I was in Asia when this was made and I was working with several justice systems (military and civil) of various countries at the time. I can tell you for a fact - while the story is made up, this isn't a work of fiction.This is how the oriental justice systems work. I've personally sat through interrogations administered in these systems and compared to the U.S. - they are brutal and unforgiving just as they are depicted here. The reputation of the state is worth more than your life and if you are stupid enough to get caught or framed, you are expendable in order to save a high ranking party member or a statused member of society's honor or reputation.
You're living in a world that has a +98% conviction rate and confession rate - and that goes for crimes people didn't commit but just were in the wrong place - and these are countries we think of as civilized and advanced.
Peaceful?? Yes they are in that part of the world - because of the justice system like this. No crime? None other than the kind of stuff you see in this film because people know better than to get caught. That's why it's so peaceful.
I used to be absolutely infuriated with the "honor" system in that part of the world. You really do have to wrap your head around it and it takes a while. And the Asians who work in the government, especially the communists, in those systems spend YEARS being indoctrinated as to the values of their systems compared to America and European values - things us Americans just live and take for granted - unless you've gone through it and are ready for a battle of wits, the average American would be quite unprepared to engage intellectually on the merits of the two systems with them. Something that's shown quite well in this movie when he gets schooled by the female attorney until he has a few days to think about it in his cell pending his execution.
While Richard Gere is a p-r-i-*-* on his political views and in person, he does an EXCELLENT job in this movie and, not only that, Bai Ling is pretty easy on the eyes in this movie too.
This is an EXCELLENT movie. (Rated "R" for violence and some not-quite-graphic amorousness).
For me, this is a required in my collection and I need to get it.
