Hey folks, Harry here... Seems that THE LIFE OF DAVID GALE will... at best be one of those slightly disappointing movies... and at worst, you'll hate it like having your genitalia served to you with the Colonel's Spicy Fry done... Personally - Its a film I kinda need to see, because I'm an Alan Parker fan... Always loved a great many of his films - and he always deserves the benefit of the doubt no matter what anyone says...
Hey Harry,
I sent you a "Road to Perdition" review sometime last year , and now I'm back with more! Kevin Spacey and Laura Linney stopped by the University of Chicago campus in scenic Hyde Park for a screening of their new film, "The Life of David Gale." First off, it's not terrible. The reviewer from Atlanta, where Spacey hosted a similar event a few days ago, was unnecessarily harsh on the film. I really enjoyed parts of it. Parts.
The story David Gale tells leading up to his execution is, truthfully, an interesting story of a man's life falling to pieces. His relationship with Constance (Laura Linney), another college professor and passionate death penalty abolitionist, is really quite sweet. I felt these two characters had a real connection felt deep within their passion for their cause. Gale loses his family, his job, is framed for a crime (yes, more than once!) and puts his life back together. However, he is marked by his first crime. The group Death Watch for which he advocates tries to remove him from their ranks, sending Gale back into a world without hope. The only thing he finds here is his dear friend Constance and their mutual love for their cause.
I felt that the story of this man, the philosophy professor was, in fact, moving. Spacey is certainly a gifted actor. I think few doubts remain about this. However, there's another half to this movie. Kate Winslet is Bitsey (I can't remember her last name but, who cares!? Her first name is Bitsey!) This is where the movie does seem to become "an R rated version of a Scooby Doo mystery." Winslet is unconvincing and sometimes unintentionally funny. (The audience laughed when her lip was uncontrollably quivering at what should have been a disturbing image.) She seems more like a grown-up Nancy Drew than a reporter for a Major weekly news magazine.
Though I usually hate guessing the ending of a movie, I had this one pegged about an hour in. In retrospect, I still agree with the reviewer from Atlanta. It remains a good ending, even if I found it predictable. I won't spoil it for you, (given that it really asks some very interesting ethical and philosophical questions) but just apply a few regular film conventions and you'll nail it.
The other totally inexplicable choice in this movie involves the horribly jarring transitions chosen by the director, Alan Parker. It reminded me of the blaring music at the end of "Gangs of New York" with a visual equivalent. Every time we flash to another point in time, music blares and words flash such as "death," "guilty," etc. written in chalk, pencil and other methods. At first this was just disruptive but by the end of the film, the audience was loudly groaning.
These days when I see a Kevin Spacey movie, I go in looking for Verbal Kint or Lester Birnam, something quirky and memorable. David Gale is not such a character; though there is one scene that Spacey claims to have improvised involving a drunken recitation of Greek philosophy (trust me, it's priceless). In the end, I can't help but say to David Gale, "Get a life."
-Zigga
