The Life Of David Gale review

Alan Parker has often delved into the social political arena with good effect. Midnight Express and Mississippi Burning dealt with drugs and race in a provocative and absorbing way. In The Life Of David Gale he again tackles a controversial subject, in this case the death penalty, setting it within a thriller format, but with significantly less success. It's not that The Life Of David Gale is a bad film, just there is little to raise it above mediocrity. Even Kevin Spacey, who can normally be relied upon for moments of invention and originality, simply regurgitates familiar performances and when striving for impact is guilty of over acting. In his defence it might have been in response to Winslet's own overwrought style or simply at the request of the director who is not known for his subtlety.

Capital punishment is an inflammatory and divisive subject, but first time writer Charles Randolph's script is too heavy handed and clumsy in its dealing with the issue to offer any insightful or persuasive arguments. Any political point the film endeavours to make is purely at the service of the film's thriller plot.

Kevin Spacey plays philosophy professor David Gale, an ardent anti-death penalty activist who finds himself on death row in Texas. With only four days to go until his execution he recounts his story in a series of interviews with magazine reporter Bitsey Bloom (Kate Winslet), chosen for her toughness and integrity. Told in flashbacks, the film follows Gale as his failing marriage leads to an encounter with a female student. Charged with rape, his world falls apart. When fellow activist and close friend Constance Harraway (Laura Linney) dies in mysterious circumstances all clues lead to Gale. As the clock ticks down to his death, Bloom finds herself questioning the evidence and, along with her assistant Zack (Gabriel Mann), goes in search of the truth before it's too late.

As though Parker felt the film's point is in danger of being missed (it isn't), he spells it out for us at critical junctures with the use of text. Words such as 'Guilty', 'Innocent', 'Power' and 'Desire' flash up on screen, serving little purpose other than take you out of the drama and remind you that you're in the hands of a calculating director. Characters here are self serving and seem more like moral and political mouthpieces than real people. It's perhaps unsurprising, given Parker's gruff nature and reputation, that they aren't over burdened with endearing qualities or much warmth. What is surprising, considering a person's life is at stake, is how their fate solicits so little concern.