Featured Audience Ratings

• Emil K

  
  While it does have occasionally intriguing moments, it also is one of the most absurdly silliest films that i have seen for a while. Director Alan Parker, who has always been nothing but a average director, tries desperately to boost the story with stupid and pointless… More
  While it does have occasionally intriguing moments, it also is one of the most absurdly silliest films that i have seen for a while. Director Alan Parker, who has always been nothing but a average director, tries desperately to boost the story with stupid and pointless hyper-visualized cameratricks and the end result is confusing as hell. Horrible soundtrack does not help also when it comes to creating tension in this case. This film may have opinion or two about capital death-penalty, but all in all it is a mess that very hardly tries to be something much more than it actually is. You could say that is a mystery with a huge statement, like Parker's earlier Missisippi Burning was. Writer Charles Randolph does have some interesting elements in his screenplay but there is just too much everything to hold it together. At time it seems that Randolph and Parker are aiming to tell three different stories here instead of one. There is a great cast in here to be found and especially Kate Winslet is pretty much the best thing of the whole film, but even she cannot bring enough depth to her resourceful reporter Bitsey Bloom who is nothing but a hollow character from Randolph's pen. Kevin Spacey is extremely wasted and miscast as a David Gale and Laura Linney is nothing that special either. They all have potential to be so much better than this but Parker is just incapable of bringing their best to here. This could have been delicious thriller with real thick atmosphere and something important to say also. Instead of its potential it turn out to be grim mess without that much sense or real tension.

• Film C

  
  i really enjoyed this movie i thought it was very interesting and twist turning with a great storyline and plot. I liked how the story was focussed on trying to get point across, that innocent people do get murdered unjustly within the death penalty counties of america.

• Sajin P

  
  The critic community seemed hell-bound to pin down this movie as one belonging to the trash bag. The story about anti-capital-punishment activist David Gale, deals with an unpleasant issue, kind of an issue that no one really want to know the answer of. The film may have failed in… More
  The critic community seemed hell-bound to pin down this movie as one belonging to the trash bag. The story about anti-capital-punishment activist David Gale, deals with an unpleasant issue, kind of an issue that no one really want to know the answer of. The film may have failed in terms of moral grounds in the eyes of its detractors, may be a reason why it has gotten so much bad press. But, this is also the story of a man whose life just went off the rails for all the wrong reasons, who wants to do something for the world before he leaves. In that perspective, this was a decent enough flick or even, I dare say rather inspiring. That being said, the movie is not without it's glitches. A not so challenging role for Kate Winslet considering her abilities, occasionally flawed narrative and an annoying background score which did'nt seem to connect anyway to the premise of the movie.

• ♥˩ƳИИ &

  
  Cast: Kevin Spacey, Kate Winslet, Laura Linney, Gabriel Mann, Rhona Mitra, Leon Rippy, Matt Craven, Jim Beaver, Elizabeth Gast, Cleo King, Constance Jones, Brandy Little, Cindy Waite, Jesse De Luna, Vernon Grote Director: Alan Parker Summary: When Texas professor David Gale… More
  Cast: Kevin Spacey, Kate Winslet, Laura Linney, Gabriel Mann, Rhona Mitra, Leon Rippy, Matt Craven, Jim Beaver, Elizabeth Gast, Cleo King, Constance Jones, Brandy Little, Cindy Waite, Jesse De Luna, Vernon Grote Director: Alan Parker Summary: When Texas professor David Gale (Kevin Spacey), an advocate for the elimination of the death penalty, is falsely accused and convicted of the rape and murder of another activist (Laura Linney), he ends up on the state's notorious death row himself. In a series of flashbacks, Gale tells his story to a young reporter (Kate Winslet) who's visiting him on death row, leaving her to sort out his guilt or innocence. My Thoughts: "This has to be (in my opinion) one of the best suspense films I have seen. It's messy, doesn't really develop the characters that well, but I don't think its needed. It's not telling the story of these people, it's telling the story of the events that have happened in David Gales life that led him to where he's at. Great suspense all the way till the end. Never knew where the story was going and the ending was brilliant. The measures that they went to, to prove their point was extreme, but brilliantly done. It's a smart messy film with great performances by (my fav) Kevin Spacey, Kate Winslet, and Laura Linney. It's a must see in my opinion, so see it if you haven't."

