The death penalty is perhaps the most notorious issue in
contemporary America. The United States continues to execute some
of its accused while the majority of the Western world has decided
there are too many travesties of justice that can pop up regarding
whose crimes should warrant death and whose shouldn’t. If our
justice system, which admits to many inconsistencies in
administering the death penalty, can’t come up with a perfect
model, some say we should abolish the punishment.
The death penalty is perhaps the most notorious issue in contemporary America. The United States continues to execute some of its accused while the majority of the Western world has decided there are too many travesties of justice that can pop up regarding whose crimes should warrant death and whose shouldn’t. If our justice system, which admits to many inconsistencies in administering the death penalty, can’t come up with a perfect model, some say we should abolish the punishment.
“The Life of David Gale,” the new film with two-time Oscar winner Kevin Spacey playing a death-penalty opponent on death row, wears its heart on its sleeve and is suspect for its unconventional, puzzle-like approach to revealing the plot, but the film is worth seeing to put the death penalty question out in the air once again. The plotting and flashbacks in the film are a little unnerving, and sometimes it feels as though there’s no way you can figure the movie out. That’s a problem. But the performances and feelings of the characters reveal a good film, not as great as “Dead Man Walking,” but worth looking at nonetheless.
Charles Randolph, the writer, and Alan Parker (“Mississippi Burning,” “The Wall”), the film’s director, push the anti-death penalty sentiment to the hilt, which hurts the film somewhat, making it difficult to come to your own conclusions about the issue. That being said, “The Life of David Gale” features a brilliant performance by Kevin Spacey as David Gale, his best since “American Beauty.” A beloved university professor and avid death penalty opponent, it’s shocking to see his character fall into his own demons when confronted with the ultimate claim that puts him in the position of a convicted killer fighting for his life. Spacey pulls off the transformation flawlessly with the help of his two terrific female supporting actresses.
Laura Linney, one of our best relatively unknown actresses, shines as the murdered Constance Harraway, who, in flashback, reveals a committed death-penalty opponent working side by side with professor Gale trying to get her message out to the public via marches and demonstrations. Linney is so good here in personifying her character. She proves that good acting is good listening; she excells because of her unique ability to genuinely react to the actor playing opposite her, and her and Spacey have fine chemistry. She also makes all the actors around her in a scene that much better because she makes it look so easy, putting the other performers more at ease.
Kate Winslet is terrific as the reporter Bitsy Bloom, who initially is drawn to David Gale’s case because of the circumstances of his situation, that he is a respected anti-death penalty advocate who is now on death row. She is drawn into his case as well and starts to investigate the circumstances of Gale’s arrest and conviction, which start to look incredibly suspect.
Devoting herself to Gale’s release, she has precious little time to figure things out before it’s too late.
“The Life of David Gale” is riveting and uses its twisted, tough-to-decipher screenplay to keep the audience on the edge of its seat.
The ending, which should be kept secret, is a doozy and completely unpredictable. The film actually works better as a thriller than a piece of communication – popcorn movie that considers the death penalty can’t be all bad.
THE LIFE OF DAVID GALE. Directed by Alan Parker. Written by Charles Randolph. With Kevin Spacey, Laura Linney, Kate Winslet and Gabriel Mann. Rated R (violence, profanity), 132 minutes. Now playing at Bay Area theaters.
