Word: courtroom
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...Simpson saga. When the guilty verdict was announced, an audience watching in a pub in Woodward's home village of Elton, in northern England, was so taken aback that for a time all that could be heard was the amplified sound of the teenager crying in the courtroom 3,000 miles away. The American justice system came under attack. Alarmed by Leone's masterful summation, some complained that the defense should have had the final word, as it does in Britain. Furthermore, says British legal expert Stephen Jakobi, "Massachusetts, home to the witch-hunt--we have a lot of problems...
Richard Gere takes Hollywood's latest shot at China--this time attacking its system of criminal justice (or lack thereof). Solid courtroom drama and a fine performance by Bai Ling as Gere's lawyer are ultimately let down by a muddled ending...
Throughout the film, Moore is shown waiting, about to explode, as the ubiquitous Chinese is translated for him. Meanwhile, the audience is just as lost as he is, relying in a similar way on outside aid to understand what's happening. In the courtroom, Moore relies on a earpiece for the barely audible translation, and the audience must get used to sifting through the mostly Chinese lingual hodge-podge...
...progresses, as it must for Moore, and it's remarkably effective in creating a very foreign feel to the proceedings. All of this makes it possible for select Chinese characters who speak English to be used strategically to provide welcome patches of unmitigated understanding. Indeed, many of the key courtroom speeches, ones which illuminate crucial logical points or make important statements of protocol, are spoken in English for the benefit of both Moore and the audience. These islands of comprehension do not seem out of place, but rather achieve an almost subliminal elevation of importance and lucidity in the mind...
...only at the end--when the precarious balance between courtroom drama and culture clash falls--that things fall apart. The climax of what promised to be a fulfilling logical legal setup is mired in the Chinese-English conglomeration to be easily understood. The end sequence consists of swirling and complicated plot ideas, none properly explained (at least not in English). Although the punchline of the scene is suitably shocking and unexpected, it will elicit more of a "Huh?" than a satisfied...