The Life of David Gale Review

Spoiler free
Kevin Spacey is my favourite actor. I don't need any time to think about it, the man brings such intensity and life to his roles that he can make any film a joy. So when i purchased 'The Life of David Gale' featuring him as the star, thier was no doubt that i would enjoy it.

On the dvd, Empire are quoted as calling it an 'Exciting race against time...'
Now, while i somewhat agree with this statement, during the film, the race only seems to be the final half an hour, and during a 2 hour film, thats not really a very long time.

For me the excitement is in the slow build up of the story. this ios very much a mystery as the audience travels along with Bitsey(Winslet) to slowly unravel a rather interesting murder case.

Kevin Spacey plays the role of David Gale, a man on death row after being found guilty of murdering and raping one of close friends. The irony being that Gale was a fellow activist with the murdered woman(played by Laura Linney) against the death penalty. The film has consistent links to questioning whether the death penalty is a good thing in society, and this theme is continued throughout.

The acting is astounding, and the constant switch between past and present resembles a similar style to another Kevin Spacey film 'The Usual Suspects', although this is done with a slightly different effect. While the flashbacks do unravel the mystery, it occasionally feels like the answers aren't as complex as some may hope(maybe thats just me). What the flashbacks are good at is establishing some interesting background for the characters if David Gale and Constance Harroway(Linney), we soon realise that although Gale originally comes across as an intelligent man, we soon realise his flaws and that he's prone to a lot of mistakes.

I would certainly recommend this film if you've got 2 hours to spare, i don't think the film achieves the moral message as well as it hoped to, but it still packs a punch and provides a 2 hour story which keeps your attention and shows you exactly what good acting is.

7/10
Trailer

Posted in: film review, Kate Winslet, Kevin Spacey, Review, The Life of David Gale