Red Corner

Red Corner is a movie about an American who comes afoul of the Chinese legal system. It stars Richard Gere and a lovely Chinese actress named – I think – Ban Lee. I’m writing from an Ipod and it isn’t so easy to look up references. Quite a terrible movie. I wasn’t so worried about what critics called the hackneyed plot – since I don’t watch so many movies that never bothers me. And the silly plot developments didn’t worry me too much either. But I felt angry that the American director felt he could give himself so much license in his portrayal of China. I feel few sentiments towards that country, but this kind of xenophobic rubbish, which has a senior Chinese official pull out a gun and dispense summary justice in the courtroom, and other absurdities just add to the cross-cultural bad vibes. It’s a pity that Richard Gere, the Buddhist devotee of the Dalai Lama, involved himself in a hateful movie like this. The media always reports with indignation the way in which Israelis or westerners are depicted badly in Arab or Iranian films.