| Written by John Shea,
on 29-10-2003 08:47
|
Published in : Reviews, Movies |
This is a film with a political message that it wears right out on its sleeve. The film is aggressively against capital punishment and makes little effort to seriously consider differing opinions. This will surely turn off many viewers. But the bonus for those who agree with the film's message and for those who can check their politics at the door is an unconventional thriller with some brains.
The story follows news magazine journalist Bitsey Bloom as she goes to Texas to interview deathrow inmate David Gale, at his request. The format is rigid. Gale is to be executed in four days and she can interview him for two hours a day on the three days preceding the execution. Gale was a brilliant professor who worked very hard with the organization Death Watch in its fight against capital punishment. Naturally Texas is a prime target of the group. Gale has been found guilty of the rape and murder of his former colleague in Death Watch, Constance Hallaway. As Bitsey arrives, she asks why her. Gale responds that he wants to be remembered for the man he was and the good he did, rather than as a murderer and a rapist.
What emerges over the course of the three interviews is a portrait of a man as troubled as he is brilliant. He drinks too much and works too much and his ego often gets the better of him. Gale's wife eventually walks out, taking their son with her. He has a dalliance with a former student, who then falsely accuses him of rape. His family gone and his reputation in tatters, his drinking accelerates and the university seeks his resignation. The story builds toward his eventual incarceration.
The question that looms over the film is, how did a man who dedicated himself to stopping capital punishment end up on death row himself? Gale isn't volunteering that information too easily, instead dropping hints and tidbits of information that Bitsey and her intern investigate between interviews in the attempt to make sense of it. Is Gale guilty or innocent? If innocent, can Bitsey uncover the truth in time to save his life?
What makes the movie worthwhile is the effective use of tension throughout. Their is a big puzzle here and a big ticking clock that costs a man his life when it reaches zero. Gale tells us right off the bat what he wants and he gets it. The movie takes him from an unknown to a vicious criminal to a tragic hero in the course of two hours. While it's hard to support everything Gale does, it's hard not to like him and even harder not to sympathize with the train wreck his life has become. Plus, all along is the specter of the political message hovering over the events, having a profound impact on them. This is the sort of film where it's important to pay attention because seemingly minor details can come back into play later.
I have to confess that I guessed correctly at the film's ending maybe thirty minutes into the film. But that didn't stop me from enjoying the film in the slightest. Even with a good idea of where it was going, it made me doubt myself and then I kept expecting typical movie things to happen, which never did. So even when not surprised, I was surprised to watch the film ignore the path frequently taken for its own shocking ideas. It's an excellent story with top notch performances from Kevin Spacey, Laura Linney and Kate Winslet. What's more it may foster debate on the subject and it's never a bad thing to have people talk seriously about important subjects.
- John Shea
What do you think? Talk about it on the Forums
Related Items:
|
