Primal Fear (1996)

Richard Gere: Martin Vail

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Quotes 

• [last lines SPOILER] 

  [while in a holding cell in the back of the courthouse] 

  Roy : Mr. Vail?

  Martin Vail : Yeah?

  Roy : [stammering]  Will you t-tell Miss Venable I'm sorry? Tell her I hope her neck is okay.

  Martin Vail : Yeah... I will.

  [begins walking away, then turns back] 

  Martin Vail : Wait... What did you just say? What? You told me just a few minutes ago that you didn't remember. You blacked out. You "lost time" yet again. So, how do you know about her neck?

  Roy : [slow clapping sardonically; sneers]  Well... good for you, Marty. I was going to let it go at that. You was looking so happy just now. I was thinking, hmmm God. But to tell you the truth, I'm glad you figured it out, because I have been dying to tell you. I just didn't know who you'd wanna hear it from, you know? Aaron or Roy... or Roy or Aaron. Well, I'll let you in on a little secret. A sort of a client-attorney-privilege type of a secret, you know what I mean? It don't matter who you hear it from. It's the same story.

  [stammering as Aaron] 

  Roy : [in a southern accent]  I j-j-just... had to kill Linda, Mr. Vail.

  [normal voice as Roy] 

  Roy : That cunt just got what she deserved. But... cutting up that son of a bitch Rushman? That was just a fucking work of art.

  Martin Vail : You're good. You are really good.

  Roy : Yeah. I did get caught, though, didn't I?

  Martin Vail : So there never... there never was a Roy?

  Roy : Jesus Christ, Marty. If that's what you think, I am disappointed in you, I don't mind telling you. There never was an Aaron... counselor! Come on, Marty! I thought you had it figured, there at the end. The way you put me on the stand like that? That was fucking brilliant, Marty! And that whole thing like "act-like-a-man"? Jesus, I knew exactly what you wanted from me. It was like we were dancing, Marty!

  Martin Vail : Guard!

  Roy : [as Vail walks away]  Oh come on, don't be like that, Marty. We did it, man. We fucking did it! We're a great team, you and me. You think I could've done this without you? You're just feeling a little angry here, because you started to care about old Aaron, I can understand that, but... you know, love hurts, Marty. What can I say? Hey, I'm just kidding, bud! I didn't mean to hurt your feelings! What else was I supposed to do? Hey, you're gonna thank me down the road, because this is gonna toughen you right up, Martin Vail! You hear me? That's a promise!

• [first lines] 

  [while getting dressed as Naomi helps him] 

  Martin Vail : On my first day of law school, my professor says two things. First was: from this day forward, when your mother tells you she loves you, get a second opinion.

  Jack Connerman : [chuckles]  And?

  Martin Vail : If you want justice, go to a whorehouse. If you wanna get fucked, go to court.

• Martin Vail : [sitting with Jack Connerman in a bar]  Why gamble with money when you can gamble with people's lives? That was a joke. All right, I'll tell you. I believe in the notion that people are innocent until proven guilty. I believe in that notion because I choose to believe in the basic goodness of people. I choose to believe that not all crimes are committed by bad people. And I try to understand that some very, very good people do some very bad things.

• Janet Venable : No further questions, your honor.

  Roy : ['Roy' emerges]  Where the hell do you think you're going?

  Janet Venable : Excuse me?

  Roy : Hey, you look at me when I'm talkin' to you, bitch!

  Judge Miriam Shoat : Mr. Stampler!

  Roy : Fuck you, lady! Come here!

  [Roy jumps over the witness stand and grabs Janet and punches Marty] 

  Judge Miriam Shoat : Bailiff!

  Roy : You wanna play rough, let's play rough. Come on, lets play rough!

  [Bailiff and secruity slowly walk toward Roy] 

  Roy : Yeah, keep comin' closer asshole! Don't think I won't break her fuckin' neck!

  Martin Vail : [approaching Aaron slowly with the other bailiffs]  Come on, I got...

  Roy : Fuck you, Marty! I'm walkin' outta slowly. Really slow.