• Lewis C

  
  "They destroy his life, his work, his memory...and they make him watch." The Life of David Gale tried very hard to be a thought-provoking movie that raises questions and encourages dialogue about a very important and divisive issue. Instead, it ended up being a preachy… More
  "They destroy his life, his work, his memory...and they make him watch." The Life of David Gale tried very hard to be a thought-provoking movie that raises questions and encourages dialogue about a very important and divisive issue. Instead, it ended up being a preachy train wreck that's likely to bore you no matter what side (if any) you find yourself on in regard to the issue of the death penalty. There are two plot twist that instantly transformed this from a somewhat watchable mediocre movie (watchable because I'm such a fan of Spacey, Winslet, and Linney) to an absolute train wreck. They're so contrived and absurd that they completey derail the entire film (twice!). Someone should have locked writer Charles Randolph in his house and not let him out until he had replaced the awful second half of The Life of David Gale with something that didn't border on lunacy. Skip this. Whether you're for or against capital punishment won't change the fact that this is a bad movie.

• Anthony L

  
  All things considered, a very disappointing drama. The character development was terrible and the performances unconvincing. Alan Parker has made some great films, what happened? It's also, rather worryingly, the last film he's made. Shame.

• familiar s

  
  Despite of not being against capital punishment, this movie entertained me a great deal. The suspense element was of top-notch & there are enough twists until the very end of the movie. IMO, it's definitely a must watch for any mystery/suspense movie lover.

• Randy T

  
  A little pushy, a little preachy, and loaded with socio-political bias.

• Chris W

  
  This is not a perfect film by any means. It has it's share of flaws and contrivances, but as an entry in the thriller/mystery genre, it is somewhere in the middle between average and excellent, but leaning closer to the excellent side. The best thing about the film are the strong… More
  This is not a perfect film by any means. It has it's share of flaws and contrivances, but as an entry in the thriller/mystery genre, it is somewhere in the middle between average and excellent, but leaning closer to the excellent side. The best thing about the film are the strong and powerful performances, the writing, directing, and the stunning ending. This iflm takes the issue of capital punishment and plays around with it like Tarantino does with genre conventions, and I like that.

• Craig S

  
  <u><b>Directed by:</u> Alan Parker.</b> <u><b>Starring:</u> Kevin Spacey, Kate Winslet, Laura Linney, Matt Craven.</b> Many of the top critics hated this film and to be honest, I held off trying to hire it because of some of there… More
  <u><b>Directed by:</u> Alan Parker.</b> <u><b>Starring:</u> Kevin Spacey, Kate Winslet, Laura Linney, Matt Craven.</b> Many of the top critics hated this film and to be honest, I held off trying to hire it because of some of there comments. I thought it be time to finally see the film. This is a prime example of a problematic film, one where it is flawed, messy and has to many unnecessary moments, but one that also has major potential and shows a lot of brilliance. The story follows David Gale, a smart minded anti-death penalty activist who seems to have everything, a strong role as a university professor and he has a wife and a beautiful kid who he loves so dearly. When he is accused of raping an expelled student and murdering a fellow activist member, he has days before he is sentenced to death. He calls upon journalist Bitsy Bloom, someone who is not only brilliant at what she does but has also had time behind bars, he meets with her to deliver the true story of his life before his meet with death. Its great to see that the film pulls away the fiction from the film and plays like it is all real, even though the character is made up. What pulls the film down though with the script is how messy and flawed it is. For the first hour it is really by the numbers, going through the tripe we all have grown to know scaringly well. The strong message of death penalty is really bought across with too much push that we are bombarded with too many unnecessary facts and it doesn't help when we really just wants a compelling viewing experience rather than Current Events 101 shoved down our throats, especially when it isn't compelling as it could and should be. The editing was too much, taking the 'facts' of the screenplay and jumping from each line to the next, making it even that more irratating....and not to mention the cuts to words written on paper and the strange camera angles by director Alan Parker. Thats the problems said, because behind all of these, theres a strong film wanting to get out. You have moments of tense atmosphere and one hell of an interesting and surprisingly shocking end and the movie is helped to be carried by a very strong, controlled and tense performance by my favourite actor Kevin Spacey and a convincing performance from Kate Winslet. At the end of the all that, I won't be watching the film again and I'd probably forget it before long. It has moments that are disturbing and tense, it carries two strong performances and has a very intense and shocking ending, but the screenplay is also messy, by the numbers and has too many facts thrown at us to make any point of the message convincing....and the terrible editing doesn't help. As Richard Roeper said, 'A dazzling mess'.

