Movie Essay

...

than women. Also it is because a lot more men are put to death than women. Partly due to the fact that a lot of the times their crimes are worse, but also because they are men, they are supposed to be tougher, they can handle a punishment like that, there is less sympathy for a male being executed.

The death of Matt changed a few viewpoints at the most, but David’s death changes the viewpoints of thousands. David’s death had a profound impact on how people viewed the death penalty. When so many people’s minds are changed like that, it provokes change, David’s death had a positive effect on the issue. Matt’s death however did not stir up any controversy, his death went pretty much under the radar.

Both movies used a common technique to tell the truth, they used flashbacks. This is helpful because it shows exactly what happened, and often times it is different than what the the person having the flashback is saying. In Dead Man Walking Matt tells sister Helen what happened over and over again, every time the flashback changes, it’s not until the last flashback of the movie that we see what truly happened. The flashbacks may have changed but they stayed the truth to the person recalling events.

Throughout the movie one thing becomes apparent, Matt has a family that loves him very much, david however does not. We see Matt’s family crying multiple times, his mother bailing at the realization that her dear child is going to be killed. This is important because you feel sorry for matt, you get emotionally attached to the character. Because of this reason Dead Man Walking is a far more emotional movie than Life of David Gale.

Two men put to death, two men very similar but very different, same outcome. Regardless of how you feel about the death penalty, it still happens. Theses movies were different in many ways, but were both thought provoking. They both made you stop and wonder, is this right, is this necessary.