• Martin Vail : [while walking into the Bishop's home, owned by the Catholic Church]  Yeah, I'm Martin Vail, from the public defender's office. I'm handling the Aaron Stampler case.

  Cop : Hm, the Butcher Boy.

  Martin Vail : Yes, thank you, I forgot his real name.

• Martin Vail : [while in Aaron's solitary confinement room]  I speak. You do not speak. Your job is to just sit there and look innocent.

• [Marty is trying to woo Janet again, kissing the back of her neck and humming as she smokes a cigarette at the bar in the party for the Archbishop] 

  Martin Vail : Come on... all you have to do is turn around.

  Janet Venable : I thought you liked it better like this. That way you don't have to look at the person.

  Martin Vail : You're mean.

  [ingratiatingly] 

  Martin Vail : Look at me.

  [She turns to face him. He is grinning seductively] 

  Martin Vail : Come on. Let's go find a bar you can still smoke in.

  Janet Venable : Thanks for the invite, but I don't like one-night stands all that much.

  Martin Vail : We saw each other for months.

  Janet Venable : It was a one-night stand, Marty. It just lasted six months.

• Martin Vail : [to Aaron, while in the solitary confinement room]  I don't have to believe you. I don't care if you are innocent. I'm your mother, your father, your priest.

• [arguing before the judge] 

  Janet Venable : Next thing you know, he'll be objecting to introducing the murder weapon into evidence!

  Martin Vail : [Janet gestures to judge, referring to Martin's intentions]  Well, now that you bring it up...

• Martin Vail : [sitting with Jack Connerman in a bar]  First thing that I ask a new client is, "Have you been saving up for a rainy day? Guess what? It's raining!"

• Joey Pinero : [while walking through Joey Pinero's old neighborhood]  See this lot here? This lot used to be houses. In fact, there was a house over there on the corner where I kissed my first girl friend. Got her pregnant, too.

  Martin Vail : Hell of a kiss, Joey.

• Martin Vail : [in a private room inside the district attorney's office]  Mr. Pinero has never been convicted of anything. Cops jumped him, he was left bleeding in the snow. It's a miracle he survived. Having said that, I am not opposed to a settlement.

  John Shaughnessy : A million-five and Pinero leaves the state.

  Martin Vail : You can't limit a citizen's right to live wherever he wants to. Legally, that's unenforceable.

  John Shaughnessy : Whether or not it's enforceable or just a gentleman's agreement, Mr. Pinero will know what we want.

• Judge Miriam Shoat : [in her chambers]  If you think you're going to my courtroom to wage personal vendettas and settle old scores, you are sorely mistaken! I'm striking Shaughnessy's testimony from the record as irrelevant and I'm holding you in contempt in the amount of ten thousand dollars!

  Martin Vail : So... what you're telling me is I can't get a fair trial in your courtroom? You're also in league with Shaughnessy and the entire city counsel at covering all this up?

  Judge Miriam Shoat : Be very careful what you say in here, Mr. Vail! You're on dangerous ground here!

  Martin Vail : Fine! Do you want me to make that check out to you judge?

• Tommy Goodman : [after Martin told Tommy what Aaron had told him, with Naomi present]  That... is... a... bullshit story!

  Martin Vail : Now it's *our* bullshit story.

• Martin Vail : [to Shaughnessy in court]  It's confusing to me because I have document here from your office that says last year Michael O'Donnell spoke to the supervisor of that unit over a period of two weeks explaining to him - in graphic detail - of the sexual abuse he suffered at the hands of Archbishop Rushman. Isn't it also true, Mr. State's attorney, that your "friend" Archbishop Rushman was not going to stand trial for any of it? He owed you big time. You must've been very pissed off when he pulled out of the South River construction deal. What happened? He finally said "I can't take it anymore" and you said "no". You and your investors had sixty millions reasons to kill him!

  Janet Venable : Objection!

  Judge Miriam Shoat : Sustained! You're out of order, Mr. Vail!

  Martin Vail : [whispering under his breath]  Just like what you and your "associates" did in killing Joey Pinero just yesterday!

