The innocent man on death row concept has always been a popular one, and with time it just gets more poignant as fewer and fewer places around the world still practise capital punishment and the obvious controversy which surrounds it only gets more and more of an issue. 'The Life Of David Gale' follows in the footsteps of films like 'True Crime' and 'The Green Mile' but modernises the genre by adding a larger political spin to the story. The possible political statement for which the film might be trying to make as a whole is well received. The fact the the film is based in Texas and takes a hard look at it's justice system, only too obviously pokes a dig at America's current President who's home town is Texas and himself is an open supporter of the death penalty. However the political arguments which the film digs up is only a fraction of what the film is all about. Kevin Spacey as expected is excellent and convincing in every respect and quite surprisingly Kate Winslet is actually very watchable also. The acting and dialogue is expertly performed and in many respects, very understated, which when contrasted with it's very emotive musical score the movie comes across as a very real and engaging piece of filmmaking. My only complaint about the film is that even though for the most part the movie keeps you guessing, once what actually happened is revealed, the last part of the film becomes quite predictable. Nevertheless the film is an excellent example of it's type and is absolutely worth seeing.

4/5