Życie za życie

This film represents an interesting contribution to the discussion about the death penalty. It relies on the central acting duo of Kevin Spacey and Kate Winslet, who rightfully among the best US actors, and if the film works and earns points, it is primarily due to them. The script is a bit shaky, and some details are not well thought out, such as the key to the victim's shackles or the fact that the money obtained from the publishing house is delivered to the survivors by the person who is being chased at the same time and it is in his best interest to disappear as soon as possible. The briefcase could have been easily delivered by a lawyer or someone authorized by him. However, if one overlooks these moments and focuses on the atmosphere and chemistry between the main characters, it is enough for satisfaction and four stars. All in all, it is a decent psychological drama dealing with a burning issue. By the way, DNA tests are currently being conducted in relation to older criminal cases that ended in execution, and it has been found that 5% of those executed did not commit their crime. That is an unpleasantly high number... Overall impression: 75%. (29.06.2009)

For the whole two hours this film was reminding me of the perfect thriller Seven. Most of all due to the atmosphere and the locations, where it was raining almost all the time. But also due to the story, which certainly belongs among the interesting American thrillers, which shock with its storyline, but most of all with the finale. Truth be told, there are not many films like that and that is the reason why I appreciate this film so much. Also, Kevin Spacey was amazing and was perfectly complemented by Kate Winslet. And the last 35 minutes were really suspenseful, and I was on pins and needles the whole time. If not for the boring bits in the first half, I would have rated it with five stars. At the same time, I think that Seven fans should not miss this flick. It was pretty close to Seven at least with the atmosphere, and until recently, I had no idea it existed. (11.04.2016)

Something is rotten in the state of Texas. Although, in the end, this doesn’t really apply... Alan Parker chose a fascinating theme and excellent actors. And he turned them into an above-average picture where political activism is not a dirty word. Parker trips up a little over the over-transparent screenplay. When a filmmaker reveals his hand already at the half-way point of a movie, then there isn’t much point in developing on this revelation for the entire final half-hour. This isn’t a shortcoming that wrecks the movie, but it does make it difficult to sympathize fully with the characters and so the emotional experience is affected. But since this is such an above-average picture, despite the above this is certainly no time-waster. In fact, it is quite the opposite. (27.08.2007)

A gala performance from the trio Kevin Spacey-Kate Winslet-Laura Linney and a story with a strong message. However, the sometimes confusing directing and the pace of the storytelling occasionally detract from its overall rating, with plot twists coming one after another at times, while at others the entire drama just stays lazily in one place. It doesn't bother me, but it unnecessarily disrupts the impression of coherence. (04.02.2006)

Good film, but I have several problems with it. I didn’t mind much the strong political stance regarding the death penalty, because, even if I’m more on the side of the fence the film is against, this is a topic where I can understand and accept the arguments on both sides. What bothered me a lot is that the script gives the savvy viewer an unnecessary chance to ruin the surprise. I figured out the twist (and I don’t mean any other twist, but the main “schock” in the last scene) about twenty minutes in. I know it exactly, because I looked at the clock so, in case I would be right, I could boast about how savvy I am :-D. The script is so loose, for instance, I didn’t find very convincing the relationship between the two journalists. And the last quibble is personal: Kevin Spacey is one of my favourite actors, but as the philosophy professor David Gale, I realised how similar he is to one university professor that taught us philosophy in secondary school, and from that moment on, his performance felt weird… (29.06.2011)