Written by Charles Randolph, directed by Alan Parker, and released in 2003, this film is thriller about the death penalty. Kevin Spacey stars as David Gale. He was a college professor in Texas, and a leading anti-death penalty activist in the state. One night, while at a party, a vengeful student (Rhona Mitra) seduces him in a bathroom, encouraging him to bite her and grip her so hard that he leaves bruises on her body while they have sex, and then the next day she claims that he raped her. She eventually drops the charges, but the damage to David’s life is already done. He’s been fired from the university, his wife has left him and taken their young son out of the country, and the activist organization that he was part of is forced to disassociate from him. One night he and one of his fellow activists, a woman named Constance (Laura Linney) have sex. Then the next morning she is found murdered, and David is arrested, charged with rape and murder, found guilty and then sentenced to death.

That’s where Kate Winslet comes in as Bitsey Bloom, a journalist who interviews Gale while he’s on death row, just a few days away from his execution. Gale claims that he’s innocent, and that he was set-up by those who didn’t like his activism against the death penalty (which would probably be 99% of the people who live in Texas). As Bitsey investigates his claims, she finds evidence that he may actually be telling the truth, and she races to find the proof she needs to free him before it’s too late.

I won’t spoil the ending for this one, but let me say that there are several twists before this film comes to an end that kept me on the edge of my seat (figuratively speaking). Kate Winslet speaks with a very convincing American accent in this movie, and even though she does NOT get naked in this movie, I still enjoyed it very much!

TWO THUMBS UP!