Red Corner (1997)

[alreadytaken]

This film is really good, it shows you the real dark side of China's legal system. Starring Richard Gere as a attorney framed for murder the film shows how China does not have the rule of law. Keep in mind this is just a movie, the reality is freakier than fiction.

[liuzhou]

it shows you the real dark side of China's legal system

the reality is freakier

Well. Which is it? Real or not real? You can't have it both ways.

[Angelina]

Yes, reality is freakier than fiction. Same Hollywood saint, Richard Here, once came to my country to take care of poor little refugees who had come to my country.

The whole 'developed' world really loved these refugees, they loved to take photos with them, but didn't let them in. My country was the only country to actually let them in and save their lives.

What did we get for that? Instability, less safety, extremism, civilians getting killed by machine guns.

I'm not defending any system here, I only hate political propaganda. It doesn't matter where this propaganda comes from.

[Lu]

Yes, reality is freakier than fiction. Same Hollywood saint, Richard Here, once came to my country to take care of poor little refugees who had come to my country.

The whole 'developed' world really loved these refugees, they loved to take photos with them, but didn't let them in. My country was the only country to actually let them in and save their lives.

What did we get for that? Instability, less safety, extremism, civilians getting killed by machine guns.

I'm not defending any system here, I only hate political propaganda. It doesn't matter where this propaganda comes from.

It would probably help if you'd mention which countries those were and which war. And what exactly is the link between the refugee situation (which I don't doubt is bad for all involved), Richard Gere being there and political propaganda?

[Angelina]

Alreadytaken is spreading political propaganda. Propaganda is propaganda, I don't care where it comes from.

Alreadytaken said that reality is freakier than fiction, I tried to show him how my reality is freakier than his Hollywood movie which certainty isn't short of Cold War-style jingoism.

I'm from Macedonia. Back in 1999 we received hundreds of thousands of refugees from Kosovo. If we hadn't done this, we would have been bombed by NATO. My country (of less than two million people at that time) was not ready for these refugees. Instead of immediately sending the refugees somewhere where they can be taken care of, international philanthropists and humanitarians decided to send them to Macedonia and then come to visit them in order to show how much they care. Valiant Richard Gere was one of them.

The years after that were hell, or maybe it felt like that because I was going through puberty.

Just when we though those times are behind us, 5 people were killed last Easter.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smilkovci_lake_killings

The prime suspects have escaped to Kosovo, their government hasn't send them to Macedonia yet. Where is justice? Where is Richard Gere now?

[Angelina]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/330611.stm

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/inatl/longterm/balkans/stories/macedonia050599.htm

Here is Dick.

[liuzhou]

All sides spread propaganda. Propaganda isn't just what the people you disagree with say. You are spreading political propaganda just by posting here.

I think you need to check out what 'propaganda' actually means.

[Angelina]

You are right, no one can discuss a political issue and stay neutral.

I consider OP an American 五毛 just like I consider Chinese 五毛s 五毛s. Maybe that makes me anti-American. I feel sorry for people who have truly suffered behind bars, in China, the US and elsewhere.

[skylee]

Hong Kong was the port of first asylum for refugees from Vietnam for many years, and suffered from the associated problems. We paid heavily for a war that was not ours. So it might be good for you to know that Macedonia is/was not the only place in the world offering shelter to refugees.

I don't have any views on the film posted in #1. Different people have different tastes.

[Kobo-Daishi]

Skylee wrote:

Hong Kong was the port of first asylum for refugees from Vietnam for many years, and suffered from the associated problems. We paid heavily for a war that was not ours. So it might be good for you to know that Macedonia is/was not the only place in the world offering shelter to refugees.

So what happened to the Vietnamese refugees? Were they eventually assimilated into Hong Kong society?

Weren't a lot of them ethnic Chinese? And don't they speak Cantonese?

[alreadytaken]

Angelina

I feel sorry about the political status of your country and maybe what Richard Gere did, but I don't know if you've seen this movie, which is something more to "political propaganda". Part of it tells the truth. You may think I'm just another internet users that criticizes or hates China, you are wrong. I don't know if you have any idea of China's court system works, which I not only have but also been through its legal procedures. The movie even embellished China's court as Richard gene's character can wear a suit in court which is impossible if he is brought directly from detention. I've watched this movie long ago, before I've experienced what a Chinese court is like.

[liuzhou]

This movie is not "political propaganda", part of it actually tells the truth.

Haha!

You are assuming, incorrectly, that propaganda can't be true.

The rest of your post doesn't make much sense either. Sorry. That may be a language problem.

I'm still confused though. You started the thread by clearly stating that "This film is really good, it shows you the real dark side of China's legal system."

Since then you have been telling us it doesn't show the real side.

Well. Which is it? Real or not real? You can't have it both ways.