Task: Sentiment Analysis
Input (English): richard gere is not one of my favorite actors .
however , i like courtroom dramas , and this film looked good enough to take a chance on .
i was n't disappointed .
it was n't a great film , but it was interesting , and took several unexpected turns .
one thing : what 's with the title ?
not only is it extremely forgettable , it does n't really have much to do with the film , as far as i could determine .
in the long run , it will probably hurt the film , as people wo n't be able to think of or remember it .
martin vail ( richard gere ) is a grandiose defense attorney .
he loves the money and the fame that go along with defending ( successfully ) rich scum , such as mafia men and drug - dealers .
once he sees that the accused killer of a prominent chicago archbishop is a baby - faced alter boy , he wants in on the case , presumably for the press he 'll get .
we soon find out that the prosecutor assigned is a former lover , janet venable ( laura linney ) .
vail himself is a former prosecutor , and quit because of tensions between himself and the district attorney , played very well by john mahoney ( frasier 's father on the tv series ) .
there is an underlying theme of dichotomy in the movie : people have public faces , and private faces .
we see this in the murdered archbishop , in the accused , and , most strongly , defense attorney martin vail .
richard gere does a fairly good job .
at
first , he appears to be a money- and attention - grabbing lawyer , with no consideration of the truth .
but we see another side , as he becomes a seeker of justice , and comes to believe in his client .
alfre woodard , as the judge , is capable , though somewhat wasted in a standard role .
laura linney also does journeyman work ; nothing spectacular , but acceptable .
her relationship with vail is believable ; their verbal fencing adds to the film .
the actor who playes vail 's investigator ( unfortunately , i do n't remember his name ) is quite good .
his female assistant ( she looked very familiar , but i ca n't remember where i 've seen her ) was also capable
, but unspectacular .
the best performance in the film was by edward norton .
he was excellent , as the timid altar - boy turned alleged " butcher boy of st .
mike 's
" .
i was impressed by the depth of the plot ; there are red - herrings , and dead - ends , that in a lesser film would lead to a predictable ending .
i liked the plot twists the film took , and most of the supporting characters , thus i give primal fear a respectable b+ rating .
Output (English): P