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By the nuts-and-bolts of Primal Fear, it is a legal thriller through and through--complete with every trope that genre has to offer (for better or worse). What makes this one stand out above a large pack of similar 1990s fare is the tremendous acting performances it contains.

For a very basic overview, Primal Fear tells the story of Martin Vail (Richard Gere), Chicago's hotshot lawyer who takes a high-profile case regarding altar boy Aaron (Edward Norton) accused of murdering a leader of the Catholic Church. Arguing against off-and-on love interest Janet Venable (Laura Linney), Vail begins to defend Aaron in an emotional manner that is usually not his style.

There are reasonably long stretches of Primal Fear that seem like a standard, paint-by-numbers legal thriller. There are wild plot contrivances, big reveals, and director Gregory Hoblit utilizes every trick of that trade. Acting aside, this is a 6 (maybe 7) star story.

But you certainly cannot put acting to the side in Primal Fear. Gere and Linney are great. They may not have the most chemistry with each other (a legitimate problem that lowers the film's ultimate ceiling), but on their own they are lead-worthy. It helps to be supported by the likes of John Mahoney, Alfre Woodard, Frances McDormand, Terry O'Quinn, Andre Braugher, and Maura Tierney. Truly a who's who of Hollywood acting prowess.

And I haven't even mentioned the most compelling piece of Primal Fear's cast--that being Edward Norton in (remarkably!) his first big screen role. I won't spoil his character's ultimate resolution, but suffice it to say that Norton gives the performance of a lifetime even being such a newbie. This movie is worth a watch simply for Norton alone.

So, though overall a pretty straightforward "legal beagle" with the genre's inherent drawbacks, Primal Fear is up near the top of that list--at least in the 1990s--for its incredibly deep cast and standout performances from Norton, Gere, & Linney.

Night Moves is not the best movie Gene Hackman has ever headlined (though it is a solid detective thriller). But it may be one of his best acting performances-absolutely magnetic and show-stealing.

For a very basic overview, Night Moves tells the story of private investigator Harry Moseby (Hackman). With his home life turned upside down upon learning of wife Ellen's (Susan Clark) infidelity, Moseby takes a case from floozy LA socialite Arlene Iverson (Janet Ward) to bring her runaway daughter Delly (Melanie Griffith) back in tow. But what Harry finds when he locates Delly-especially in the form of her new quasi-guardian Paula (Jennifer Warren)-will upend his world even further.

First and very much foremost, Night Moves only works as a motion picture because of Hackman's remarkable performance. Viewers must completely fall for his Moseby character and that is exactly what happens. Even while seemingly making all the wrong choices and coming to all the wrong conclusions, he does it so well-meaningly and identifiably that viewers can't help but sympathize with him. Even 50 years after it hit theaters, Night Moves still resonates with Hackman's acting treatise.

Plot-wise, this is the sort of film that eventually reaches a point where it has to exposition-away some contrivances in order to make it all work. While this caps the overall ceiling of the piece a bit, it isn't a deal-breaker. Even with that somewhat-messy endgame, Night Moves has enough twists and turns to keep viewers engaged all the way through. On multiple occasions you'll think "I know where this is going" only to have Alan Sharp's screenplay & Arthur Penn's directing zig off in unexpected directions.

Though perhaps not as dramatically tight as Hackman's previous-year The Conversation, 1975's Night Moves is perhaps just one notch below that one. You won't remember many plot details from this one-but you will remember Hackman's Harry Moseby.