Our Flick of the Week is “Red Corner,” which is noteworthy only as a political act by actor Richard Gere and certainly not as a film. A simple-minded attack on what passes for the Chinese criminal justice system, “Red Corner” stars Gere as an American attorney in Beijing on business who is accused of raping and murdering a Chinese model.
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Much to his horror he finds himself in a trick bag in which even his own defense attorney seems to be out to nail him. This results in stentorian speeches by Gere in which he exclaims the likes of, “The defense attorney is supposed to represent the accused, not the state!” Or, “Assuming the role means listening to the facts.” The passion may be real, but the words are arch movie dialogue.
The Chinese government, which has complained about Hollywood’s current portrayal of Chinese matters, has little to fear from “Red Corner.” A better film on the same subject should be its concern. Rated R. (star) 1/2
– CRITICAL CARE. An amusing look at the hospital industry, with James Spader playing a young doctor stunned by the lectures on overcharging he is given by the nearly senile chief of his hospital’s critical-care facility. Albert Brooks in heavy makeup steals the show as the venal doctor in charge. R. (star) (star) (star)
– SWITCHBACK. Yet another serial-killer movie, and are you as sick of this subject as I am? We continue to suffer from the success of “The Silence of the Lambs.” Here, Dennis Quaid plays an FBI agent who has received correspondence from a man “credited” with 18 murders. Serial-killer movies need a gimmick to separate them from the crowd, and the best that this script can muster is a chase in the snow-covered West. Danny Glover co-stars, and I can’t imagine what attracted him to this lame story. Actually, I can — a big paycheck. R. (star)
– = New this week