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The Life of David Gale
(Reviewed February 28, 2003)
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This plodding, patently stupid movie is quite obviously anti-death-penalty. I mean, come on--it *is* a Hollywood movie, after all. But its script is so ridiculously contrived and thoroughly unbelievable that it also could be taken as an indictment of bleeding-heart liberals who are so screwy they can't figure out that committing what in essence is "suicide by cop" is not exactly a convincing argument that capital punishment is wrong. (Then again, I would be delighted if more of them would try the tactic.)
Kevin Spacey thoroughly embarrasses himself yet again (what is this, four bad movies in a row since "American Beauty"? Why, yes, it is: "Pay It Forward," "K-PAX," "The Shipping News" and now this steaming pile) as an anti-death-penalty crusader on death row who claims to be innocent. He gets a news magazine to pony up half a million bucks to interview him a few days before he is scheduled to be executed. ($500,000 for an interview with a convict who is not even a Hollywood celebrity? What planet is this movie from--K-PAX?) The mag sends Kate Winslet and, get this, a completely inexperienced intern. Yeah, that's a good use of a half mill.Star reporter Bitsey (seriously, that is Kate's character's name) is so ditzy she can't figure out a final plot twist that is screamingly obvious from minute one.
God knows there are plenty of things about George W. Bush to make fun of, if not to despise. Yet the unsubtle caricature of Bush presented here (a Texas governor whom Spacey dominates in a TV debate) is achingly one-dimensional. The movie makes no attempt to give a fair shake to the other side of the capital-punishment argument, of course. (See previous note about "Hollywood movie.")
I can't imagine "The Life of David Gale" changing anyone's opinion on the death-penalty issue. If you are a criminal-coddling idiot who thinks rapists and murderers should get free room, board and organ transplants on the taxpayers' dime for the rest of their misbegotten lives, you will go on being pathetically delusional. If you are a right-thinking moral absolutist who believes the scum of the earth should be sent to the fires of Hell with all due dispatch, you will go on being one-hundred-percent correct.
(File the above under "equal time.")
Back Row Grade: F
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