transfer.
Sharpness seemed acceptable for the most part. Some shots suffered from mild softness, but those never became overwhelming. The majority of the flick offered good delineation, though it rarely seemed particularly concise.
No issues with jagged edges or shimmering appeared, while some light edge haloes appeared. Except for a couple of speckles, print flaws remained absent.
Colors seemed ordinary. A few interiors with red lighting tended to be somewhat heavy, but otherwise the hues offered adequate clarity. They didn’t excel but they seemed adequate.
Blacks were fairly dark and deep, while shadows displayed nice definition. While I thought this wasn’t a transfer with notable problems, it failed to become much better than mediocre.
I felt the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack of Primal Fear worked pretty well. Without an action orientation, the mix didn’t boast a lot of showy sequences, but it contributed a nice sense of environment.
The early scenes that followed Rushman’s murder offered the most information, as they included various vehicles that swarmed the spectrum. Otherwise, the track provided good stereo music and a clear feeling for the settings.
Across the board, audio quality satisfied. Speech was natural and crisp, without edginess or other concerns. Music showed nice range and definition, and effects followed suit.
Those elements appeared accurate and vivid. I didn’t think the track was active enough for a grade above a “B”, but I still felt it worked well for the material.
How did the Blu-ray compare to the film’s DVD version? The lossless audio boasted a bit more range and impact than the lossy DVD track, but the limitations of the source meant the Dolby TrueHD mix didn’t dazzle.
I strongly suspect the Blu-ray used the same transfer created for the DVD. This meant format-related improvements in terms of colors, blacks and delineation.
It also restricted potential improvements. While the Blu-ray became the more appealing rendition of the film, it didn’t impress.
The Blu-ray repeats the DVD’s extras, and we open with an audio commentary from director Gregory Hoblit, writer Ann Biderman, producer Gary Lucchesi, executive producer Hawk Koch, and casting director Deborah Aquila.
All five sit together for this running, screen-specific track. They examine cast and performances, sets and locations, visual design and cinematography, the script and the adaptation of the source novel, editing, and how the various participants came onto the project.
While we learn a fair amount about the flick, the commentary tends to be rather up and down. It starts slowly, and it sputters occasionally as it progresses.
Also, it suffers from an awful lot of praise for the various actors. We expect some of this since the cast includes so many actors who were then little known at best, but it still feels self-congratulatory. Still, we do get a lot of good facts, so despite the inconsistencies, the commentary deserves a listen.
One correction: during the commentary, one participant claims that Fear musters a crummy 38 percent “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes. That’s way off base, as it’s actually at a solid 77 percent.
I’m not sure why the filmmakers want to tell us that the movie was panned in its day, but it wasn’t. It earned good reviews all those years ago.
In addition to the movie’s trailer, three featurettes follow. Primal Fear: The Final Verdict goes for 17 minutes, 59 seconds and features remarks from Hoblit, Lucchesi, Koch, Biderman, editor David Rosenbloom, and actors Edward Norton and Laura Linney.
“Verdict” examines the source novel and its adaptation, cast and performances, deleted scenes, the film’s ending and its legacy. Perhaps inevitably, a lot of the content provided here already appears in the commentary.
However, the new participants manage to add additional perspectives that add to the information. It’s especially good to see Norton and Linney.
The redundant material makes this featurette less enthralling, but it includes some nice material. It’s too bad the disc doesn’t include any of the deleted footage, though.
Next comes the 17-minute, 56-second Primal Fear: Star Witness. It includes notes from Hoblit, Aquila, Norton, Lucchesi, and Koch.
The program concentrates on casting the Aaron character. As with the prior featurette, much of “Witness” repeats from the commentary.
Here Norton’s participation makes a big difference, though, as it’s fun to learn about the casting process from his perspective. I especially like his Sherry Lansing story, so those elements make “Witness” worth a look.
Finally, Psychology of Guilt goes for 13 minutes, 35 seconds and gives us comments from Justice Roger W. Boren, forensic psychiatrist Dr. Park Dietz, and forensic psychologist Dr. Dan Sussman. They discuss the insanity defense as well as issues related to multiple personalities.
This becomes the most involving of the featurettes, as it provides a very interesting look at the way the law works with defendants with alleged psychological disorders. It’s a fine show.
Primal Fear launched Edward Norton’s career in a big way, and that fact remains its main claim to fame. Without Norton and the film’s excellent cast, Fear feels like little more than an ordinary legal potboiler. It entertains but it fails to become exceptional. The Blu-ray provides mediocre visuals, good audio and a mix of interesting supplements. Fear deserves a look for Norton’s Oscar-nominated performance, but don’t expect a particularly stellar film.
To rate this film visit the prior review of PRIMAL FEAR