Day 26: The Life Of David Gale

"They wanted me to die, knowing the key to my freedom was out there somewhere!"

In today's society, there are two subjects that have become extremely controversial to the public. These two things are abortion and the death penalty. While both topics would be suitable for a good movie, the death penalty is viciously thrown at us in “The Life of David Gale.” Alan Parker's film clearly picks a side of the argument and delivers one of the best crime thrillers in modern times. Kevin Spacey and Kate Winslet make a great team and both provide mind blowing performances. This comes with no surprise though, as both have had great acting careers.

David Gale (Kevin Spacey), who is a philosophy professor at Austin University as well as an activist against the death penalty, suddenly finds himself on Texas' death row. So how does that happen to a man who is fighting against the death penalty; well the plot line can get quit confusing to the normal everyday viewer, but the outcome will shock anyone. Gale is convicted of the rape and murder of a fellow activist Constance Hallaway (Laura Linney), but denies all charges and demands that he is innocent. I mean really, why would someone who is completely against the death penalty ever kill anyone himself. That is where Bitsey Bloom (Kate Winslet), a New York weekly reporter comes in.

Bloom is requested to hold an extensive interview with David Gale in person during the last few days of his appeal. With only four days to go before Gale finds himself injected with lethal poison, Bitsey becomes destined to find evidence to prove Gale's innocence. With a partner at her side, Bitsey views a recorded tape of the murder that was mysteriously put in her possession. The tape shows exactly what happened during the scene of the murder, but it leaves out the most important detail. The killer himself. The scene in the tape shows Hallaway wrapping herself in plastic foil then cuffing her hands behind her as she suffocates. It looks like she has done it all herself and took her own life.

All the evidence that Bitsey Bloom finds along the way points to the theory that Hallaway killed herself to prove a point to the world about the death penalty. The point being that many times innocent people are put to death. David Gale now becomes the rat in Hallaway's test. He is the one that has to feel the pain all because Hallaway wanted to prove a point that she wouldn't even get to see unfold. Why would she do such a thing to where not only she loses her life, but now her good friend has to lose his as well? Some viewers think she is has gone mentally insane, but only the ending of this thriller will give you the true answers.

As the movie progresses and only hours are left before Gale is put to death, Bloom is 100% sure that Hallaway committed suicide and Gale is innocent. Her only problem is she needs to get to the site of Gale's death before he is executed.

[Spoilers]
[Text in Blue means you can skip due to spoilers]

Unfortunately Bitsey is late and David Gale is put to death for the rape and murder of Constance Hallaway. She has a hard time forgiving herself for what has happened and now feels responsible for David Gale's death.

This is where the end comes, but before the credits roll you are hit with the biggest twist yet. Bitsey is given another tape of the murder scene by the mysterious person who left her the first one. The only difference is this tape is edited, and has an extended ending. As the tap rolls and Bitsey see's what she believes is Hallaway killer herself, someone comes out from behind the camera. It is no other than David Gale. All along he was the killer of Constance Hallaway, and he had the same theory in mind that Bitsey once thought Constance had herself. He didn't think he would get convicted and wanted to prove that the wrong person would suffer the death penalty.

What amazes me the most about this movie is how well the transitions are from one plot twist to another. Many movies with plot twists leave the viewer completely confused the whole time, and even though you may be confused at short times during this movie, you will never lose interest. The acting is phenomenal by both Spacey and Winslet, but Laura Linney's performance should not be left out as well. Many times secondary characters are lost in the scheme of things, but Linney really brings her character to life. Overall, this movie will not disappoint and is one you don't want to miss out on. It will leave you thinking about it for days as your mind plays the crime scene tap over and over again.