Customer Reviews

The Life of David Gale [VHS]

5 star:		(60)
4 star:		(61)
3 star:		(20)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(25)

 

 

THE LIFE OF DAVID GALE is, I believe, a much better film than many fellow reviewers would indicate. Perhaps they are influenced by the reviews that came out in the media at the time of the film's theatrical release, perhaps the Editorial slam on the Product Page by Bret Fetzer taints opinion. I would urge you to see and/or buy this DVD, keep an open mind, and witness the effect on your own emotional response.

Kevin Spacey fleshes out the title role as a believable philosophy professor who speaks against capital punishment in the state of Texas which just happens to be the place where more executions are performed than any other state. He is not without problems: alcohol, a drunken sexual relationship with a former student, and an awkward but deeply significant relationship with Constance (Laura Linney) who later when found 'murdered and raped' on videotape results in the arrest and conviction of Spacey's Gale, now facing death on death row. Laura Linney is most credible as a driven anti-death penalty activist for reasons we discover are beyond the range of civil rights reponsibilty. The third part of this triangle is the reporter brought in to investigate Gale's claim to innocence in the last four days of his wait on death row. Kate Winslet captures all the parameters of this contemporary woman with seamless detail. To tell more of the story would be injurious to the unfolding of this worthwhile drama.

For a 2 hour plus movie THE LIFE OF DAVID GALE manages to hold our interest, encouraging us as viewers to keep our invetigatory eyes and ears open and struggle along with Winslet and her cohort to finally put together all the pieces of the puzzle. Others have complained that the clues are in every scene: isn't that true of most crime investigations? I see no fault in placing all the information in front of the audience to test the observation of the viewer as much as the skill of the screenwriter in resolving a case with the important message of this film. Alan Parker uses a lot of visual tricks in addressing the facts of the crime and even makes interesting parallels in the background music (the fairly obvious metaphor of TURANDOT arias by the presuicidal Liu appear repeatedly).

In the end this story is on a par with DEAD MAN WALKING as far as a significant plea for anti-Capital Punishment voices. See it for yourself. The skills of actors like Kevin Spacey, Laura Linney, and Kate Winslet pledging belief in this script can't be ignored.

scanning the negative reviews posted here, the nay-sayers seem to be divided into two camps: those who say the movie was too predictable; and those who say they can't believe the ending. presumably, one reason the latter group is incredulous is because they didn't see it coming. funny how you get completely opposite views.

me, i didn't see the ending coming, but i do think it made perfect sense. many objected that spacey and linney undermined their own cause by their "stunt". i don't agree. first, the full story wasn't meant to be disclosed to the public, only to the reporter. second, and more important, the ending was not done solely to prove a point, as many have suggested. in fact, linney was already terminally ill and spacey's fortunes had fallen to the point where he had little to live for. the so-called "stunt" was really a way to make their lives - and their inevitable deaths - more meaningful. making a point about capital punishment was only one part of it, the public dimension. there were very real private considerations as well.

many also commented that the ending didn't make sense. i think it does. spacey knows that he's used winslet to convey his public AND private message (to his son). it's to assuage his guilt that he sends the tape at the end. how does he know that winslet won't tell all? because she's proven that she can be trusted to respect the confidentiality of her sources: if she won't betray "kiddy porn scum", why would she betray an innocent man?

but even if the public doesn't know the whole truth, won't spacey still be an "anti-captial punishment nuthead" (to paraphrase one reviewer) in winslet's eyes? maybe. and only she would know. but judging from her reaction at the end, i'd say, if anything, she felt great compassion and understanding for spacey. compassion for his suffering. understanding of his actions. and i don't know what the reviewer was watching who said spacey had a "dull" look in his eyes when he gazed in the camera in the last scene, but i can't recall the last time i saw a look of such profound sadness. it was a very moving moment.

there are many other objections that don't stand up under scrutiny. for example, one reviewer commented that the linchpin of the story was the tv confrontation between spacey and the governor of texas where spacey supposedly wasn't able to name a single innocent man who had been mistakenly killed. the reviewer couldn't believe spacey didn't have a comeback since there apparently have been cases where just such a travesty has happened. leaving aside the question of whether this is the "linchpin", if you listen closely to this scene, the question wasn't "name one man who has been mistakenly killed?"; it was "name one man OUT OF THE 131 WHO HAVE BEEN PUT TO DEATH IN TEXAS DURING MY TENURE who was innocent?". there's a big difference between these two questions. the gov was answering for his state's record, under his watch. he's saying "show me where I'VE made a mistake. if you can do that, then maybe i'll reconsider MY STATE'S policy." this makes sense. why should the gov of texas answer for other jurisdictions or administrations? he should, and only can, answer for his own actions. which is exactly what he does.

