Film

Movie theaters, reviews and showtimes in New York, plus articles, trailers and more
 

The Life of David Gale (2002)

Director: Alan Parker

Average user rating
No reviews

Movie review

From Time Out Film Guide

Disgraced philosophy professor and anti-capital punishment advocate David Gale (Spacey) awaits death by injection for the rape and murder of his beloved colleague Constance (Linney). As the clock ticks, Gale protests his innocence in flashback to flinty reporter Bitsey Bloom (Winslet). The condemned man's lack of storytelling economy gives early warning that he's not out for standard redemption. He's in no hurry to complete his narrative, an alcohol-fuelled tailspin encompassing the decay of his marriage and a false rape charge by a student. As the twists and turns mount in Bitsey's investigation (she also obtains a videotape of Constance's horrific demise), the movie goes from gruelling to galling, with Parker employing his usual strongarm methods. Is this, one wonders at the end, an overheated journalistic thriller, a dippy love story or just an incoherent screed?

Author: JWin 0000-00-00 00:00:00

Time Out Film Guide

  • Print this page
  • Send to a friend

What do you think?
Post your review now

clear rating
Min 1 star. Zero stars will be treated as unrated.

*mandatory fields


Cast & crew

Director: Alan Parker

Producer: Alan Parker, Nicolas Cage

Cast: Kevin Spacey, Kate Winslet, Laura Linney, Gabriel Mann, Matt Craven, Leon Rippy, Rhona Mitra, Melissa McCarthy, Jill Beaver, Alan Parker full cast

Duration: 130 mins


Features

Making a name for himself

Making a name for himself

Sin Nombre's Cary Joji Fukunaga learned his lessons well.

To the letter

Forty years later, Costa-Gavras's Z still brims with fury.

Mind over matter

David Cronenberg reflects on a most bizarre body: his own corpus of work.

Fool's gold

Can an Oscar win lead to a cursed career? Here are five stories of postaward professional meltdowns.

We are the championed

Terrorists and teens abound in this year's "Film Comment Selects."

A history of violence

Matteo Garrone's kaleidoscopic Gomorrah wallops you with Italy's crime crisis.

True romantic

James Gray exchanges urban amorality for amour in Two Lovers.

Playing in the dark

MoMA salutes pianist Stuart Oderman's 50 years as the one-man sound of silents.

Junk bonds

Cast and crew recall the making of the classic NYC drug drama The Panic in Needle Park.