Red Corner

views updated

Red Corner ★★½ 1997 (R)

Wrong-man scenario features Gere as an American entertainment lawyer on business in China who is framed for murdering a Chinese model he spent the night with. A colossal bummer, Jack's beautiful, court-appointed attorney (Ling) explains the Chinese legal process: “If you plead not guilty, you will be shot within a week and the cost of the bullet will be charged to your family.” Gruesome jail scenes involving excrement and a hell-on-wheels female judge don't help his case much, either. Pic suffers from some of the usual cliches but is aided by an acclaimed performance by Ling and one of the better recent Gere turns. Beijing was recreated on the DreamWorks studio lot in California. 118m/C VHS, DVD . Richard Gere, Bai Ling, Byron Mann, Bradley Whitford, Peter Donat, Robert Stanton, Tsai Chin, James Hong, Tzi Ma, Richard Venture; D: Jon Avnet; W: Robert King; C: Karl Walter Lindenlaub; M: Thomas Newman.

More From encyclopedia.com