  John Shaughnessy : [whispering to Vail]  You son of a bitch!

• Archbishop Rushman : [On the secret videotape that Vail stole from the crime scene]  The feast of ascension...

  [*static] 

  Archbishop Rushman : [On the videotape as it is fast-forwarding]  Preach the gospel to every...

  [*static] 

  Martin Vail : [Seeing the video suddenly change to show a young woman]  ... Hello.

  Vail's Secretary : What are you watching?

  Naomi Chance : Wait a minute.

  Archbishop Rushman : [On the videotape]  Alex, go to her. Go to her. Good. Now help her. That's it, Aaron. Good. Linda, help out. Good. Take off her blouse, Aaron. That's it. Now help him, Linda. Isn't that sweet, Linda? Good. That's it. Now, take him in your mouth.

  Tommy Goodman : Heeeeeeeere's motive.

  Archbishop Rushman : [On the videotape]  Aaron, take her from behind. Aaron! Take her from behind!

  Martin Vail : Jesus Christ.

• Martin Vail : [in Judge Miriam Shoat's chambers]  You OK?

  Janet Venable : Am I OK? Do I seem OK? I get attacked by this sick twisted... I've lost the case and out of a job! So no, I'm not particularly OK, but you won! Justice was done, so who the hell cares, right? Congratulations! You knew didn't you? You knew if I went after him he'd wig out up there.

  Martin Vail : I knew he'd come out if he was threatened.

  Janet Venable : Who better to do that than me? You used me.

  Martin Vail : Yeah, I did. I had no choice, what did I use that was so terrible? I knew you'd do your job and I knew you'd try to win the case. What's wrong with that?

  Janet Venable : I lost my fucking job.

  Martin Vail : And that's good. You should've left them years ago.

  Janet Venable : Oh, Jesus! Why do you think you always know what's best for me?

• Naomi Chance : What does he look like - in person?

  Martin Vail : The Butcher Boy? Like a Boy Scout.

  Tommy Goodman : A Boy Scout - with a merit badge in carving.

• Jack Connerman : So, why'd you leave the State's Attorney's Office?

  Martin Vail : Dead-end job. You either - you either run for office, or you end up a judge. Why become an umpire when you can play ball?

• Martin Vail : They assume they're guilty. You know, they assume they did it, and, like, we know or something. You don't know. You don't ask. You don't care. You do the goddamn job.

• Martin Vail : I hate when they go on and on about what big fucking whores the defense attorneys are... We're the bad guys. You know why? 'Cause we're always sitting next to some creep, we start to look creepy, you know?

• Martin Vail : My name is Martin Vail. I'm what you call a big-shot attorney.

• Martin Vail : I also need case histories on murder by stabbing, murder by mutilation, murder by religion. Also, I'm gonna need a psychiatrist.

  Naomi Chance : You're telling me.

• Martin Vail : A small piece of advice, don't use the word "heinous" in a courtroom. Half the jury won't know what you're talking about.

• Martin Vail : Are you telling me that Archbishop Rushman - is involved with sex stuff?

  Alex : Yeah, he called it "purging the devil." He'd say a sermon for 10 minutes and then he'd tell us what to do.

• Martin Vail : Videotape?

  Alex : Yeah.

  Martin Vail : Of what?

  Alex : Sex stuff.

  Martin Vail : Sex stuff?

  Alex : What, I have to draw a picture for you?

• Martin Vail : Do you trust me?

  Aaron : Do - yes, yes. Yes, of course I do.

  Martin Vail : Good. Because I don't trust you.

• Janet Venable : Fuck him.

  Martin Vail : Fuck him?

  Janet Venable : Fuck you! Thanks a lot.

• Janet Venable : You think you've got me. You think because you know me as well as you do, you know how I think. Well, I know how you think.

  Martin Vail : You know what I'm thinking?

• Martin Vail : Let me just take you back now. Let's go back to June 1985. Do you recall any allegations of sexual misconduct?

• Janet Venable : Christ, Marty, why is it you always think you know what's right for me?

  Martin Vail : Because I'm arrogant. I'm very, very arrogant.