MovieChat Forums > Primal Fear (1996) Discussion > Glaring issue

Glaring issue

posted 10 years ago by plumlogan
12 replies | jump to latest

I won't call it a plot hole, but if Roy was so smart and cunning couldn't he have come up with a much better plan than pretending to be an alternate personality for so long as risking his freedom/life. It seems like a really bad plan to rely on not getting stuck with a public defender - a much more likely scenario - and depending on very specific actions on the part of both your defender and prosecutor, not to mention the amazing risk you're taking altogether.

It made for a pretty good plot twist, but as plans go it doesn't really stand up to scrutiny.

[–] EJverh 10 years ago

It wasnt a plan, it was plan B. As he tells Gere in the end when he compliments him on how well he played his cards, he tells him 'Yeah, but I did get caught though, didn't I?'. That right there tells you that no, that wasn't planned until his Plan A didn't work out by running away. I totally bought that. And even if he were stuck with a public defender, at least he could have pushed for 'not guilty in the case of insanity'. He got caught with hard evidence and he had to come up with something. He rolled the dice and lucked out because he got Martin Vale as his attorney.

[–] plumlogan 10 years ago

But he didn't invent his alternate personality after the murder. That was already in play. That's what I'm saying. A) why the put-on in the first place, and B) if he was so cunning and disciplined as to foster this character for years AND INTENTIONALLY SET HIMSELF UP BY UNDERLINING THE BIBLE PASSAGE he could easily have executed an alternate plan that didn't lay the murder squarely at his own feet.

Again, I'm not saying it's a plot hole. I'm saying the "but I did get caught, though" line doesn't exactly circle the square.

[–] Vashramana 10 years ago

I completely agree with you. I want to know when the Aaron character was created. According to the people in his life in Chicago, he was always Aaron. So I am assuming that he made up the persona of Aaron, he did so prior to moving to Chicago from the little town in Kentucky. On that note, are we ever told what the legal name of Aaron/Roy is? He says that there was no Aaron, but was that in name only? I am sure the court would have to have his birth certificate and other legal documentation proving that his story checks out...

My big question is, why would he create a fake persona when he moved to Chicago if he had no reason to kill anyone up to that point?

[–] JCrusher723 10 years ago

Good Point by the OP. Personally i hhe created the aaron personality before the murder "just in case" As someone else mentioned it was his Plan B to fall back on. Once he got Vail as his attorney he rolled the dice on his Plan B and lucked out. I acually think Aaron was surprised it worked

[–] kylopod 8 years ago

I want to know when the Aaron character was created. According to the people in his life in Chicago, he was always Aaron.

I think some viewers have taken his statement "There never was an Aaron" a bit more literally than it needs to be. What he was saying essentially was that the persona they thought of as Aaron--the meek, stuttering kid--was a concoction, and that Roy better represented his true personality, not that the name Aaron was necessarily made up or that his "real" name was Roy.

[–] fluffchop 10 years ago

It wasn't a Bible passage it was out of Virginia Wolf or something. Anyway yes your point is doing the underlining seems a bit silly until you realize that many people used the library, that the killing needed to make that statement about being duplicitous. He didn't plan to get caught, he planned to perpetrate an act of vengeance or retribution, and to send a message.

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Scientologists love Narnia, there's plenty of closet space.

[–] Lester_Burnham_Risen 10 years ago

It seems like a really bad plan to rely on not getting stuck with a public defender

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You were not watching

We see the Michael O'Donnell character who Marty brings to court to scare the livin $hit out of Shawn-assy.

obviously Roy had been buggered same as Michael 10 years before by the holy man - Michael tried to DO something about it but Marty [working for Shawn assy] did his "bad bad thing" and denied Michael his day in court.

did you miss that?

so Roy decides to get vengeance for M and himself and invents Aaron, infiltrates the holy man camp and kills him, knowing Marty will not be able to resist the case

all along Roy knew Marty way better than Marty THOUGHT he knew Roy.

It's not difficult folks.

http://www.kindleflippages.com/ablog/

[–] IsoldeJaneHolland 10 years ago

The two or three glimpses we had of Michael in the courtroom were intriguing. I thought we were going to see more of him. Just saw PF for the first time this morning. I love how you can convince sharp, jaded professionals like Gere and McDormand that you have multiple personalities just by screaming the f word a couple times and having a tantrum. By that reckoning half my acquaintances are ax murderers.

[–] Lester_Burnham_Risen 10 years ago

Yes Michael is not in character list so is almost a McGuffin, ie Gere reads his name from the police report and at the same time the camera pans to him and we see the look on shawn assy's face

http://www.kindleflippages.com/ablog/

[–] Lester_Burnham_Risen 10 years ago

I love how you can convince sharp, jaded professionals like Gere and McDormand that you have multiple personalities just by screaming the f word a couple times and having a tantrum.

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I think you are missing the point that these "professionals" are anything but so

the blonde calls the tune on McDormand bitch, or so she thinks.

Marty calls the tune on blonde, or so he thinks

finally Roy calls the tune on Marty and movie ends with him taking back door from court, scratching his head.

Understand?

http://www.kindleflippages.com/ablog/

[–] TVippy 10 years ago

"I love how you can convince sharp, jaded professionals like Gere and McDormand that you have multiple personalities just by screaming the f word a couple times and having a tantrum."

The whole fuскing movie RIPS APART at this very statement!!! Such a dumb movie... so the killer has some anger issues, so what??

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[–] rotterdam-87278 8 years ago

Surely he's a sociopath/psychopath who at this stage in his evolution either doesn't really care if he gets 'caught' or is both arrogant enough and bored enough to take the risk.

It's not a glaring error. It's in character.