The master and the apprentice (From Western Telegraph)

The master and the apprentice

Most of the actors I know seem to think Kevin Spacey is the best actor around. To be universally adored means you're pretty good at what you do! But it wasn't until he appeared in The Usual Suspects that Spacey shot to the incredible fame that he now enjoys. Of course, like all the greats, he will be, and already can be, judged on his body of work.

Seven, LA Confidential, Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil, K-Pax, The Shipping News, American Beauty. These aren't just good films - they are classics. It is no coincidence he is in them all.

Now he is one of the most sought-after actors in Hollywood. With that comes the responsibility of choosing the right projects. You won't see him in the next Charlie's Angels.

Instead, he is making careful choices about which films he makes, which means makingfew of them. If only there were more like him. His latest film is, I'm pleased to say, another high-quality venture. The Life of David Gale is directed by veteran Britishfilmmaker Alan Parker. It's the story a University of Texas professor, Dr David Gale, who campaigns to put an end to the death sentence in the USA. Then he finds himself accused and convicted of murder and rape and ends up on death row.

The story is told in flashback as, desperate to prove his innocence, he contacts a journalist called Bitsey Bloom. He tells her his story and what she learns leads her to doubt the justice that sees Gale facing death.

Spacey is at his best as Gale and he's ably supported by a fine cast. Winslet is adequate as the crusading reporter, but it's Laura Linney who gives the most dedicated performance. So is The Life of David Gale the best film of the year so far? Well, no not really. Although Parker's direction is undoubtedly doing its best to tread the same line between thriller and political documentary as his own Mississippi Burning, the script trips it up several times along the way. It's still a great film though and it's certainly one to see.

But this week we're spoiled for choice. Also released is Confessions of A Dangerous Mind - the directorial debut from George Clooney. Written by the Oscar-nominated Charlie Kaufman, this film has been on the cards for so long that finally Clooney agreed to make it himself.

So often fact is stranger than fiction. This film is not necessarily a true story, but it is based on the autobiography of US TV game show host Chuck Barris.

That doesn't mean it's true and so Clooney's film is imbued with a playful sense of possible hoax to accompany the very real sense of danger. Barris was a television producer and presenter for many years. But it's all a cover (so he says) for his other life, which he lives as a CIA assassin. When things in his life start to go wrong he wonders who he can trust. The cast is headed by the relatively unknown Sam Rockwell, but he's accompanied by a stella cast including Clooney himself as the CIA contact; Rutger Hauer, returning to the A-list thank goodness and Drew Barrymore and Julia Roberts are thrown in to the bargain.

Clooney's directorial style is unashamedly borrowed from all his favourite films. But it works brilliantly here and I'm excited to see what he does next.