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The Life of David Gale (2003)

7.4
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Ratings: 7.4/10 from 60,360 users   Metascore: 31/100
Reviews: 404 user | 133 critic | 36 from Metacritic.com

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

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Title: The Life of David Gale (2003)

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
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Barbara Kreuster
Constance Jones ...
Reporter A.J. Roberts
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Lee Ritchey ...
Joe Mullarkey
...
...
...
Motel Waitress
Cindy Waite ...
Margie
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...
Jesse De Luna ...
Supervising Guard
Vernon Grote ...
Door Guard
...
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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. Written by Jason Smith

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

The crime is clear. The truth is not.

Genres:

Drama | Crime | Thriller

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violent images, nudity, language and sexuality | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Official Sites:

Country:

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Language:

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Release Date:

21 February 2003 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Das Leben des David Gale  »

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

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

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Color:

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
See  »
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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. See more »

Goofs

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

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.
See more »

Connections

Features Dragnet (1951) See more »

Soundtracks

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

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User Reviews

 
Very Underrated
26 September 2007 | by (Lisbon, Portugal) – See all my reviews

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


45 of 58 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

Message Boards

Recent Posts
Did Gale intend for it to end like it did? AllyWheels
Why did Roger Ebert trash this movie? foundgoat
So Gale basically committed...... jami1331
pointless movie sunny49
Is this movie pro- or anti- death penalty? ts_flanders
what I dont get is... nor21
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