The Life of David Gale

Shit!

Stop, please!

In a related story, the high court had also refused to stay

Friday's execution of former philosophy professor David Gale.

Gale had sought a review of his 1994 conviction

for the rape and murder of his University of Austin colleague,

Constance Harraway.

The case has received nationwide media attention

because Gale and Harraway were activists for Death Watch,

a nonprofit abolitionist organization.

Do you understand how much money taxpayers pay in Texas to put one person to death?

- What do we want? - No more executions!

Governor, can't we all admit the capital punishment system

in this country is not working?

They're not going to stay Gale. It's on TV right now. Listen.

Defense lawyers had hoped to argue

that Gale's former activism against capital punishment

unduly prejudiced the Texas judicial system.

The deal was Bitsey would get the interview if the stay was refused.

He'll talk to her for two hours a day,

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Can't do Friday. No.

Friday's the day they execute him.

The lawyer said only Bitsey.

Gale's going down. Shh!

Only Bitsey means only Bitsey.

I don't get to make the rules, Joe.

Please, I'm a fat black woman.

What we need is to put her on a plane to Texas.

Why do you get like that around legal?

Hold on, we're coming over.

What's this "Only Bitsey means only Bitsey" stuff?

They asked for you, and no substitutes.

Who's they, exactly? Gale's lawyers.

More exactly, Gale's lawyer. Some good old boy in Austin.

Why do they want me?

You don't want the assignment?

I'm not saying that.

I can't see why a guy about to be executed

should suddenly ask for me.

Maybe they liked your kiddie porn piece, and going to jail.

Maybe he saw your picture and thinks you're cute.

So how much access do I get?

Three interviews. No time for more.

By Friday, the guy's a goner.

What exactly is our story?

Rape, murder, death row.

Very intelligent guy. Maybe he's even innocent.

Yeah, right.

No, tell him I'll call him back. Thanks.

So what's your problem?

Hi, Barbara. Morning, Bitsey. Okay, here's my concern.

Setting aside the cost issue,

although $500,000 in cash for three days of interviews

is not only illegal, it's obscene.

That's market value. The guy's never talked.

Aside from that, I, we are still uncomfortable with the arrangement.

Why?

You just spent a very public seven days in jail

for a very public contempt-of-court citation.

For protecting sources. If you were uncomfortable with the story,

why did you slap it on the domestic and international covers?

What makes us uncomfortable is that a rapist/murderer

has asked to spend the last three days of his life

giving an interview, his very first,

to a reporter who is now famous

for protecting sexual deviants.

A reporter who is also a very attractive woman.

This is disparate treatment.

Oh, boy.

I could go if I were an ugly guy?

The agenda issue would be diffused with the presence of a male.

I hear lawyers gleefully saying,

"Bloom versus News Magazine Inc."

"Your Honor, I started to notice my assignments

"were being determined on the basis of my sex."

You've got to let her go now.

That's not what I meant.

He's got to let you go.

All right. Enough.

But the intern will be with you at all times.

What? Intern.

No, you've got to be kidding. That's what he said.

He's a jerk. He's the boss.

Not an intern. I always work alone.

Not this time, Bitsey.

I'm not baby-sitting.

Gale's DNA was everywhere. His semen was inside her.

He was seen leaving her house.

His prints were all over the kitchen, including one on the bag.

Half a thumbprint.

Half a thumbprint. That's enough.

He could've touched it before it was a murder weapon.

You fondle your friends' garbage bags?

Yeah, I get very touchy around household plastics.

I'm particularly fond of Tupperware.

Tupperware?

I'm just saying the bag could've been sitting on the counter.

He did it. Now he's going to die. And you know something?

Maybe that's exactly what he deserves.

But the murder's way too fucking clumsy.

This guy is an intellectual. Top of his Harvard class, Rhodes Scholar,

tenured at 27, two books published.

He's an academic stud.

Look at his wife. A regular Grace Kelly.

Old money svelte. Father was ambassador to Spain.

Shit! The light's on again.

Ignore it, it's a rental.

Do you smell anything?

The guy's a flaming Liberal.

A person's politics has nothing to do

with his tendency to commit crime.

Wrong.

Shouldn't it smell if it's overheating?

Seventy-three percent of all serial killers vote Republican.

Throw your cigarette out, so we can smell.

You'll stink up the car. Throw it out.

I'm not going to fucking pollute.

There's definitely something wrong with this car.

This is so irritating.

How far to Huntsville?

I'm going to pull off.

"News Magazine reporters Bitsey Bloom and Zack Stemmons

"entered the rest area with car troubles.

"Little did they know it wasn't

"just their car that was in trouble."

I'm a reporter. You're an intern.

Whatever.

Is it hot?

Jesus, yes! Isn't it always?

What do I do?

Call the office and get the rental road service number.

No signal.

God damn it.

I've got to pee.

Zack!

Zack!

Yeah?

Morning. Hi.

A little early for that, isn't it?

The nonsmoking section's over there.

I meant the book.

Dialogical Exhaustion by David Gale.

The guy's a genius.

What time is it?

9:15 a.m.

There are 10 prisons around here.

Death row is in the Ellis unit,

but they're moving it to the Terrell unit at the end of the year.

The waitress's boyfriend works there.

Her last boyfriend worked in the Huntsville unit.

The two before that in Walker.

The Estelle unit has the cutest guys.

And I'm quoting, "My butt's too big to get an Estelle guy."

Ellis is 15 minutes out of town.

We've got five and a half hours.

Never eat in a place where the menus have pictures of the food.

We should drive into Austin. Check out the crime scene.

That could be some great stuff for our story.

This isn't our story. It's not even a story. It's an interview.

Most importantly for you to remember, it's my interview.

What do I do for the next five hours?

Drive around. Look for a decent restaurant.

Your reputation as Mike Wallace with PMS

doesn't do you justice.

My reputation got us invited here.

I play by the rules, even if my colleagues don't like it.

It's called... Ambition?

Objectivity.

What can I get you, ma'am?

Just coffee.

Don't push me, smart ass.

You know you're in the Bible belt

when there are more churches than Starbucks.

When there are more prisons than Starbucks.

He's ready for y'all now.

Yes, I am.

I'm not gonna debate with you the rights and wrongs of the situation.

Our job is to run the state prison system.

This is not France. This is not Germany. This is Texas.

And we're gonna follow Texas law.

You're very welcome, ma'am. Goodbye, now.

Thank you, Margie.

Correspondents Bloom and Stevens, I presume?

Yes, hello.

Stemmons.

Sorry. Won't happen again.

I'm Duke Grover, TDCJ, Community Relations.

He's usually real good with names.

And these days I always like to ask

do you prefer Miss, Mrs., or Ms.?

Bitsey.

Bitsey it is.

Margie, I'm stealing your guests.

Okey-dokey.

You ever been in a prison? Yes.

On death row? No.

ID's again, please.

All executions in the state of Texas occur at the Huntsville unit.

But death row is here for the time being.