‘Primal Fear’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
July 4, 2023 · Primal Fear (1996) · Crime · Drama · Mystery · 1:40:41 · ▶ Listen on Spotify
Categories
Den of Thieves Benihana Award
Sean FennesseyBarleycorns - agrees with Chris's pick and discusses how easily characters reference it▶ 57:58
Great Shot Gordo Award
Sean Fennesseyagrees with last shot but also likes the overhead shot of Norton sleeping in bed with cross-cutting between characters▶ 58:12
Butch's Girlfriend Award
Bill SimmonsThe reporter character (Connerman) - appears in four scenes but is a complete zero with no charisma or personality▶ 59:35
Chris RyanAgreed on the reporter character being problematic, noting he's like a propped up corpse and questioning why Marty keeps him around after the cover story▶ 59:44
Ron Burgundy Flute Award
Bill SimmonsThe sloggy stretch in the middle of the movie during the two hour and 10 minute runtime▶ 1:03:02
Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award
Chris RyanMarty's not a great lawyer - he makes up the third man defense strategy and then gets mad when he doesn't have a third man▶ 1:05:24
Sean FennesseyEdward Norton's performance as Aaron Stampler is purposefully not that great and a little hammy, while Roy is the real character▶ 1:06:18
Probably Unanswerable Questions
Bill SimmonsWhat would any of the other altar boys have said - wouldn't they have known Roy wasn't really Aaron?▶ 1:07:57
Chris RyanWhat was Roy's plan? Did he come from Kentucky to Chicago hoping to be picked up by the archbishop and become a serial killer?▶ 1:08:08
Sean FennesseyWere Linda and Rushmore his first killings or has he killed before? Is he a serial killer or an abused person lashing out?▶ 1:08:28
Casting What-Ifs
Bill SimmonsLeonardo DiCaprio — DiCaprio was the original choice for Aaron but turned it down; thinks it would have been great casting at that point in his career▶ 1:12:17
Chris RyanIt has to be an unknown for the role to work; the unknown factor was crucial to Norton's performance▶ 1:13:45
Sean FennesseyLeonardo DiCaprio — It has to be an unknown for it to work; DiCaprio was already too established after Gilbert Grape nomination▶ 1:12:59
Half-Assed Internet Research
Bill SimmonsIn the script there's no stutter, Norton ad-libbed shoving Gere against the prison wall (Gere seemed shocked), and Norton ad-libbed the slow clap - one of the great movie moments of the 1990s▶ 1:17:21
Apex Mountain
Bill SimmonsSuggests multiple candidates: slow clap (mentions Brubaker as creating it), sordid VHS sex tapes (citing 1996 as peak year with Pam and Tommy tape), and discusses Gere and Laura Linney▶ 1:19:27
Sean FennesseyEdward Norton — Argues Aaron Stampler performance beats other slow clap examples from Can't Buy Me Love and Brubaker, mentions Sybil and Psycho as competition for multiple personality disorder▶ 1:17:36
Racehorse Name Award
Sean FennesseyButcher Boy - specifically references the scene when Gere goes to see Stampler and walks past a Chicago cop who says 'oh, Butcher Boy, huh?'▶ 1:19:55
Best Double Feature
Chris RyanSpotlight — Spotlight (due to abuse scandal themes) or Widows (another Chicago crime movie)▶ 1:30:18
Sean FennesseyAnatomy of a Murder — Anatomy of Murder (part of 60s movie lineage with similar lawyer revelation themes)▶ 1:31:12
Coach Finstock Life Lesson
Bill SimmonsInvent a second personality and you can kill anyone / I was bipolar the whole time▶ 1:33:32
Sean FennesseyDon't use the word heinous in a courtroom. Half the jury won't know what you're talking about.▶ 1:33:46
Who Won the Movie
Chris RyanEdward Norton — Norton makes it rewatchable and special, though Geer is wonderful▶ 1:34:03
Movies Referenced (51)
| Title (year) | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American History X (1998) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 7 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | ▶ 24:08 |
| Fight Club (1999) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | ▶ 24:08 |
| You Can Count on Me (2000) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 53:53 |
| A Few Good Men (1992) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons | ▶ 5:34 |
| Fargo (1996) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | ▶ 30:20 |
| Pretty Woman (1990) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 13:24 |
| Psycho (1960) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Sean Fennessey | ▶ 1:19:19 |
| Scarface (1983) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 10:39 |
| Can't Buy Me Love (1987) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 1:17:34 |
| Everyone Says I Love You (1996) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 24:03 |
| Lights Out (2016) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | ▶ 46:50 |
| The Judge (2014) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 9:30 |
Directors Referenced (9)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walt Frasier | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 8 | Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan | ▶ 1:01:22 | |
| Woody Allen | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons | Annie Hall | ▶ 21:59 |
| Neil Jordan | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Sean Fennessey | ▶ 1:03:41 | |
| Wes Anderson | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Sean Fennessey | The Royal Tenenbaums, Isle of Dogs | ▶ 25:36 |
| Daniel Matley | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | Snowpiercer, Guardians of the Galaxy | ▶ 58:53 |
| Kelsey Graham | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Sean Fennessey | ▶ 1:01:40 | |
| Ken Loach | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Chris Ryan | ▶ 1:03:31 | |
| Milos Forman | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Sean Fennessey | One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Amadeus | ▶ 23:46 |
| Paul Bellany | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Sean Fennessey | Stardust | ▶ 0:00 |
Actors Referenced (70)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edward Norton | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 41 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey | Fight Club, American History X, Primal Fear | ▶ 14:15 |
| Richard Gere | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 36 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan | Pretty Woman, An Officer and a Gentleman | ▶ 3:04 |
| Laura Linney | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 14 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 31:05 | |
| Matt Damon | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 12 | Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons | Good Will Hunting, The Martian, The Departed | ▶ 0:00 |
| John Mahoney | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 8 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | Moonstruck, Barton Fink | ▶ 21:21 |
| Maura Tierney | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 8 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | Liar Liar, Beautiful Boy | ▶ 31:24 |
| Alex English | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 1:02:22 | |
| Alfre Woodard | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan | 12 Years a Slave, Love & Basketball | ▶ 31:39 |
| Armin Mueller-Stahl | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | Eastern Promises | ▶ 30:03 |
| Connie Britton | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 19:59 | |
| Frances McDormand | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | Fargo, Almost Famous | ▶ 31:05 |
| Tom Hanks | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons | Cast Away, Big, Forrest Gump | ▶ 13:48 |
Writers Referenced (6)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ed Burns | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 11 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan | ▶ 19:31 | |
| Kenneth Lonergan | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons | Manchester by the Sea, You Can Count on Me | ▶ 54:26 |
| William Faulkner | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey | To Have and Have Not | ▶ 56:44 |
| Scott Turow | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 5:19 | |
| Steve Shagan | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Sean Fennessey | Primal Fear | ▶ 56:47 |
| Tennessee Williams | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Sean Fennessey | A Streetcar Named Desire | ▶ 25:39 |
Cinematographers Referenced (2)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Stampler | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 9 | Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons | ▶ 21:46 | |
| Michael Grantland | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | The Other Guys | ▶ 55:45 |