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Alan Parker has always been a genius at filming madness and obsessions.
He had succeeded greatly with "The Wall," "Midnight Express," "Birdy"…
In this film from 2003, the madness is still there but it is not inside a sick rockstar or a prisoner; this time the madness wears elegant clothes and showcases seductive smiles, appears on TV and… kills criminals. This madness is the American (or rather Texan) system that favors the death of its inmates to "clean up thieves and drug addicts" or to "fight crime."
Naturally, there are those who oppose this system and do so by giving everything they have, but for a cause that is difficult to win. David Gale is one of them. A philosopher with remarkable intelligence and a respectable resume, with a wife traveling around Europe and a son he adores. Due to a series of strange coincidences, David will be accused of raping one of his students: this event will trigger an earthquake within the University, and he will be fired and abandoned by his wife and son. But David does not give up; he knows he hasn't done anything wrong and he resists, resists, always trying to stay afloat. David is also a lonely man, now with only one friend, Constance, with whom he organizes protests against the death penalty. David lives by ideals, like all philosophers, and for these ideals, he will serve a prison sentence (right? wrong?). The accusation? Having killed dear friend Constance. The evidence is overwhelming. David is guilty. And now he will pay with his life, he, the very one who had fought to eliminate this absurd punishment. A strange twist of fate. Only a few days remain, and his lawyer calls a brilliant journalist for three exclusive interviews with our Gale, for a fee of a million dollars. These three interviews will reveal a sad truth, bitter as the entire film…
“The Life Of David Gale” is a film that leaves a bitter taste in the mouth, a film that amazes, makes you think, makes you cry. At the helm, an extraordinary Alan Parker, who once again hits the target (music, screenplay, everything is perfect). And then there's him: Kevin Spacey in one of his most poignant and successful performances. Also noteworthy is the presence of the beautiful and talented Kate Winslet.
In short, a film (unfortunately very underrated) to watch, re-watch, love, and reconsider.
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