PRIMAL FEAR. OR, ALTERNATIVELY, Fatal Fear, Primal Attraction, Indecent Instinct, even--why not?--Basic Exposure. Who cares, finally? These interchangeable titles all promise the same thing: the black glamour of privileged people abandoning common, repressive sense for a mad moment, thus putting their nice clothes in serious danger of becoming mussed, if not downright bloodsplattered.
These films are about upsetting decorum, not scaring the wits out of you. But Primal Fear at least offers the reliable pleasure of watching Richard Gere succumb to the sin of pride. He's awfully good at playing sinuous, cynical men who are just a little too smart for...