another reviewer objected that it was obvious what spacey was up to when he hired an "incompetent" lawyer to defend him. "the film is too predictable", he cried. actually, the lawyer wasn't incompetent at all. if he wasn't effective, it was BY DESIGN: he was in on the scheme from the very start. this is revealed near the end when we see the relation between the cowboy and the lawyer, especially the transfer of money. counsel "botched" the defense because that's what spacey wanted.

so maybe the plot wasn't so "predictable" after all? there are other objections like these that also fall apart on closer examination. i could go through them one by one, but i don't have the time or space to do that. MY only objection is that the film does occasionally go over-the-top in making its points. it does get a little preachy. this is more an aesthetic and artistic flaw, however, than an ideological or polemical one - more how the message is conveyed than what the message is.

good film. definitely worth a rental, and maybe even a purchase if you're a big spacey fan. to the naysayers i'll just say: watch the film again, and then tell me if you still think it's "too predictable" or flawed.

Great movie from the opening sequence to the very last shot! Worth seeing again to see what you missed the first time. This movie is the type where the director and editor did not put any "filler" into. Every scene is important.

Keving Spacey is great and Kate Winslett convincingly drops her British accent in a tale of an anti-death penalty advocate who is awaiting execution for the murder of one of his fellow advocates. Winslett's character (Bitsy) is a reporter who has the assignment of getting Gale's story before he dies and proving his innocence. As the Gale's story unfolds one scene early on is very important. That is where Gale is in a televised debate with the governer of Texas over the merits of the death penalty. The debate turns into a shouting match with Gale cornering the governer into stating that if Gale could name one "innocent" person who received the death penalty, that he would sign an order to abolish the penalty in Texas. As the movie winds towards a climatic ending we begin to realize that it is more important that Bitsy can prove Gale's innocence, than save him from leathal injunction.

The movie is full of plot-twists and incredible suspense with a few scenes that will startle you.

My review title is a joke I once heard, but it is a much less convoluted oxymoron than this movie! I give it three stars for its suspense through most of the plot, which makes it never boring, and for some compelling acting. But through twists that repeatedly undermine the story you thought you were buying into, the film ultimately becomes self-destructive. I've seen it said in various reviews that this movie promotes an anti- death penalty agenda. Well, it sure does seem to much of the way through. But in the end I found myself seriously asking if this film might really be a joke that those reviewers never caught on to. I can really see supporters of capital punishment getting the last laugh here, having a field day in the end, however much they might have been put out with what they perceived along the way as propoganda. After mulling over this movie for a while, I grew to feel a little pride in my never having been a strong zealot one way or another on the capital punishment issue. For the film certainly shows how zealots for a cause can become fanatics who contradict the very principles that attracted them to the cause in the first place. And that amply happens to death penalty opponents in this case. If death penalty advocates want to make a case that opponents are not morally grounded and will sell out their very principles in an effort to promote them, the opponents of the death penalty in this movie have played right into the hands of such criticism. The supposed heroes of this movie think they've won a definitive victory that can't be turned against them. But instead they have done the ultimate in turning of their own cause on its head, and give the other side more ammunition than ever. I'll get no more specific, to avoid spoilers. There is suspense enough here to keep your interest. Just don't expect it to make coherent sense in the end.

After watching this very good movie on DVD I would definitely have to say that it would've been nice to have watched it on the silver screen. "The Life of David Gale" is a remarkably well told story that albeit fiction could very easily be a true story based on the convictions of those who agree with either side of the death penalty debate. From the overall theme or premise of this story to the performances, "The Life of David Gale" is most definitely a very good story that falls into the category of films which makes you think your way through it. Although many films in this particular genre suffer at the hands of predictability, this film doesn't in the least.

Performance wise, Kevin Spacey does his normal great job of playing your somewhat average to just above average American in this film. I believe that is what most people find appealing about his performances in major films; he's pretty much your average guy. I believe that prior to watching this film the only thing I had ever watched Kate Winslet in was "Titanic" and we all know how well that worked out for this beautiful British actress. Her performance in this film is a very good one; it would be nice to see her in future films. Laura Linney does her usual job of great acting in this film as well. No matter what films I've ever watched her in she always gives a compelling performance.

