(Positive, Very Minor Spoilers)

I was lucky enough to be a part of the first screening of Universal's new Alan Parker (Evita, Angela's Ashes, Mississippi Burning, Midnight Express) film "The Life of David Gale" starring Kevin Spacey, Kate Winslet and Laura Linney. The film focuses on David Gale (Spacey) a University of Texas professor and extreme advocate for stopping the death penalty. The film starts with him in prison, he's been sentinced to death for raping and killing his activist partner played by Laura Linney. Gale has sent for a young journalist named Bitsie (Winslet) to record his story during his last three days before he's scheduled to be executed. The story is then told in flashbacks as we learn the details leading to the murder.

The film is very well made, and the random audience members I saw rating it, gave it a very strong rating. It's definately a very suspensful and thought provoking drama/thriller. The academy award winning/nominated actors are all there and the clever topical policital storyline is there... but I couldn't help but be a tad unimpressed. Spacey has turned into that kind of great actor where you just know what you're going to see before you see it. I want to see more range from him besides his droll frown, straightforward loud voice and stare that he's already done better in American Beauty and Seven. I kept waiting for him to eat a bannana with it's peel still on it while he throws up his fist and yells "I rule!". It was a good performance, but nothing we haven't seen him done before and better.

Linney and Winslet both have good performances as well, but while Linney's character's motivations seem more clear, Winslet's Bitsie seemed unbelievable. It's no surprise that as Gale's story unfolds, Bitsie is forced to rush around to try and discover the truth behind the murder, but her intentions seem to be more of her trying to save Gale, rather than report the story. Since when do journalists have feelings? Fine, she could be the exception, but we're hardly given any information about her character except that she doesn't reveal her sources. I wanted some more background on her.

All my complaints aside. The film does manage to end on a strong note. It's a good discussion piece, and a lot stronger than some of the other crap Hollywood studios have been slinging at us. I would reccomend The Life of David Gale, and tell the viewer to be prepared to be blown or away, or at least be satisfied by it's ending.