RED CORNER (1997)
A film review by Steve Kong Copyright 1997 Steve Kong
If I were asked to give a one-line synopsis of Red Corner it would sound like this: Perry Mason in China. Red Corner is nothing but a bad episode of Perry Mason set in China.
Jack Moore (Richard Gere) is a businessman in China. He is trying to sell his satellite TV programming to the Chinese government. While taking the night on the town Moore meets a beautiful model and takers her to his hotel room for a night of sex. The next morning Moore is dragged out of bed covered in her blood by the Chinese police. He is held in prison awaiting his trial, which might prove to be short since the Chinese legal system believes that leniency, is given to those who confess their crimes.
Moore is assigned a Chinese lawyer, Shen Yuelin (Bai Ling), who at first believes that Moore is guilty, but after some evidence is shown, she begins to change her mind. What follows is a look into the Chinese legal system and some heavy-handed anti-China preaching.
The problem with Red Corner is that it is basically a typical made-for-TV thriller that is set, unnecessarily, in China. The legal system that it tries to show is one that is not much different from the US legal system, and in some cases it looks as if it is much better. For example, Moore escapes from the Chinese police and runs amok in the streets of Beijing. When he is caught and brought back to the courthouse, nothing happens to him. No further charges put against him, nothing. If he were in the US, that would have been a different case.
Another problem with Red Corner is the uninspired script. Everything is so cliched, especially the courtroom scenes. These scenes include everything you would find in a typical made-for-TV court movie, including the surprise witness, the surprise revelation by the accused, and the real killer spilling his guts on the stand after a strong questioning session with the lawyers. Moreover, Gere gives a bland performance in this film, and in some of the supposed high-tension court scenes it is he who brings them down. Whatever political beliefs Gere might hold against China, his performance in Red Corner shows none of that.
The only thing that I enjoyed in Red Corner was the performance of newcomer Bai Ling as Moore's attorney Yuelin. Ling has a commanding screen presence and she, by far, outshines anything that this film puts out, especially the performance of the big-budget A-list Gere.
Also interesting to see is how the filmmakers were able to make the film feel as if it were shot in China. The Chinese government did not allow the filmmakers to shoot in China for obvious reasons and the film makers had to resort different measures to "create" China for the film; from scale models to computer integration. Most of these effects aren't noticeable during the film which is why it is interesting to see it.
Red Corner is, at times, implausible and a slow moving film. It tries to show the inner works of the Chinese legal system, but doesn't accomplish it. The whole film feels like a long bad episode of Perry Mason set in a far away land that has the same laws, as does the US. Richard Gere who is supposed to carry this film does not even come close, but it is new comer Bai Ling's performance which is what is to be seen in this film. I cannot recommend Red Corner if you are going to see it for its story. But, if during a matinee, you have nothing better to see, see Red Corner for Bai Ling's performance.
"Wow, the Chinese legal system is just like ours!" - audience member I overheard as I was leaving the theatre.
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steve kong reviews@boiled.sbay.org
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