Movie Title: The Life of David Gale

Movie Title: The Life of David Gale
Rating: 4
Reviewed By: Michael Stevens

Review:

Dead Man Walking is a death row film that is considered good (I have not seen it), but more importantly in this case it is also anti-death penalty. The Green Mile is also good and ultimately against the death penalty, but that film also had some strange super-natural elements to it. Then there is a film such as True Crime that is not necessarily for or against capital punishment, but simple uses it as a plot device to add suspense to the story. I’m not completely sure where The Life of David Gale fits in with these other films, but I am leaning towards use of the death row angle mainly for plot purposes.

The film begins with a little snippet from the end of the story to help build suspense before really beginning. Then we are in New York City, the Big Apple, where reporter Bitsey Bloom (Kate Winslet, Quills) finds out that convicted murderer and death row inmate David Gale has chosen her for his only interview since being sent to death row, and it will be just a few days before his scheduled execution in Texas. We then are told that Gale (Kevin Spacey, K-PAX) used to be a big and outspoken opponent of the death penalty, and an important professor at a university in Texas before being convicted of rape and murder. So Bitsey heads to Texas for a jailhouse interview with an intern (Gabriel Mann, Abandon) tagging along at her editor’s insistence. Zack the intern immediately thinks the guy is innocent while Bitsey thinks he did do it and that the death penalty is just. Once in Texas the two begin to be followed by some cowboy in a pickup truck whom we later learn is Dusty (Matt Craven, Dragonfly), a former friend of the person Gale was convicted of killing. The dead one is Constance Hallaway (Laura Linney, The Mothman Prophecies), who was also a professor at the school Gale was at, who was a close friend of Gale, and a fervent activist against capital punishment. We soon learn that Gale had a fall from grace after a former student of his named Berlin (Rhona Mitra, Sweet Home Alabama) accused him of rape (she made it up to get back at him, but his reputation was ruined), which led to his wife (Elizabeth Gast) leaving him and taking their son, plus the inevitable loss of his job. This led to lots of alcohol consumption, and presumably to the rape and murder of Constance. However, Gale says he didn’t kill her, and what is more, is that you do not really care at this point because director Alan Parker has already ruined the suspense by giving away too much, too soon. So about 20 minutes into the film you can guess why he is on death row.

Some others in this rather anti-climatic movie are Jim Beaver, Katherine James, Katina Potts, Lee Ritchey, Leon Rippy, Jennifer Halverson, and many more. Charles Randolph is responsible for the writing.

With little suspense remaining, one only watches to ensure that you are correct, which is not a good reason to watch a film. A better film in which Spacey dies is Seven (or even American Beauty, man he likes to get killed in his films), which is also more suspenseful and riveting than this movie. Plus, who in the hell could possibly think that Kate Winslut (a better spelling) could play a reporter? I’m sure the beautiful star can play a ho like in Titanic, but not a reporter (I do realize that she has been nominated for Academy Awards, but I don’t think she is that versatile). Julia Roberts has the range to pull that off, but not Winslet. Lastly, I can only give The Life of David Gale four couches, and that is being generous.

Later.

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