The Life of David Gale [2003] dir Alan Parker

The Life of David Gale (2003)


http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0289992/

The Life of David Gale (2003) is an American drama film. Kevin Spacey stars as the titular college professor and active opponent of capital punishment, whose life is turned upside down when he's falsely accused of raping a student, is fired from his job and eventually put on death row for the brutal murder of a colleague. Kate Winslet plays Bitsy Bloom, an ambitious journalist who interviews Gale in his final weeks before execution.


Kate Winslet ... Bitsey Bloom
Cleo King ... Barbara Kreuster
Constance Jones ... Reporter A.J. Roberts
Kevin Spacey ... David Gale
Laura Linney ... Constance Harraway
Lee Ritchey ... Joe Mullarkey
Gabriel Mann ... Zack Stemmons
Matt Craven ... Dusty Wright
Brandy Little ... Motel Waitress
Cindy Waite ... Margie
Jim Beaver ... Duke Grover
Leon Rippy ... Braxton Belyeu
Jesse De Luna ... Supervising Guard
Vernon Grote ... Door Guard
Rhona Mitra ... Berlin

Reviews were generally negative. Chicago Sun-Times movie critic Roger Ebert gave it zero stars, his lowest rating, and stated, "I am sure the filmmakers believe their film is against the death penalty. I believe it supports it and hopes to discredit the opponents of the penalty as unprincipled fraudsters... But while Texas continues to warehouse condemned men with a system involving lawyers who are drunk, asleep or absent; confessions that are beaten out of the helpless, and juries that overwhelmingly prefer to execute black defendants instead of white ones, you can't make this movie. Not in Texas." Wrote Ebert, "Spacey and Parker are honorable men. Why did they go to Texas and make this silly movie? The last shot made me want to throw something at the screen--maybe Spacey and Parker." However, Ebert's co-host on the television show Ebert & Roeper, Richard Roeper, did not hesitate to give the movie a "thumbs up" rating. Likewise, Leonard Maltin gave the film a positive three-star (out of a possible four) rating.

I didn't really think this movie had a message at all, unless it is about ideology trumping common sense and the spirit of honest discourse.

Most recently, the soundtrack (composed by Alex and Jake Parker) has been used in various film trailers, specifically the track "The Life of David Gale". The score has been used in the trailers for World Trade Center, Munich, In the Valley of Elah, and most recently, Milk.

Berlin International Film Festival

2003 Nominated Golden Berlin Bear Alan Parker


Political Film Society, USA

2004 Nominated PFS Award Human Rights