The Life of David Gale

Practically trumpeting its utter dependence on Hollywood convention, this death row drama-with-a-twist acts as its own executioner, injecting the very first scene with a lethal cliché from which the film never recovers when a big-city journalist's (Kate Winslet) car breaks down on a lonely Texas highway as she's desperately rushing to deliver evidence that could exonerate a convicted murderer (Kevin Spacey) scheduled to die. Director Alan Parker (Angela's Ashes) then jumps back five days to tell the story of how the anti-death penalty activist played by Spacey ended up a condemned inmate himself, as he is interviewed by the tough-cookie magazine reporter--who despite Winslet's best efforts to make her look smart--has insurmountably feeble journalistic instincts. The Life of David Gale could have been a suspenseful film of consequence, but it's sublimated by fatuous Hollywood flashiness and transparent attempts to turn the film into a John Grisham-styled thriller that never even establishes a prosecutorial motive for its main character's supposed crime. Not a necessary purchase. [Note: Available in widescreen and full screen editions, DVD extras include audio commentary by director Alan Parker, a 17-minute making-of featurette, a nine-minute “Death in Texas” featurette on the death penalty, a five-minute featurette on the film's music, three minutes of three deleted scenes with optional commentary by Parker, poster concepts, a soundtrack spot, cast and crew bios and filmographies, a trailer, and DVD-ROM features. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a somewhat disappointing film.] (R. Blackwelder)