Overwrought drama from Spacey, Parker

By Paul Clinton
CNN Reviewer

(CNN) -- Alan Parker's turgid new drama, "The Life Of David Gale," leaks cynicism like acid rain.

Kevin Spacey plays the title character, an anti-death penalty advocate who -- when we first meet him -- is on Texas' death row after being found guilty of raping and murdering a fellow activist, Constance Hallaway, played by Laura Linney. Kate Winslet plays a magazine reporter with the unfortunate name of Bitsey Bloom, who has been assigned to interview Gale in the days leading up to his execution.

The film flashes back and forth between the present and the time when the murder actually took place. All of Spacey's and Winslet's scenes take place behind thick glass in the prison's visiting room, a la "Silence of the Lambs." All of Spacey's scenes with Linney take place in the past, when he was a part-time activist and a full-time, hard-drinking philosophy professor at an Austin university.

In one scene, we find Gale on television debating with the governor of Texas over the issue of the death penalty. This "fictional" governor who is "in touch with in inner frat boy" is such a parody of a certain resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. that Parker might as well have tattooed "George W" on the actor's (Michael Crabtree) forehead.

Message no message

Slowly, we find out that Gale's life unraveled after he was falsely accused of raping a grad student. His wife and child left him, and he was laid off from his job. Even his fellow activists found him too hot to handle and cut him loose.

Kate Winslet is a reporter pursuing Gale's story.

At this point, his only friend is Hallaway -- who is suddenly diagnosed with cancer. What else can happen? How about Hallaway is found dead, and Gale is accused and convicted of her murder. Next stop, death row.

Oh, the irony.

Texas' top protester against the death penalty is now a "dead man walking." Is he innocent? Is he guilty? Was he framed? As Gale himself says in the film, "Oh, it's more than that."

And it is. It's also a whole lot less. Alan Parker can't make up his mind: for or against, left or right. He's made a message movie with no message. The film does make the point that innocent people are sent to death; unfortunately, that point is muted when "The Life of David Gale" turns into a snuff video. Wherever you stand on the death penalty issue, you won't find a leg to stand on in this film.

Parker and screenwriter Charles Randolph throw plausibility to the wind at every turn, and every emotional moment feels contrived. Ultimately, it all feels like a self-righteous diatribe signifying nothing.

What's with Kevin Spacey?

Which brings us to Spacey.

There is no doubt this man is one of America's finest actors: just look at "The Usual Suspects" (1995), "L.A. Confidential" (1997), or "American Beauty" (1999). But lately, his choices have been bizarre, to say the least. "Pay It Forward" (2000) and "K-PAX" (2002) were dreadful, emotionally manipulative films.

Now, he's once again chosen a seemingly ambivalent central character at the gooey center of a gooey movie with a gooey premise. Where is that towel when you need it?

Linney and Winslet are also truly gifted actors, and you can see how their characters may have looked good on paper. Sadly, the transition from page to screen isn't pretty.

"The Life of David Gale" aspires to be Greek tragedy, but ends up as a soap opera with no soap.

"The Life of David Gale" opens nationwide on Friday, February 21.