Director Alan Parker pitches the melodrama on high boil, and his way of dealing with all the holes in Randolph's plot is to place huge, almost defiant exclamation points around them.
Comment
02/24/03
The Life of David Gale (2003)
20
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:152
Fresh:30
Rotten:122
Average Rating:4.3/10
Consensus: Instead of offering a convincing argument against the death penalty, this implausible, convoluted thriller pounds the viewer over the head with its message.
Runtime: 2 hrs 11 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: Gale (Kevin Spacey) is a Texas professor and anti-death penalty activist who, ironically enough, winds up on death row for the rape and murder of a colleague. Kate Winslet plays Bitsey Bloom, the... [More]
Starring: Kevin Spacey, Laura Linney, Kate Winslet, Gabriel Mann
Director: Alan Parker
Reviews for The Life of David Gale
It feels like too much of a sanctimonious sermon, and a sloppy one at that.
02/24/03
There are few things more depressing than a bad film about an important subject. The Life of David Gale takes it one step further: it's a silly, ludicrous, utterly laughable film about a very important subject.
02/24/03
Oh those wacky liberals! What will they think of next?
02/24/03
The film's far from perfect, but it was entertaining, engaged me throughout and offered up a nice dose of surprise,
02/24/03
A dazzling mess.
02/24/03
Nothing could save this film from the executioner, not even the valiant efforts of such a notable cast.
02/24/03
A half-baked polemic wrapped around a procedural thriller, The Life of David Gale is meticulously researched fury delivered in bite-size chocolates of liberal indignation.
02/24/03
A by-the-numbers thriller made compelling by two complex characters wonderfully brought to life by Kevin Spacey and Laura Linney.
02/23/03
The real strength of the film lies in the cast.
02/23/03
Kate Winslet is 'Bitsy Bloom.' If she can't save David Gale, she can always hook up with Superman.
02/23/03
A riveting mystery-drama filled with absorbing writing and even better acting.
02/22/03
It's what you'd expect, but not what you'd hope for, from a February release. And it's starting, alarmingly, to be what you'd expect from a Kevin Spacey movie.
02/22/03
It does for anti-death penalty activism what Battlefield earth did for Scientology.
02/22/03
Audiences content with getting there as most of the fun and accepting the often preposterous contrivances of the mystery plot and its rococo conclusion will leave The Life of David Gale happy.
02/22/03
It's an average movie of average intellect with mostly average acting, but with below-average skill at presenting its message.
02/22/03
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02/22/03
If Parker were a professional wrestler, his nickname would be The Hammer, for his heavy-handed touch.
02/22/03
A model case of what can go wrong with an intriguing idea.
02/22/03
One to add to the list of recent films not worthy of Spacey's talents.
02/21/03
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