Director Alan Parker does a wonderful job with this film from every aspect of telling this story. The amazing thing about how he directed the film is that when it comes to the death penalty debate, he keeps the film itself neutral, not leaning too heavily in either direction, despite his own convictions.

The Premise:

Kevin Spacey plays David Gale who is a Harvard graduate working as a professor at a Texas university. His life is about to take a major turn for the worse as his marriage is falling apart and he's accused of a rape he didn't commit. Despite the rape charge being dropped he loses all credibility to include his job and his status as a leader of an anti death penalty organization. He then finds himself being charged with and convicted for the murder of a close friend of his and he gets the death penalty... Move forward six years and it's less than a week away from his execution and he finally decides to give an interview but only to Bitsey Bloom (Kate Winslet) who takes it upon herself to prove his innocence...

What follows from there is a film that I would definitely recommend to any and all who are fans of films in this genre as the film is a highly intriguing and fairly suspenseful one. {ssintrepid}

Special Features:

-Feature commentary with Director Alan Parker
-Deleted scenes with optional Director's commentary
-The Making of "The Life of David Gale"
-The music of "The Life of David Gale"
-DVD-ROM Features
-Theatrical trailer

The Life of David Gale is now among my favorite movies ever made. As a high school teacher, I have every intention of showing this movie to my U.S. Government class when discussing public policy and an example of a classical controversial issue - the death penalty.

This movie truly hit home for me! Although I have already long held the position of being opposed to the death penalty, this movie only reinforces my stance and proves that the system is not always right, hence justice is denied to those that fall victim to the system's flaws.

Kevin Spacey and Kate Winslow should have received Oscars for their performances in this movie, because I truly believe they did a superb job!

A must watch for all....

An innocent man is executed for the murder he did not commit. The crucial evidence for his innocence arrives five minutes after he is put to death. And everybody suffers: the victim, the man, and the viewers. Bad movie from an acclaimed director. Makes an excellent gift to the governor of Texas.

This movie may not have been a masterpiece but it was definately entertainining and had a cool ending. Former professor, David Gale (Kevin Spacey), is facing the death penalty for murder. After speaking with him several times, journalist Bitsey Bloom (Kate Winslet) is convinced that Gale is innocent, and tries to stop his execution. I don't want to give much else away because the way the story unfolds is suprising and fun. Some of the plot elements were kind of unrealistic, but this really wasn't a bad movie.

This would have been a boring propaganda film except for some frenzied camera work and many clues and events designed SOLELY to keep you from turning off the propaganda. In fact, the whole plot line with the "journalist racing against time to find out the truth" is nothing more than a red herring to keep you watching. Surprisingly, the putative "real" theme (propaganda against the death penalty), is ALSO a red herring. Therefore, most people will feel cheated after being deceived by this movie.

The real theme that permeates every minute of this movie is that there are two types of people in this world, and the death penalty is merely a litmus test to distinguish them. People who oppose the death penalty are intelligent, educated, and caring people who know how to have fun, and those who disagree (Republicans) are stupid mean racists. Examples of the people the movie targets are Texans, George Bush, people with southern accents, and even people who wear cowboy hats and drive pickup trucks. Therefore, many people will be insulted by this movie.

If you want to see this film because it opposes the death penalty, you may still feel cheated and insulted because it contains nothing you will find new, thought provoking, or an example of how to be persuasive. However, the movie IS persuasive. It is masterful in its consistent but subtle demonization of Republicans, Southerners, etc.

Don't read this if you haven't seen yet!

My summary is that it seems the plan of our three anti death penalty protagonists' (Spacey, Linney, and Craven) was this:

To create a situation where the CP system is discredited by sending an innocent man (Spacey) to death row, and using the neutral character (Winslet), along with some carefully released videotapes, to exonerate him at the last moment. I do not believe it was his intention to die for the cause, it's just that the darn car broke down!

The way the film unfolds is that until the very end, we think the cowboy (Craven) did it, Spacey was incorrectly put to death, and the film is anti CP. Ah, now the surprise ending, Spacey was involved, so the system worked...pro CP, right? Not really...this was more of a mercy killing due to Linney's illness, not first degree murder.

The truth is that the film is neither, it is merely illustrating that this is not a black and white issue, and that each case has it's own set of unique circumstances. I think it's a great film which has a unique story, great performances, holds your interest, and makes you think. It is a little unbelievable as many have said, but what movie isn't?

I suppose 'Pirates of the Caribbean' is more believable!