The Life of David Gale

Kevin Spacey and Kate Winslet - a very interesting lead pair (which is not really a pair!), an inmate on death row- an unusual plot. I picked this movie after finding out that the theater supposedly showing "The Pianist" was not showing it (or any movie) at all!

Turned out to be a decent choice. Kevin Spacey was excellent as "David Gale", a philosophy professor turned murder convict. Spacey lecturing philosophy in the classroom is a perfect fit, though his exaggerated swagger after a few whiskies, and quoting Socrates in streets in his drunken state is probably taking it a bit too far. Controlled, but a bit over the top I felt.

Kate Winslet is likeable, in the role of the prototypical "reporter". All others, except the murder victim (Laura Linney portraying Spacey's colleague at DeathWatch), do not have a significant role.

The basic theme concerns the volatile issue of the "death penalty" that is the common penalty for convicted murderers in several US states. The protagonist, Spacey, leads a group opposed to the death penalty on moral grounds. Set in orthodox Texas, that's a difficult liberal view to hold. The chief argument is that a wrongful conviction will lead to murder in a state which issues the death penalty. How David Gale's life becomes entwined with the beliefs he fights for is the movie in short.

An up-and-down film most of the time. It builds interest and suspense in some sequences (most notably, the murder scene, and the videotapes). The mysterious truck following the reporter around from day one is too simplistic though.