The Life of David Gale (2003)

A man against capital punishment is accused of murdering a fellow activist and is sent to death row.

Director:

Alan Parker

Writer:

Charles Randolph

Stars:

Kate Winslet, Cleo King, Kevin Spacey

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kate Winslet	...	Bitsey Bloom
Cleo King	...	Barbara Kreuster
Constance Jones	...	Reporter A.J. Roberts
Kevin Spacey	...	David Gale
Laura Linney	...	Constance Harraway
Lee Ritchey	...	Joe Mullarkey
Gabriel Mann	...	Zack Stemmons
Matt Craven	...	Dusty Wright
Brandy Little	...	Motel Waitress
Cindy Waite	...	Margie
Jim Beaver	...	Duke Grover
Leon Rippy	...	Braxton Belyeu
Jesse De Luna	...	Supervising Guard
Vernon Grote	...	Door Guard
Rhona Mitra	...	Berlin

Storyline

Dr. David Gale, an advocate of eliminating the death penalty, is accused of rape and murder. Once convicted, he ends up on death row in Texas himself, telling his story to a reporter through a series of flashbacks.

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Plot Keywords:

death | death row | murder | capital punishment | texas | 

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Taglines:

The crime is clear. The truth is not.

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Genres:

Drama | Crime | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violent images, nudity, language and sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Universal

Country:

USA Germany UK

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

21 February 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

Das Leben des David Gale

Filming Locations:

Austin Studios - 1901 E. 51st Street, Austin, Texas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$50,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$252,944 (Spain) (6 June 2003)

Gross:

$205,747 (South Africa) (13 June 2003)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Intermedia Films, Dirty Hands Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

130 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Kevin Spacey was the third choice to play David Gale. George Clooney and Nicolas Cage both rejected the part. Nicolas Cage had the script and gave it to Parker, but was already busy with other projects.

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Goofs

Constance mentions Illinois' death penalty moratorium, which went into effect in 2000. However, she died in 1994.

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Quotes

Ross: As the poets have mournfully sung/ death takes the innocent young/ the screamingly funny,/ the rolling in money,/ and those who are very well hung.

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Connections

Features Dragnet (1951)

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Soundtracks

"Sand"
(1966)
Written by Lee Hazlewood
Performed by Einstürzende Neubauten
Courtesy of Thirsty Ear Recordings / Some Bizarre, Ltd.

User Reviews

Very Underrated

Directed by the legendary Sir Alan Parker, this is the story of David Gale, a University of Texas professor of philosophy against capital punishment who is accused of murdering a fellow activist and is sent to death row.

Kevin Spacey and Laura Linney deliver great performances in the flashbacks. This movie is by far one of Spacey's strongest performances, he is always very subtle and insightful portraying David Gale. Laura Linney really makes a name for herself in this motion picture, she's as consistently complex and likable here as she is in "Primal Fear" and "You Can Count on Me". Kate Winslet, however, has problems in carefully crafting her character. She's called upon to cry about four or five times in this film and each time she does so, the action unfortunately rings more and more false. Other than that, she is average. Meanwhile, Gabriel Mann, Leon Rippy and Matt Craven also provide colorful backdrops to the story at hand with their credible supporting characters.

"The Life of David Gale" is a film that had a great opportunity to create controversy about the death penalty. Unfortunately, it is excessively underrated by critics, despite being nominated for the Human Rights Award from the Political Film Society and being present at the prestigious Berlin International Film Festival.

Sad and stunning. 8/10