Synopsis

American attorney Jack Moore travels to Beijing to negotiate a major business deal, but wakes to find a woman dead in his hotel room. Arrested and accused of murder, he faces a legal system that seems determined to convict him. His court-appointed advocate, Shen Yuelin, initially follows official policy, but gradually questions the case and joins Moore in uncovering the conspiracy behind it.

Factoids & Trivia

• Most of the film was shot in Los Angeles rather than China. A seven-acre reproduction of a Beijing neighborhood was built near Los Angeles International Airport for the exterior scenes.

• The Beijing set was filled with approximately 300 bicycles, 15 cars, and thousands of imported Chinese props, including stoves and manhole covers.

• A small production team secretly filmed in Beijing without official permission. The resulting 35mm footage and thousands of still photographs were incorporated into the finished film to make the Los Angeles sets appear more authentic.

• Production designer Richard Sylbert made two research trips to China and took more than 1,500 photographs while preparing the film's large-scale sets.

• The execution footage shown during an intimidation scene was reportedly actual footage smuggled out of China, rather than staged material.

• Chinese authorities objected to the film's depiction of the country's judicial system. In 1997, China also halted cooperation with MGM and two other Hollywood studios over films considered hostile to China, including "Red Corner."

• The film received the National Board of Review's Freedom of Expression Award in 1997. Bai Ling also received the organization's Breakthrough Performance - Female award for her work in the film.