10 Movie Characters Who Had To Die To Win

10. David Gale (Kevin Spacey) - The Life And Death Of David Gale

Alan Parker’s legal drama/ would-be thriller is a confused movie which was slated upon its release, even earning the ire of super critic Roger Ebert who gave the film a rare zero-star rating.

The eponymous Kevin Spacey character is a college professor who has dedicated his life to campaigning for an end to capital punishment in America—that is, he wants to ban the death penalty. The film sees him on trial for the murder of a fellow activist, only for the ending to reveal that he—wait for it—framed himself in order to be put to death and thus disprove the effectiveness of the death penalty.

The plan goes off without a hitch in the film, and it’s one that couldn’t have succeeded if it weren’t for Gale’s execution come the film’s climax. Said plan didn’t fare as well with critics, and the film was savaged upon release as unrealistic and convoluted lecture passed off as a piece of cinema.