‘The Life Of David Gale’ is a polemic against the death penalty. It raises, and then answers, the question of ‘What if someone executed by the state is actually innocent?’ But the viewer finds out all the information only in bits and pieces, that is, at the same rate as the main character, Bitsy (Kate Winslett). She’s a big-time magazine reporter who gets chosen for the exclusive rights to interview former philosophy professor David Gale, during his last three days on Death Row.
We, the viewers, get to witness her initial skepticism about the innocence of someone who was accused of rape and murder, and then convicted by three courts. She agrees to do the interview because they have appealed to her pride, as someone suitably high-profile who has proven that she will maintain confidentiality of sources (by going to jail). So she listens to the Gale (played by Kevin Spacey) unfold his story, and it’s not pretty.
He’s a shining star in the academic field, a Harvard-educated, tenured young professor who’s already published, and is enjoying immense popularity among the students. He’s bright, he’s articulate, he’s able to explain complex ideas in simple terms, and he’s sufficiently nerdy to be winsome. He is also suffering from a failing marriage and a propensity to drink. Ironically, he’s heavily involved with an anti-capital punishment organization called ‘Death Watch,’ which is campaigning mightily to abolish the death penalty in the State of Texas.
Hear the statistics about how many inmates are executed, and how many voted Republican, and how many suffered from poor representation. Hear Bible quotes, about an eye-for-an-eye (Leviticus 24: 19-20), about Judas and his 30 pieces of silver (Matthew 27: 3-9), about those who live by the sword perish by the sword (Matthew 26:52). Hear the protest group singing ‘Holy, Holy, Holy’ outside the prison, and the counter-protest group attacking them verbally, then physically. See the lawmen grimly and humorously go about their duty. Watch the hapless defense attorney get outmaneuvered at every turn. Wonder who the mysterious cowboy is, who keeps appearing in a battered pickup truck, and driving off in a cloud of dust. Wonder what in the world the student intern has to do with anything.
And finally, be duped into believing what you would rather believe, just like our main character, and then later be stunned by facts that would be too bizarre to entertain as a possibility.
Yes, ‘The Life Of David Gale’ practices great viewer deception, and as such will probably not be a favorite of moviegoers. It’s not romantic, it’s not a comedy; there are no explosions or car chases, and there’s no true love. This is just a yarn, tightly spun. And the interest is all in watching it unravel.