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Red Corner (1997)

Rate: 5
Viewed: 10/23

RCorner
10/23: It'll be easy to say Red Corner is the one that got Richard Gere banned from entering China.

But that's not true. His intense support for Tibet and the Dalai Lama is the primary reason, having become interested in Buddhism during his twenties. Therefore, I was surprised to see him in a Chinese setting. What happened is the filmmakers shot a lot of footage in China and had the images used for reconstruction of Beijing right in Los Angeles along with the CGI work. In other words, Richard Gere was never in China to send his personal "fuck you" message.

Back to Red Corner, it's not good, bringing back memories of Midnight Express and Brokedown Palace. Bai Ling plays a stupid, useless, and brainwashed state-sponsored lawyer who's not worth caring about, hence the loss of emotional value throughout. Smug, impossibly handsome, and smiling during the worst of conditions, Jack Moore makes the biggest mistake by leaving the embassy when we know in China that a happy ending shan't be expected.

It's amazing to see how much Jack Moore can remember and recall the tiniest but significant information that'll ultimately exonerate him. The idea of him asking for an English-translated book on Chinese laws is laughable. They'll make up anything as long as there's no public embarrassment of being wrong. Sometimes, the scenes jump ahead rapidly in order to wrap up the story with a predictable ending. If Jack Moore's eyeglasses had been stepped on, then how is it possible that he could "see"?

All in all, Bai Ling's unlikeable character is the number one undoing of Red Corner.