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Red Corner

Red Corner

List Price: $14.95
Your Price: $13.46
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Pretty Good, But Could Have Been Better.
Review: "Red Corner" is one of those films that gets it's message through, but not strongly enough. I expected a powerful drama like Alan Parker's "Midnight Express." But instead we get a thriller that's entertaining and interesting, but not as powerful as it should be. I recommend you see the film, it's message about Red China is pretty effective. Richard Gere gives a convincing performance. The score is also hypnotic. I also liked the visual work. While not a "great" film, "Red Corner" is still an effective film.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Red Corner
Review: A lawyer goes to China, has a one night stand with a Chinese woman he meets there, and she ends up dead. The law immediately points the finger at him, and he must stand trial in China, facing their corrupt and unfair system. A young Chinese lawyer who is assigned to Gere's case starts believing him, and they both fight for his rights in an unfair system.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Politics aside, it's a good film.
Review: After reading some of the negative reviews of this film on amazon.com I felt I had to put my two cents in defending it. First of all I don't think people should get so emotional and excited about it's portrayal of the communist China's regime and judicial system. Yes, maybe the film is prapogandist, maybe Chinese legal system today is not anything like the movie portrays it to be and maybe it was like that at one time in any case, everyone knows corruption and injustice exists more or less everywhere whether it's China, United States, Western Europe and more than likely innocent people have been executed in countries that keep the death penalty whether it's China or the US or wherever. But it's not like Hollywood never made a film that's critical of the American judicial or political system involving corrupt government officials. Clear and Present Danger for example. That's why controversial movies like this help get the message out even if just by motivating people to talk about such isues.

As for the film itself, the acting is medeocre. The musical score is pretty good. The Chinese actress that plays's Gere's atorney performs better than Gere especialy during the final court scene. It's a thought provoking movie and not just eye candy like a lot of the films of today.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Politics aside, it's a good film.
Review: After reading some of the negative reviews of this film on amazon.com I felt I had to put my two cents in defending it. First of all I don't think people should get so emotional and excited about it's portrayal of the communist China's regime and judicial system. Yes, maybe the film is prapogandist, maybe Chinese legal system today is not anything like the movie portrays it to be and maybe it was like that at one time in any case, everyone knows corruption and injustice exists more or less everywhere whether it's China, United States, Western Europe and more than likely innocent people have been executed in countries that keep the death penalty whether it's China or the US or wherever. But it's not like Hollywood never made a film that's critical of the American judicial or political system involving corrupt government officials. Clear and Present Danger for example. That's why controversial movies like this help get the message out even if just by motivating people to talk about such isues.

As for the film itself, the acting is medeocre. The musical score is pretty good. The Chinese actress that plays's Gere's atorney performs better than Gere especialy during the final court scene. It's a thought provoking movie and not just eye candy like a lot of the films of today.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Don't believe what that you see here(severity to who resist)
Review: An amusing way to think of movies like this - what if it was a Chinese buisnessman in the United States? The xenophobia of the Chinese in the movie, is just a reflection of the popular American view (which Hollywood is obliged to respect and re-enforce). American audiences will not see anything different, just the expected "horned" foreigners and the triumph of the "white male" over the other slithering slimy characters. And, of course, the reason why our hero is in the him vs. everyone in the movie because of trade issues. If you liked this movie, then you might want to try "Rules of Engagement"

However, credit must be given to the beautiful photography and the very textured and captivating music (and that's one start for each)

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great movie
Review: Any movie that ticks off China as much as this movie did is a winner. It opens us up to how some countries deal with criminals, and how judicial systems work in China. I learned alot about both, though the story is through Hollywood's eyes. I do wish we could deal with some people, ie...murderers, in this country the same way they do in China.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good story, realistic context?
Review: Anyone who has read my review of "Primal Fear" will know just how much Gere's conceit irritates me, especially with that smarmy "I'm going to take you to bed because I'm so gorgeous and irrisistable" look he has, but really, he is OK in this. Instead of being the super tough hero he gets kicked around a lot which lends him an air of humility, for once. I am a bit of a China fan so I am biased about this film, but it has a reasonably good story and is well acted. The only thing that annoys me is the fact that if they really wanted to set him up then they would have appointed a biased judge who would see him convicted no matter what...but let's not argue with that as we need to allow the makers some poetic licence. Altogether a "worth seeing".

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: A Bad Case of Self-Glorification
Review: From the moment this film starts, you know you're in for a duration of Chinese-bashing. From scene one, the main character copps off with a model- why, might you ask? Because he is Richard Gere, as well as being the Dalai Lama's advocate and Tibetan-loving activist, he is first and foremost the ladies man. Lest we not forget American Gigolo, as he hasn't. It's a hideous case for subject matter, a fashion model who spends the night with Mr. Gere then is murdered. Can you guess who is the accused culprit? Exactly. This film screams out predicatable throughout all the scenes. Thank God someone thought of throwing in an action chase scene otherwise we'd get too drawn into the weak subject matter. The subject in question being a T.V. exectutive(Gere) is being set-up for a murder and we have to guess whether it is by the Chinese government or a rival T.V. mogul. Gere gets his kit off not just once but twice!! This film suffers from extreme exploitation. Bai Ling's character as Gere's appointed defense attorney is about the only watcheable performance. All the other actors are just told under direction to look like evil commies. When the revelation finally comes through of why Gere was framed it is just too unbelievable which is why this film could only have been made in Hollywood and thankfully fictitious. It does make you think in the end though....instead of Mr. Gere pouring his amount of money, time and efforts into this wasted vehicle he should buy himself a one-way ticket to Tibet where he can fully immerse himself in his causes and let the rest of us get on with our lives.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Action Great but Message Sucks Dirty Bathwater
Review: I almost didn't make it past the first five minutes of the film. I could barely tolerate the stock mainland Chinese characterization. But the sexy fashion model retained my interest, albeit purely on a physical level. Then the film descended into quintessential liberal Hollywood preaching about the supposed hell of contemporary China. Now, don't get me wrong: I am far from being an apologist for the Chinese government or socialism in general but as one who has lived and worked here for two years and actually witnessed a murder trial in Beijing, I find the director's distorted lens almost too much to look through. The two redeeming aspects are the pacing of the action and the performance of Bai Ling. Frankly, she is too talented for this caricature of a film. Gere goes at it again with his homage to the supposedly oppressed Chinese citzenry. I found the trial developments to be too predictable and histrionic. Still, the movie manages to be suspenseful and contains some good photography. Not surprisingly, the director and screenwriters' feeble attempts at objectivity (e.g. the arguments between Gere and Bai about whether Americans or Chinese citizens are more victimized) are simply another vehicle for liberal causes in America as if to say, oh, yes we have problems such as too much gun ownership. You might be interested in knowing that I have shown this film to Chinese students in Beijing who were greatly offended by the depictions of current Chinese courtrooms. They are tired of watching American (and Chinese films) that seem to be frozen in a Cultural Revolution-era time warp. Are there miscarriages of justice in China? Of course--as in America. Less of a political overtone could have made this a much better film.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Bai Ling is nice actress !
Review: I have just watched this video and now am very interrested in Bai Ling.She is very nice and very attractive actress.Richard Gere is of course very nice. The story is very thrilling!


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