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| Red Corner | |
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 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Jon Avnet |
| Produced by | Jon Avnet Jordan Kerner Charles Mulvehill Rosalie Swedlin Executive: Wolfgang Petersen |
| Written by | Robert King |
| Starring | Richard Gere Bai Ling Bradley Whitford |
| Music by | Thomas Newman |
| Cinematography | Karl Walter Lindenlaub |
| Editing by | Peter E. Berger |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| Release date(s) | October 31, 1997[1] |
| Running time | 122 minutes |
| Box office | $22,415,440 (USA) |
Red Corner is a drama film produced in 1997, directed by Jon Avnet and written by Robert King.
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[edit] Plot
It tells the story of a wealthy American businessman named Jack Moore (played by Richard Gere) working in China and attempting to put together a satellite communications deal as part of a joint venture with the Chinese government. Before the deal goes through, he is framed for the murder of a powerful Chinese general's daughter, and the satellite contract is awarded to Moore's competitor, Gerhardt Hoffman. Moore's court-appointed lawyer Shen Yuelin, (played by Bai Ling), initially does not believe his claims of innocence, but the pair gradually unearths further evidence that not only vindicates Moore but also implicates powerful figures within the Chinese central government administration, exposing undeniavle conspiracy and corruption.
[edit] Filming
Red Corner was shot in Los Angeles using elaborate sets and CGI rendering of 3,500 still shots and two minutes of footage from China. In order to establish the film's verisimility, several Beijing actors were brought to the United States on visas for filming. The judicial and penitentiary scenes were recreated from descriptions given by attorneys and judges practicing in China and the video segment showing the execution of Chinese prisoners was an actual execution. The individuals providing the video and the descriptions to Avnet and his staff took on a significant risk by providing it.[2]
[edit] Reception
The film received generally negative reviews when it was released in the United States. The movie review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes found that 33% of the film critics gave the movie positive reviews, while only 20% of top critics reviewed it positively.[3]
Cynthia Langston of Film Journal International responded to the film: "So unrealistic, so contrived and so blatantly "Hollywood" that Gere can't possibly imagine he's opening any eyes to the problem, or any doors to its solution, for that matter".[4] The Los Angeles Times described Red Corner as a "sluggish and uninteresting melodrama that is further hampered by the delusion that it is saying something significant. But its one-man-against-the-system story is hackneyed and the points it thinks it's making about the state of justice in China are hampered by an attitude that verges on the xenophobic."[5] Salon film critic Andrew O'Hehir noted "...more the movie's subtext swallows its story, until all that is left is Gere's superior virtue, intermixed with his superior virility – both of which are greatly appreciated by the evidently underserviced Chinese female population..." O'Hehir also noted that the film reinforces the infamous Western stereotypes of Asian female sexuality (as in those of The World of Suzie Wong) as well as the hoariest stereotyping.[6]
[edit] Rating
The film is rated "R" in the USA for violence and sexuality.[1] It is banned in the People's Republic of China for political reasons.[7]
For various countries, the film's ratings are: [8]
Iceland:14 / Iceland:16 (video rating) / South Korea:18 / Argentina:13 / Australia:M / Belgium:KT / Chile:14 / Finland:K-16 / France:U / Germany:12 (w) / India:A / Mexico:B / Peru:14 / Portugal:M/12 / Singapore:NC-16 / Spain:13 / Sweden:15 / Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) / Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) / UK:15 / USA:R
[edit] Cast
- Richard Gere— Jack Moore
- Bai Ling — Shen Yuelin (Lawyer)
- Bradley Whitford — Bob Ghery
- Byron Mann — Lin Dan
- Peter Donat — David McAndrews
- Robert Stanton — Ed Pratt
- Tsai Chin — Chairman Xu
- James Hong — Lin Shou
- Tzi Ma — Li Cheng
- Ulrich Matschoss — Gerhardt Hoffman
- Richard Venture — Ambassador Reed
- Jessey Meng — Hong Ling
- Roger Yuan — Huan Minglu
- Chi Yu Li — General Hong
- Henry O — Procurator General Yang
- Kent Faulcon — Marine Guard
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Red Corner". Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. http://www.mgm.com/title_title.php?title_star=REDCORNR.
- ^ See director's cometary on DVD.
- ^ "Red Corner Movie Reviews". Rottentomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/red_corner/.
- ^ Red Corner. Film Journal International.
- ^ Red Corner: A Heavy-Handed Battle With Justice in China. Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Red Corner. Salon
- ^ Total Film – Red Corner – Film Review
- ^ Cf. Internet Movie Database article/parentalguide
[edit] External links
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