Rating: 
Summary: A Riveting Drama With A Shocking Ending! I Won't Tell!
Review: I did not view "The Life of David Gale" as a polemic on the death penalty. I wanted to watch a good drama, am a big fan of Kevin Spacey and Kate Winslet, and was definitely not disappointed in the movie or by the actors. I want to stress that, if anything, this film demonstrates what can happen, in extreme cases, when people become carried away by their passionate fervor, advocating for or against an issue. This film is a work of fiction, and to truly enjoy it one must relax and realize that it is only a story.David Gale, wonderfully portrayed by Kevin Spacey, is a brilliant philosophy professor at a major Texas university. He is a moral person, a strong and active opponent of the death penalty, a leader and organizer of Death Watch, and articulate and visible enough to debate the Governor of Texas on the issue of Capital Punishment. Gale is also an important and respected member of his community. Although it is not initially clear why his beautiful wife travels as frequently as she does, it appears that she is often away from home. He is clearly attached to his six year old son and is a wonderful, loving father. Through a bizarre series of events, Gale finds himself defending his honor and reputation in the very community that has long accepted him as a colleague and friend. As his life begins to fall apart, the already hard-drinking Gale, really hits the bottle Big Time! He makes a serious effort to clean up his act and regain his life, and is helped through this terrible time by his dear friend, colleague, and fellow Death Watch activist, Constance, (Laura Linney). Then fate steps in with a bizarre twist and Constance is found raped and horribly murdered on her kitchen floor. David Gale is accused, tried and convicted of the heinous crime. It is tragically ironic that a man who has dedicated himself to abolishing the death penalty, finds himself on Death Row, waiting for his own execution. He grants "Bitsey" Bloom, (Kate Winslet), a Pulitzer Prize-hungry journalist, three interviews, to take place on each of the three days prior to his execution. The story is told in a series of vivid, dramatically photographed flashbacks. The abrupt, disjointed, quick changing still shots of headlines, and images of the murder victim, interspersed with action shots, adds to the film's intentional sense of tension, and confusion. Perhaps this is the bewildering confusion an innocent person might feel when unjustly accused and convicted of a crime. Ms. Bloom soon realizes that the story she had planned to write, is not proceeding according to plan. As she is drawn into Gale's drama, she herself becomes a passionate advocate - for Gale, and for the truth. Bloom puts her safety on the line as she frantically races against the clock for the answers to Constance Hallaway's death. This is gripping suspense & a ripping-good story. I found it difficult to hit the pause button on my remote when necessary. I did not foresee the ending, and I am usually pretty good at guessing "what comes next." I understand that many people, may have wanted a political social action film with a strong message. This is not a "strong message" movie - it's a great thriller, with wonderful performances by an excellent cast. Writer Charles Randolph and director Alan Parker have done a good job of bringing this story to life, and while they will probably not be nominated for an Academy Award for their efforts, I certainly thank them for providing me with a few hours of nail-biting, riveting entertainment.
JANA
Rating:
Summary: Portrays *everyone* as a charlatan - 3 cheers for that
Review: The Life of David Gale continues an honourable tradition of death row weepies, but manages, in a way that Dead Men Walking didn't, to stay the right side of the sanctimonium line. I have seen a review elsewhere criticise the film for making both sides of the death penalty debate look venal and stupid, but that's exactly what I liked about it - do-gooders don't, after all, have a monopoly on common sense (nor even, in my experience, much of a grip on it at all). Instead of getting high and mighty, Parker chooses to look at the particular case of a death row activist who himself winds up facing the chair, thus substituting irony - and at the ... er, death, irony *upon* irony - for self-righteousness as the driver of the film. To say any more would give too much away, but I wound up enjoying this movie, despite a very ordinary first twenty minutes. To my horror, I subsequently discovered the movie had been almost universally panned by the critics as shallow, formulaic and manipulative: perhaps I have been manipulated by the formula (I concede that at times I am a little shallow), but I stand by my judgment. In small ways, the movie is definitely clumsy, and it certainly wouldn't merit inclusion in any cinematic hall of fame. The opening scenarios - at Gale's university and Bitsey Bloom's newdesk (Bitsey Bloom - what kind of a name is that?), prior to the events of the film - are poorly scripted and acted, and throughout the rest of the film there is some very obvious, clichéd religious imagery - Gale lies on a lawn as if crucified, and swings from a tree as if he were Judas (or should this be St. Jude the patron saint of lost causes?) - but this doesn't really detract from the overall impression of a well constructed, effective movie. And it has a cracker of a finale. Flip the bird to the critics, then. I liked it. (...)
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting Story... Average Acting
Review: Kevin Spacey ("American Beauty", "The Usual Suspects", "L.A. Confidential", "The Ref") is a great actor. And this is NOT his best role by far. Kate Winslet ("Titantic", "Iris", Sense & Sensibility") is also a fine actor... and I felt her acting in this movie was dead average. What's wrong with this picture - in that George Clooney, Nicholas Cage and Nicole Kidman all rejected being a part of this film. Interesting twists in this whodunnit mystery revolving around a video tape of a murder. You don't know that there's two versions of the video tape until the end of the movie. This movie starts four days before Gale is supposed to be executed in Texas. Gale (Spacey) is the ex-college professor sitting on death row. Bitsey Bloom (Winslet) is the investigator who believes Gale is innocent. Laura Linney plays the talkative and annoying murderee (Constance Harraway) who we later find out is dying from an incurable disease. Zack (Gabriel Mann) plays Bloom's intern - and does not deserve to be in another movie (ever). To me, the acting was panned... like the actors took this project to kill some time while waiting for their next big blockbuster script to fall into their laps. Spacey and Winslet are better than this movie. The ending was pure cheese - Winslet crying out loud at the injustice of Gale's death was just not credible at all. One shining moment in this film - when Gale debates the Mayor on TV. If anything else, this film will make you a bit more conscientious about capital punishment. This DVD features minimal extras: skipable deleted scenes, movie trailer, poster concepts, and the making of David Gale documentary. Replay value = small. Rent before you purchase.
