Don't mess with Texas

Kevin Spacey is a great actor who has made his mark in many great movies such as "The Usual Suspects," "Seven," "L.A. Confidential" and "American Beauty" to name a few. In fact, he's carved out such a niche for himself that by simply being in a movie it will have a twist ending. "The Life of David Gale" is no exception, as Spacey plays the titular character, a man sentenced to be executed, who may or may not be guilty of murder.\nGale is a philosophy professor and a leading activist against the death penalty in the state of Texas. After a fling with an ex-student gets Gale fired, his wife leaves with his son, and thus, his life takes a downward spiral. When his friend, colleague and fellow activist, Constance Harraway (Laura Linney) is found dead, he is convicted of her murder. All of this is told in flashback mode to reporter, Bitsey Bloom (Kate Winslet), in Gale's last three days before execution. Bloom and intern reporter Dusty Wright (Matt Craven) must figure out whether Gale is innocent and prove it before Gale's execution.\nThe center of the whole DVD is the Texas justice system itself, where the majority of U.S. executions take place, with a featurette dedicated mostly to facts of the Texas execution system and a small "making-of documentary." Much of the making-of documentary consists of the actors raving on about director Alan Parker (best known for "Mississippi Burning" and Pink Floyd's "The Wall"). Other extras include the trailer, a couple deleted scenes and an audio commentary with Parker. Even though it is slightly lacking in extras, "The Life of David Gale" is a good enough flick that is mostly brought to life through the performances of its talented cast.