• Julie B

  
  Interesting commentary on the death penalty, but some of the film-making techniques (repeatedly having us read what emotions we should feel, rather than actually evoking those emotions) made me crazy.

• Red L

  
  OK, another movie to think about. Another movie that I have to see again. Roger Ebert hates this movie -- I need to pay closer attention to figure out why.

• Keysha H

  
  What a great ending! Great performance and good surprises!

• xGary X

  
  An anti-death penalty activist convicted of the rape and murder of a colleague offers a final interview with a female reporter in the hope she will uncover the truth about what happened. Alan Parker directing Kevin Spacey and Kate Winslet sounds like a dream ticket, but this overly… More
  An anti-death penalty activist convicted of the rape and murder of a colleague offers a final interview with a female reporter in the hope she will uncover the truth about what happened. Alan Parker directing Kevin Spacey and Kate Winslet sounds like a dream ticket, but this overly contrived slice of soulless, mechanical pap completely fails to live up to expectation. The reek of mainstream Hollywood permeates the whole thing, from Spacey's unsympathetically pretentious character through to the inappropriately glib soundtrack that sounds like it would be more at home in a US sitcom. Winslet's character is a walking cliche and the film is punctuated by irritating directorial gimmicks that just grate on the nerves. The plot does have a twist in the tale, but by the time it arrived I'd lost interest. Parker has made some great films in his time. This however, is not one of them.

• Candy R

  
  Intersting movie about a group who are against the death penalty. Good twist at the end.

• Lady D

  
  An intriguing and revealing story about a man on death row. Both Spacey and Linney play fantastic roles, the plot holds you from start to finish and has clever twists

• Lanning :

  
  Somone may see this and perhaps think: Right! David Gale and the DeathWatch group resort to admirably extreme measures in order to uphold the principle that the death penalty should be abolished based upon the idea that if one innocent person is put to death, that is one wrongful… More
  Somone may see this and perhaps think: Right! David Gale and the DeathWatch group resort to admirably extreme measures in order to uphold the principle that the death penalty should be abolished based upon the idea that if one innocent person is put to death, that is one wrongful death too many. Ergo, the death penalty should be abolished. <p> I happen to agree that the death penalty should be abolished. I am opposed to the death penalty precisely because there is always a chance that an innocent person will be executed. Having said this, however, I am convinced that David Gale is in fact rightfully executed for his complicity in the death of Linney's character, Constance Harraway. Yes, she is terminally ill, and yes, I suppose, it is quite noble of her to volunteer her life to demonstrate that the justice system may be flawed. But only fanatically bent individual's like Gale, Wright, and Belyeu would, in upholding the value of human life in the face of erroneous execution, ironically value Harraway's life so little that they would allow her to end it in such a painful and undignified way. Their sick motivation and their ultimately callous disregard for Harraway's right to die with dignity actually undermine the point they are trying to make. Could they possibly have come up with a more awful way for Harraway to die? Every innocent life, even the lives of the terminally ill, should be valued and honored to the very end. Gale gets what he deserves. Wright and Belyeu get away with murder. <p> Anyone doubting the horror of Harraway's final minutes need only reflect on Bitsey Bloom's wrenching and exhaustingly repeated viewings and even mimicking of Harraway's death. "Heart-pounding until its shocking, mind-blowing conclusion"? Hardly. If anything, the conclusion is mind-numbingly pathetic. <p> Elmo wants me to give this one huge star for Cloud Dog. Agreed.

• Jens S

  
  Pretty drastic statement against death penalty and capital punishment. Excellent cast and very entertaining storytelling. Somehow I saw the twist coming, though... Still, pretty exciting second half.

• Leigh R

  
  Great suspense...

• Luke B

  
  It tries to come off as important and profound. Look how bad the death penalty is etc. Although it is an interesting subject and a great cast it is handled all wrong. What should have been a confrontational drama comes off as a cheap made for TV true story type film. At times wants to… More
  It tries to come off as important and profound. Look how bad the death penalty is etc. Although it is an interesting subject and a great cast it is handled all wrong. What should have been a confrontational drama comes off as a cheap made for TV true story type film. At times wants to be too mainstream.

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