There are films you dislike and will pick on every petty unimportant failing to slag it off. There are other films you like so much, you are willing to forgive everything. Then there are films like The Life Of David Gale which are such a cut above the rest of Hollywood fare that you will be extraordinarily picky merely because you wish an excellent film and been flawless. So what follows is merely a list of petty complaints (and may contain spoilers). The reader should take it as read that this film is worth every penny and then some of the price of the cinema ticket or bought DVD. Spacey, as always, is impeccable. He has that knack of acting well without apparently acting at all. Kate Winslet, too, was excellent. But now for my list of complaints: as this was a thriller Alan Parkers obviously tried to keep the tension up. But often he did so by adding elements which otherwise make no sense. For example, our first glimpse of Dusty, the mysterious cowboy, was when Bitsey and Zac stop because of engine trouble. But wait a minute: this can neither be coincidence (why would Dusty stop suspiciously on the off-chance that here he has come across the car of two New York reporters come to cover Gale's execution? But nor can it be the case that Dusty was able to follow the rental car all the way to the rest stop. And why would he stop anyway? The answer is, of course, that Parker wants to heighten tension. And why not? you ask. Well, of course he can but it is not organically part of the film. Another example: Why involve Bitsey in the first place? Why not simply write a letter of explanation and send it to her with the complete tape of Constance's suicide once the execution has take place? She could still be enlisted to write a piece about how innocent people are executed. But of course in that way well, you haven't got a film. As for the half million dollars: did I miss something? Why was it part of the film? Why was it required by Bitsey and Zac? Why was it sent to Gale's ex-wife? Similarly with Dusty's love of opera: this seemed particularly gratuitous, an element added simply for the sake of effect. But back to my original comments: these are essentially minor quibbles and it is, ironically, a mark of just how good this film is compared to so much other dross that I make them.
Review of The Life of David Gale
