In the film Primal Fear (1996), an altar boy by the name of Aaron Stampler is charged with the first-degree murder of a senior Catholic clergyman, Archbishop Rushman. Martin Vail, a hotshot defense attorney, agrees to represents Aaron for nothing. Martin likes the limelight and knows that the upcoming murder case will be a media sensation. At the same time, he has a genuine belief that every defendant deserves the best possible legal representation. As lawyers go, Martin believes he is just about the best there is.
However, even for an excellent trial lawyer like Martin, the Stampler case is a real challenge. Stampler is captured by police after a televised chase on foot through the streets of Chicago. When he is finally caught, he is covered in the murdered Archbishop's blood. The media quickly dubs the young man "The Butcher Boy of St. Mike's." It would seem that Martin Vail has a real struggle ahead of him.
In a case like this, when the odds are stacked so heavily against you, sometimes the only line of defense is insanity. Initially, however, Vail has no reasonable grounds for using this defense. Aaron cannot remember a thing about the night of the murder, but he does not display any outward signs that might convince anyone that he was insane at the time he committed the killing.
Vail begins to snoop around and discovers some information that he hopes will strengthen a very weak case. He comes into possession of a pornographic video which shows Aaron being sexually abused by Rushman. After confronting Aaron with the evidence, Vail brings in a psychologist, Dr. Arrington, to examine his client. During the examination, a violent, sociopathic alter ego called Roy appears to emerge. "Roy" tells the psychologist that he killed the Archbishop in order to protect Aaron.
Dr. Arrington, for one, is convinced that Aaron is suffering from multiple personality disorder. (This is also known as dissociative identity disorder.) All the elements seem to be there, including repeated black-outs and sexual abuse. Dr. Arrington describes Aaron's case as "textbook multiple personality disorder" and concludes he is insane. Vail, however, is initially unconvinced. However, he is thinking like a lawyer; he knows that he cannot introduce an insanity plea midway through a trial, even if he wanted to.
It should be remembered here that multiple personality disorder was a highly contentious diagnosis at the time and a subject of great controversy. Many trained professionals dismissed multiple personality disorder as lacking in scientific rigor. Dr. Arrington, however, appears to be one of the true believers. She has clearly conducted a lot of research into the issue and feels confident enough to make a diagnosis, staking her professional reputation as she gives testimony in court on behalf of the defense.
One should also mention that Dr. Arrington is a neuropsychologist rather than a forensic psychiatrist. In simple terms, this means that her field of expertise relates to brain injuries and their subsequent effects on a patient's cognitive abilities. Yet, there is no suggestion that Aaron has suffered any kind of physical trauma to the brain. At the very least, we may, along with the Assistant District Attorney, conclude that Dr. Arrington is not qualified to make such a diagnosis, especially given its contentiousness at that particular time.
As for Vail, he comes to accept Dr. Arrington's diagnosis when Aaron suddenly takes on the persona of "Roy" in open court and lunges violently at the Assistant DA, threatening to break her neck. Vail was skirting around the issue of insanity because he knew he could not introduce it as a defense in the middle of the trial. Instead, he relied on trying to establish the medical existence of amnesia in Aaron's mind. However, when Aaron, in the guise of Roy, attacks Assistant DA Venable, Vail seems as certain as he can be that Aaron really is suffering from multiple personality disorder. Seeing is believing. Fortunately for him, the judge agrees and finds Aaron not guilty by reason of insanity, remanding him to a secure psychiatric facility.
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