10 Smart Movies With Incredibly Dumb Twists

There can't ever be enough movies about how barbaric and archaic America's death penalty is, and so despite its noble intentions and often provocative engagement with the country's penal system, The Life of David Gale completely destroys itself with its final reveal.

The story focuses on the titular professor (Kevin Spacey) who is on death row in Texas for the rape and murder of a fellow capital punishment activist, Constance Harraway (Laura Linney).

The film initially seems to lean in the direction that Gale was framed for his crime, and its first twist even appears to confirm this, by revealing that Harraway was terminally ill and actually committed suicide, seemingly intending to frame Gale and serve as the ultimate statement against the death penalty.

Except, in perhaps the textbook case of a movie offering up one plot twist too many, the ending reveals that Gale himself was in on it the whole time, planting his own DNA at the scene and willingly laying down his own life with Harraway to "discredit" the death penalty.

This staggeringly stupid final twist completely ignores the fact that making every effort possible to get yourself executed isn't really a compelling argument against capital punishment.

It would've made far more sense if Gale was himself an unknowing participant in the frame-job, reflecting the ever-present possibility that innocent people can be executed.