There have been movies showing innocent people being executed i.e.THE GREEN MILE, the truly guilty being executed I WANT TO LIVE and the guilty being reprieved at the last minute or even acquitted in court, BEYOND REASONABLE DOUBT and JAGGED EDGE respectively. In addition even getting away Scot free as Liam Neesen did in UNDER SUSPICION.
Unlike TRUE CRIME, THE LIFE OF David GALE goes a step further and results in the execution of an innocent man when you are led to believe that Winslett's character would at the last minute save the day. Why is this? To some extent the ability produce movies that stays an execution at the last minute is probably been done so many times, that the ending is predictable. Everybody was no doubt relieved when at the last minute in TRUE CRIME the execution was stayed, particularly after the harrowing scene of the condemned mans final time with his wife and daughter. Pro death penalty advocates can at least argue that well even under these bizarre scenarios the system still works; the last minute is still OK! In David gale you can't say that, the system clearly fails under such circumstance when it is obvious that Gale was not guilty of murder! Having said that I'm not sure we should feel sorry for Gale, he wanted to die and conspired in what best could be described as a bizarre (time delayed) suicide pact in a cult like manner. While it's obvious from much earlier in the movie that there is something odd about his associate's death/murder that is compounded by the creepy hilly-Billi Dusty who arouses all sorts of suspicion.
In the end suicide and voluntary incrimination is all that makes sense as the final twist approaches. For people who enjoyed the (not very subtle Bush bashing, i.e. 'that's FUZZY thinking) and the anti-death penalty message you have to be careful. The chance of a wrongful conviction for murder is as big as winning the lottery. Also, should the system be dismantled on the strength of a determined effort to under represent one self with inept legal representation as well as contriving an elaborate and well organized scheme to frame one self for murder. Also, the nobility and courage of all in doing this should not be over stated.
In this case the girl was going to die, and despite being a Harvard graduate Gale had decided to give up on life believing that he could not recover from divorce and the set back of a ruined reputation from the original rape charge. That is self indulgent view of life which flies in the face of the human spirit, never the less he sets up his death while also providing for his family and in some manner fulfilling the desire to discredit the death penalty.
The anti death penalty message behind this is clumsily done! If there is any real injustice with the death penalty it's that if you have to rely on a public defender, criminal trials almost resemble 'kangaroo courts' as over zealous prosecutors with unlimited resources bridled with political ambitions can steam roll a defendant onto death row quicker than you can say 'Jack Frost'. Biased media coverage, mug shots, perp walks and shackled defendants in court waring the now obligatory "Guantanamo bay" auteur paraded for news at 10 prior to a trial taint a jury before it even starts. None of this was really addressed by the movie! It's an entertaining movie and Spacy delivers as usual, yet I'm not sure I have much more sympathy for Gale any more than his alter
Unlike TRUE CRIME, THE LIFE OF David GALE goes a step further and results in the execution of an innocent man when you are led to believe that Winslett's character would at the last minute save the day. Why is this? To some extent the ability produce movies that stays an execution at the last minute is probably been done so many times, that the ending is predictable. Everybody was no doubt relieved when at the last minute in TRUE CRIME the execution was stayed, particularly after the harrowing scene of the condemned mans final time with his wife and daughter. Pro death penalty advocates can at least argue that well even under these bizarre scenarios the system still works; the last minute is still OK! In David gale you can't say that, the system clearly fails under such circumstance when it is obvious that Gale was not guilty of murder! Having said that I'm not sure we should feel sorry for Gale, he wanted to die and conspired in what best could be described as a bizarre (time delayed) suicide pact in a cult like manner. While it's obvious from much earlier in the movie that there is something odd about his associate's death/murder that is compounded by the creepy hilly-Billi Dusty who arouses all sorts of suspicion.
In the end suicide and voluntary incrimination is all that makes sense as the final twist approaches. For people who enjoyed the (not very subtle Bush bashing, i.e. 'that's FUZZY thinking) and the anti-death penalty message you have to be careful. The chance of a wrongful conviction for murder is as big as winning the lottery. Also, should the system be dismantled on the strength of a determined effort to under represent one self with inept legal representation as well as contriving an elaborate and well organized scheme to frame one self for murder. Also, the nobility and courage of all in doing this should not be over stated.
In this case the girl was going to die, and despite being a Harvard graduate Gale had decided to give up on life believing that he could not recover from divorce and the set back of a ruined reputation from the original rape charge. That is self indulgent view of life which flies in the face of the human spirit, never the less he sets up his death while also providing for his family and in some manner fulfilling the desire to discredit the death penalty.
The anti death penalty message behind this is clumsily done! If there is any real injustice with the death penalty it's that if you have to rely on a public defender, criminal trials almost resemble 'kangaroo courts' as over zealous prosecutors with unlimited resources bridled with political ambitions can steam roll a defendant onto death row quicker than you can say 'Jack Frost'. Biased media coverage, mug shots, perp walks and shackled defendants in court waring the now obligatory "Guantanamo bay" auteur paraded for news at 10 prior to a trial taint a jury before it even starts. None of this was really addressed by the movie! It's an entertaining movie and Spacy delivers as usual, yet I'm not sure I have much more sympathy for Gale any more than his alter
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