Red Corner
Encyclopedia
Red Corner is a drama film
produced in 1997
, directed by Jon Avnet
and written by Robert King
.
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 unearth further evidence that not only vindicates Moore, but also implicates powerful figures within the Chinese central government administration and exposes undeniable conspiracy
and corruption
.
found that 33% of the film critics gave the movie positive reviews, while only 20% of top critics reviewed it positively.
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". 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." 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 stereotype
s of Asian female sexuality
(as in those of The World of Suzie Wong
) as well as the hoariest stereotyping.
for political reasons.
For various countries, the film's ratings are:
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
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
produced in 1997
1997 in film
-Events:* The original Star Wars trilogy's Special Editions are released.* Production begins on Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.* Titanic becomes the first film to gross US$1,000,000,000 at the box office making it the highest grossing film in history until Avatar broke the record in 2010.*...
, directed by Jon Avnet
Jon Avnet
Jonathan Michael "Jon" Avnet is an American director, writer and producer.-Early life:Avnet was born in Brooklyn, the son of Joan Bertha and Lester Francis Avnet, a corporate executive and electronics distributor. He attended Great Neck North High School in Great Neck, New York...
and written by Robert King
Robert King (writer)
-Career:King began his career writing the television movie Imaginary Friends in 1983. The film was directed by Michael Darlow.He wrote the science fiction horror film The Nest in 1988 and action sequel Silk 2 in 1989...
.
Plot
It tells the story of a wealthy AmericanUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
businessman named Jack Moore (played by Richard Gere
Richard Gere
Richard Tiffany Gere is an American actor. He began acting in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in Looking for Mr. Goodbar, and a starring role in Days of Heaven. He came to prominence in 1980 for his role in the film American Gigolo, which established him as a leading man and a sex symbol...
) working in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
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
Bai Ling
Bai Ling is a Chinese actress known for her work in films such as The Crow, Red Corner and Wild Wild West, and in TV series such as Entourage and Lost. In 2011 she appeared in the fifth season of the VH1 reality television series Celebrity Rehab with Dr...
) initially does not believe his claims of innocence, but the pair gradually unearth further evidence that not only vindicates Moore, but also implicates powerful figures within the Chinese central government administration and exposes undeniable conspiracy
Cabal
A cabal is a group of people united in some close design together, usually to promote their private views and/or interests in a church, state, or other community, often by intrigue...
and corruption
Political corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
.
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.Reception
The film received generally negative reviews when it was released in the United States. The movie review aggregator website Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
found that 33% of the film critics gave the movie positive reviews, while only 20% of top critics reviewed it positively.
Cynthia Langston of Film Journal International
Film Journal International
Film Journal International is a motion-picture industry trade magazine published by the American company Prometheus Global Media. It is a sister publication of Adweek, Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, and other periodicals....
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". The Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
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." Salon
Salon.com
Salon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...
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 stereotype
Stereotype
A stereotype is a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals. The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings...
s of Asian female sexuality
Human sexuality
Human sexuality is the awareness of gender differences, and the capacity to have erotic experiences and responses. Human sexuality can also be described as the way someone is sexually attracted to another person whether it is to opposite sexes , to the same sex , to either sexes , or not being...
(as in those of The World of Suzie Wong
The World of Suzie Wong
The World of Suzie Wong is a 1957 novel written by Richard Mason. The main characters are Robert Lomax, a young British artist living in Hong Kong, and Suzie Wong, the title character, a Chinese woman who works as a prostitute...
) as well as the hoariest stereotyping.
Rating
The film is rated "R" in the USA for violence and sexuality. It is banned in the People's Republic of ChinaPeople's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
for political reasons.
For various countries, the film's ratings are:
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
Cast
- Richard GereRichard GereRichard Tiffany Gere is an American actor. He began acting in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in Looking for Mr. Goodbar, and a starring role in Days of Heaven. He came to prominence in 1980 for his role in the film American Gigolo, which established him as a leading man and a sex symbol...
— Jack Moore - Bai LingBai LingBai Ling is a Chinese actress known for her work in films such as The Crow, Red Corner and Wild Wild West, and in TV series such as Entourage and Lost. In 2011 she appeared in the fifth season of the VH1 reality television series Celebrity Rehab with Dr...
— Shen Yuelin (Lawyer) - Bradley Whitford Bradley WhitfordBradley Whitford is an American film and television actor. He is best known for his roles as Deputy White House Chief of Staff Josh Lyman on the NBC television drama The West Wing, as Danny Tripp on Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, as Dan Stark in the Fox police buddy-comedy The Good Guys, as...
— Bob Ghery - Byron Mann Byron MannByron Mann is an actor who has made films in both Hollywood and Asia. He is perhaps best known for his performance as Ryu in Street Fighter.-Biography:...
— Lin Dan - Peter DonatPeter DonatPeter Donat is a Canadian-American actor known for his roles in American television.-Early life:Donat was born Pierre Collingwood Donat in Kentville, Nova Scotia, Canada, the son of Marie and Philip Ernst Donat, a landscape gardener. His uncle was British actor Robert Donat...
— David McAndrews - Robert StantonRobert StantonBeginning as a seasonal ranger at Grand Teton National Park in 1962, Robert G. Stanton served the NPS as a ranger, superintendent, deputy regional director, assistant director, and regional director of the National Capital Region before retiring in January 1997...
— Ed Pratt - Tsai ChinTsai Chin (actress)Tsai Chin , also known as Irene Chow, is a Chinese-born actress living in England.-Early life, family & education:Chin was born to Peking Opera actor Zhou Xinfang in 1936. She spent her early life in Shanghai. She had two short marriages which both ended in divorce. Her brother is Michael...
— Chairman Xu - James HongJames HongJames Hong is an American actor and former president of the Association of Asian/Pacific American Artists . A prolific acting veteran, Hong's career spans over 50 years and includes more than 350 roles in film, television, and video games.-Early life:Hong was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His...
— Lin Shou - Tzi MaTzi MaTzi Ma is a Chinese American actor who has made numerous appearances in American films and TV series.-Life and career:Ma was born in Hong Kong...
— Li Cheng - Ulrich Matschoss — Gerhardt Hoffman
- Richard Venture — Ambassador Reed
- Jessey Meng — Hong Ling
- Roger YuanRoger YuanRoger Yuan is a Los Angeles-born actor, martial artist, stunt man and fight choreographer. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California Los Angeles. Yuan is a black belt in Chun Kuk Do...
— Huan Minglu - Chi Yu Li — General Hong
- Henry OHenry OHenry O is a Chinese American actor. He is the father of Ji-li Jiang, the author of Red Scarf Girl.-Biography:Raised in China , O was brought up in English and American missionary schools. He worked in the Children’s Art Theater as an actor and later as the deputy art director/actor for thirty years...
— Procurator General Yang - Kent FaulconKent FaulconKent Faulcon is an American actor, director, and writer. He has made several contributions to Black independent film festivals.-Filmography:- Awards and nominations :Arizona Black Filmmakers Showcase* Nominated, "Best Film"...
— Marine Guard