Primal Fear Rotten — Tomatoes

| Positive Themes | % of Reviews (Approx.) | Negative Themes | % of Reviews | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | “Mind-blowing twist” | 62% | “Slow first hour” | 18% | | “Norton deserved an Oscar” | 58% | “Dated courtroom clichés” | 12% | | “Great rewatch value” | 40% | “Gere is miscast” | 8% | | “Powerful final scene” | 35% | “Problematic depiction of DID” | 5% | "I did NOT see that coming. Norton goes from victim to villain in one line delivery. Masterclass." – ★★★★★ "It’s a standard legal drama until the last 10 minutes, which completely save it. Without the twist, this is a 6/10." – ★★★½ "The way the film handles Aaron’s mental state is… questionable. But as pure thriller entertainment, it works." – ★★★☆☆ 4. Comparative Analysis Within the Legal Thriller Genre (Rotten Tomatoes scores for reference): | Film | Tomatometer | Audience Score | Year | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Primal Fear | 77% | 85% | 1996 | | A Few Good Men | 84% | 89% | 1992 | | The Firm | 76% | 75% | 1993 | | The Lincoln Lawyer | 84% | 82% | 2011 | | Fracture | 72% | 69% | 2007 |