RED CORNER (PG-13).
Director:Jon Avnet
Stars: Richard Gere, Bai Ling,
Bradley Whitford, Byron Mann,
Peter Donat, James Hong, Tsai Chin,
Tzi Ma, Robert Stanton
Running Time:119 minutes.
This compelling courtroom drama is different from
most other recent legal thrillers in that it is set in
China, a country with vastly different concepts of
guilt and innocence. Red Corner is also a gripping
mystery thriller in which an innocent man fights for
his life in a foreign country.
Jack Moore (Richard Gere) is a powerful American
attorney in China to broker a lucrative deal
guaranteeing exclusive broadcasting rights for an
American television production company. After a
night on the town he wakes up in his hotel room with
a dead model beside him. Framed for murder, Moore
has to battle the cumbersome Chinese legal system to
prove his innocence.
Despite all his skills and talent in the court room back
home, Moore finds himself out of his depth in dealing
with the complexities of the Chinese legal system. In
China it is easier to plead guilty and throw oneself on
the mercy of the court rather than go through a
prolonged trial process. Moore's only assistance
comes from Shen Yeuling (Chinese actress Bai
Ling), the court appointed defence attorney who is
not entirely convinced of his innocence. Shen
endangers both her reputation and her life in her
attempts to seek out the truth and help Moore.
Jon Avnet (Fried Green Tomatoes, etc) is a director
with a strong sense of character and injustice, but he
handles the provocative material with understanding,
offering some insights into the complex social
structure of contemporary China. Given Gere's
political views, it is surprising to find that Red Corner
is not a fervent exercise in China bashing, but is
surprisingly even handed in its treatment of the
Chinese. The film also explores the slowly changing
face of China as the old traditional ways are giving
way to new Western ideas. Red Corner also shows
how the secrecy and isolation and suspicion of the old
China can be exploited and subverted by those within
positions of power for their own personal gain.
Political realities and commercial considerations also
impact on the conduct of Moore's trial.
The performances by the two leads are excellent, with
Gere particularly strong and convincing as the
innocent victim trying to deal with a legal system he
cannot understand. Through clever use of overlapping
dialogue, often Chinese with simultaneous
translations, Avnet illustrates the sense of confusion,
frustration and uncertainty felt by Moore as he tries to
cope with an unfamiliar system. Ling has a beautiful
and strong presence that lights up the screen, and she
makes the most of the opportunities offered by her
role. Her character forms a bridge between the old
China and the new; cynical of much of the west, she
is also highly critical of the backward looking regime
of China, which eschews western ideas and exposure
to its corrupting influence.
The film has been beautifully photographed by
veteran Karl Walter Lindenlaub (who worked on
Independence Day, etc). The traditional China is
framed against the new emerging China, with high rise
buildings and skyscrapers reshaping the horizon.
However, Gere is banned from China because of his
support for the Dalai Lama, and the film was actually
shot in LA, with production designers superbly
recreating the Beijing locations on sound stages.
Robert King's script avoids many of the clichés of
the courtroom genre, although the ending shows signs
of a desperation to arrive at a satisfactory conclusion
and seems a tad unsatisfactory in contrast to the rest
of the film. But this is a minor quibble about an
otherwise refreshing and competent thriller that
satisfactorily engages one's attention for the duration.