Red Corner (1997)
©1997 Matt Petras
Official site:
http://www.redcorner.com
Length: 119 min (1:59 hours) Rating: **1/2 out of ****
In a land where there the concepts of crime and punishment differ so greatly from our own. Where a crime committed is punished by a swift death in most cases. In this land, a man is framed for a murder he did not commit. In the north American justice system a man must be proven guilty but till then he is presumed innocent. In china one must effectively prove his innocence, and until then he is presumed guilty. Such is the task undertaken by Jack Moore and Yuelin, the court appointed defendant. Justice is served both ways, and the real truth comes out in the process. My first impressions of the movie were not all that convincing I thought it seemed fake. The setting didn't seem like it was China. Although I have never been to China in my life and probably never will go, the set for the movie didn't seem to be authentic enough. One thing that always struck me when I saw pictures from Beijing, was the volumes of people, and the volumes of bicycles another thing is that the automobiles that were being driven there seemed awfully American looking. I don't speak from experience but this seemed to be a little inadequate. Also upon speaking to a few of my colleagues who are from China, I was told that the whole movie is a bit outdated. The policies and the setting. Other than that it did seem like the setting was very well created as well as the atmosphere. That was only a first impression, and those aren't always the proper ones. Now going back the setting and looking at with thought of the plot, the setting, especially the atmosphere seems to be a little bit contrived or set up. Something's just seems to be a bit too predictable. The scenes that are shown are in some cases pretty shocking to most western peoples, for they show the methods of justice in a Communist China. But this too is not half as bad as it could have been. Therefore I have to say that the part of the plot pertaining to the set up and the atmosphere is good up until a certain point. It is more than sufficient for the movie, but would have been better had a stronger hint been given towards the real conditions of the day. Mind you I am speaking from opinion only here so I should not be taken to be anything other than some unknowledgeable guy stating what he thinks. Now onto the real plot of the movie, it was actually pretty decent. There were occasions where things just happened that left me wondering what was going on and why. But they could be overlooked. As a general whole the plot seemed to be fairly intact. A couple things in the plot jump out at me as odd but they suit the movie in their own unique way. Now to the acting, here we have two different performances. Richard Gere who played his character fairly well and quite believably, and Bai Ling, who played her part superbly. Bai Ling's performance was one that leaves you imagining that she is the actual character from the story and not some actress. This is a feat not easily achieved by most actors, especially actors who are not native to speaking English. The supporting roles in this movie could have been done a little bit better in my opinion, or the casing could have been different but that does not ruin the movie nor does it add anything bad. The casting for the main characters is really well done, especially in Bai Ling's case. She should be proud of this performance, lets hope it proves to be a good starting point for her.
As a whole the concept of the movie is a really good one, even if not the most politically correct one. The movie works well towards what it aims to achieve, but it doesn't quite get all the way. As a whole the movie is worth seeing and it is good thoughtful entertainment. I found the movie to be fairly well done but a few things stuck out, there was a bit too much action for a serious drama and that's what this movie should have been. I guess they were looking for some audience appeal, and probably found it.
December 22, 1997
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