Film: A Worthy Fight

For years he lived to oppose the Texas death penalty. Now, David Gale finds himself at its mercy with three days left to fight the system.

The Life of David Gale flings its title character (Kevin Spacey) - a devoted father, well-respected professor and genius philosopher - into a cruel twist of fate: the state's leading death penalty opponent is put on Death Row for the rape and murder of a fellow activist (Laura Linney). Giving an interview for the first time, he calls upon reporter Bitsey Bloom (Kate Winslet), in a last-ditch effort to investigate the truth and prove his innocence before his scheduled execution.

This movie is powerful for one simple reason: Kevin Spacey is the actor you love to distrust. You remember him as psychotic serial killer "Keyser Soze" in The Usual Suspects, and the man with whom you disgustedly sympathize as "Lester Burnham" in American Beauty.

Here again, his role is that of a supposedly demented man who, at least on the surface, leads two lives - that of brilliant professor and convicted murderer. And it all makes perfect sense; his pock-marked face behind bars seems only natural. This movie challenges all notions about guilt and innocence you've had since seeing the first movie trailer, and that's the genius of Spacey's performance.

The message is as controversial as the film is entertaining. It defies our views of the American judicial system and begs the question, "How many men have we put to death unjustly?" David Gale's ending shocks the audience, and at a time when America seems destined for war, shows the power of true patriotism coming from the most unlikely source.

• Kim Roller