Rating:
Summary: Thought provoking and entertaining
Review: This movie was well worth watching. Many movies out these days leave me feeling like I wasted my time. The Life of David Gale may be controversial, but depicts a very unfortunate, but realistic view of human passions. There were a few cases throughout the film when the situations were questionably believable, but the overall premise of the movie provoked complex thought and emotions. This movie was fraught with symbolism, and an array of metaphores that contributed to the complexity of the movie. It seems that many previous reviewers possibly may have taken this movie for "face value" only and were resistant to analyzing the depths of this film. I gladly will recommend this movie and will watch it again.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting premise
Review: Phenomenal acting by Kate Winslet and Kevin Spacey. Great timing and incredible story BASE STORY:
Kate Winslet is a well-known reporter, Bitsy Bloom (where do they come up with these names?). She is asked by a man on death row that has 4 days left to live, to interview him. This man Kevin Spacey (David Gale) has not even given an interview prior to this. Now, it is almost too late. Her magazine fearful of her recently received reputation for her sympathetic ear toward people convicted of terrible crimes is hesistent to send her. Concerned also of her safety they saddle her with an intern. His presence though resented by her, provides a conduit/foil for some of her ideas. THE CONVICTED MAN:
David Gale (Kevin Spacey)prior to his conviction, was a professor and activist. He was a well known opponent to the death penalty and fairly high up in a group known as Deathwatch. These activists regularly picketed prisons where the executions take place. It is with irony that he finds himself so convicted. His crime is that of cruelly killing a fellow professor who was also active in Deathwatch. OUTLINE OF THE STORY:
During the interview, Bitsy feels that David Gale is wrongly convicted. He states his innocence and offers no ideas for who committed the crime, but relates the event leading up the crime.
As she has only 3 days of 2 hours of contact with him, she spends her off time, trying to prove his innocence. It seems as tense and as hectic as you can imagine it would. No stay of execution seems likely. IN SUMMARY:
I cannot tell you more, in fear, I will unravel the unique ending to this story. However, this was an excellent movie, right up to the last moment you are holding on to your chair and the ending is very well done. For those of you that want to know, there is some brief nudity that is somewhat disturbing (pictures of the body). There is some sex, and some rough sex.
Rating:
Summary: Roland E. Zwick can't figure it out...he is wrong
Review: To answer your question of why David Gale had to, "pour out this tale of innocence to Bitsey if he knows she is going to find out the truth later on anyway" is simple. She has to believe his story that he is innocent and was not involved in the murder in anyway. Thus she would be more passionate about telling this to the public. Only after she reported his innocence was she let known that he was actually part of the "murder conspirecy." Also the general public will not turn against the abolitionist because they themselves dont know that he was part of the conspirecy. Only Bitsey and she wouldnt tell anyone. This is why Gale, Constance, and the cowboy picked her to tell the story because they knew she would would protect her sources, like when she spent 7 days in jail for not revealing a source. There was two tapes, one showing Gale which was for Bitsey which said off the record(to let her gain her freedom of guilt of not rescuing him, because he didnt want to be recued) and one tape without him to be released to the public to show his innocence thus proving that innocent people can die with the death penalty. Please pay attention more to the nuances of the film and giving inaccurate reviews.
Rating: 
Summary: Lacks subtlety.
Review: This film really isn't as clever as it would like to be. Most of the performances are disappointing and the dialogue has no subtlety which makes it almost insulting to its audience's intelligence. Plus, the multiple plot twists at the end seem unoriginal now that the trend is so overused. This film could have had some real surprises and raised some real questions. It should have been much better.
Rating: 
Summary: Possibly the worst movie ever made...
Review: and certainly one of the most offensive. The very definition of ill-conceived, the Life of David Gale puts across a miserable view of humanity, managing to paint those on both sides of the death penalty issue as either redneck ingrates or morally bankrupt zealots. It's impossible for me to comprehend how Kevin Spacey, Kate Winslet and the other actors involved could have waded through this peurile script and deemed it worthy of their talents. Alan Parker horribly overdirects this obnoxious mess, practically every scene has some glaring detail that annoys. Characters butter rolls endlessly or stab at the air with oversize cigars, every once and awhile a quick montage of "significant" words will flash by onscreen. It's amazing that this is the same man who directed the fabulous neo-noir Angel Heart and several other worthy films. The Life of David Gale is an abomination, a shameful cinematic stinkpile that hangs a tacky thriller on the hook of an incredibly complex, quintessentially human issue. The last shot will make you want to throw your beverage of choice at the screen. Finally, something both sides of the death penalty debate can agree on.
Rating:
Summary: Death penalty movie
Review: 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....
Rating:
Summary: NOT AN EPIC, BUT A PRETTY GOOD MOVIE..
Review: This isn't one of the great movies of all time, but it certainly isn't the horribly bad movie that I imagined after reading the reviews on this site. It is a sly take on capital punishment, as you probably know already. It will hold your interest right through to its twisted end, which is what entertainment is about, isn't it? Having said that, I did find the characters a little cliched -- (1) the alcoholic and dissolute but brilliant professor
(2) the emotional and crusading activist
(3) the plucky and assertive reporter
(4) the good-old-boy country lawyer
(5) the well-groomed but brainless governor The movie has its moments, and although the "big explosive ending" was not exactly opaque to me, it does make you think. What "Dead Man Walking" accomplished at an emotional level, "The Life of David Gale" accomplishes in its message and plot. Definitely worth a watch!
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