The Life of David Gale

In 1995, Kevin Spacey jumped onto my Favorite Actors list when he appeared in The Ref and then again the same year in Oscar-winner The Usual Suspects. He maintained that spot with another Oscar-winning performance in American Beauty (1999). And now, though the movie wasn't nearly as great at the two just mentioned, his performance impressed me once again in The Life of David Gale.

Sure, the title doesn't inspire one to grab the movie off the shelf at Blockbuster, and I confess that I rented the movie solely because Spacey was in it, not because I knew anything about the film, but it turned out okay. He's in that category of actors whose movies I see based solely on their presence in the credits (with John Cusack, Kathy Bates, and ahem... Christopher Walken).

So, about the movie, which, by the way, is NOT BASED ON A TRUE STORY: David Gale (Kevin Spacey) is a University of Texas - Austin professor who also works for an anti-death penalty organization called DeathWatch.

After being set up by a former student on rape charges (which are later dropped), dealing with his noticeably absent and philandering wife, having brief, touching moments with his son, and coping poorly with his wee drinking problem, Gale finds himself on death row for the rape and murder of colleague Constance Hallaway (Laura Linney).

Bitsey Bloom (Kate Winslet) is the only journalist allowed to interview the doomed Gale. She is permitted just three two-hour visits to unravel his story. Prepare for flashbacks. Prepare for doubt and double crosses and conspiracies. Prepare for a never-ending series of mysterious videos with evidentiary value.

Director Alan Parker (Angela's Ashes, Evita, and Mississippi Burning) doesn't hide his political views (the film is set in Texas, after all), but he does treat the issue sensitively. And it's filmed in Huntsville, home of the most active death row in the country.

I don't want to spoil the end, so I won't say more than some of the story seems just a tad contrived. I think it was worth renting; I'm glad I didn't pay full price at the theater to see it.

If you're interested in the death penalty, visit

Shadow Figures: A Portrait of Life on Texas Death Row
The Bureau of Justice's Capital Punishment Statistics
ACLU: Death Penalty
Clark County (IN) Prosecuting Attorney: The Death Penalty in the US

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