For a movie that was made over 20 years ago, Remo still entertains. You'll remember Chun and Remo, and the classic running on quick-sand, dodging bullets, and balancing on anything - but you'll have forgotten the great look at 'advanced technology' such as the top secret 'interweb' used to find information from around the world - all based on a desktop computer and attached to a library full of ten foot servers. I have had to watch this movie several times since I purchased it - at a great price - because anyone that grew up in the eighties remembers it and likes to be entertained by this light hearted action comedy.

I like the premise of this movie being that a man's death is faked so that a top secret agency can give him a new identity and arm this person with new skills to take out the enemy... It is fun to see Fred Ward's Character undergo such a change and through these changes & training become a "secret weapon" to help with both domestic and foreign affairs....

However, this movie doesn't stand up well against the test of time. It is very dated & filled with all of the 1980's cliches, bad music, cheesy bad guys and various other stereotypes galore! Some of the humor and action were fun to watch and some of it was silly is an understatement.

The best part of "Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins" is Joel Grey's portrayal of Chiun. Chiun is a Korean master of fighting hired to teach Remo Williams to become a lethal weapon. The interactions between Chiun & Remo Williams are often funny and charming. The rest of the movie overall was trite.

I doubt that ANYONE has ever truly known how to properly market this film. Simply looking at the DVD box artwork is an indication of that fact. Movie posters even featured four slightly different working titles;

Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins...
Remo: The Adventure Begins...
Remo: The First Adventure
Remo: Unarmed and Dangerous (Title in the UK)

Remo Williams is a very entertaining film that unfortunately never found an audience. While the film does suffer from a few script and directing related issues, one cannot deny that casting was perfect. Fred Ward isn't your typical action star, and that's why he's PERFECT in the title role of Remo Williams. Oscar and Golden Globe winner Joel Grey turns in another stellar performance as Chiun, a role that would bring him another Golden Globe nomination. The chemistry between these two actors, along with perfectly scripted, and often quite funny dialogue, is the real heart of this film.

Yes, there are plenty of stunts, and veteran James Bond director Guy Hamilton was at the helm. Still, you shouldn't expect an "American James Bond". You should also not expect a traditional action film, or martial arts epic. Remo Williams never takes itself too seriously, and that's why I've always found it easy to forgive any imperfections.

A few notes;

Although the DVD has been released in "standard" format (modified to fit your screen), it is my understanding that the theatrical release was a matted presentation. So, you're actually seeing MORE than was originally intended because the matting has been removed. If the DVD was released as Widescreen, the top and bottom would be cropped (covered) to allow the widescreen aspect.

Kate Mulgrew (Star Trek Voyager) has a fairly substantial supporting role, but her character isn't as developed as it should have been.

Remo Willaims received an OSCAR nomination (Best Makeup - Carl Fullerton), which it truly deserved. Also, a Golden Globe and Saturn nomination (Joel Grey - Best Supporting actor), which he should have won!

There WAS in fact another Remo Williams adventure, in the form of a 1988 TV pilot. It starred Jeffrey Meek as Remo, and Roddy McDowall as Chiun. It was not picked up as a series.

To sum up;

The late Gene Siskel had it right, when he said "spectacular and funny adventure film". That's exactly what this is. If you like 80's entertainment, and light-hearted action adventure, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by Remo Williams.

JM

As a kid, I LOVED this movie. After I read the series, I didn't like it as much. Fred Ward and Joel Grey certainly had the right look (although Chuin's attire wasn't proper, but his acting was perfect as Chuin). The origin was totally stupid, and McCleary wasn't portrayed right, either. This movie deserves a remake!

Enough has been written here about this typical action film, but an ignored beauty is Joel Grey's deft performance of an old Korean master. Though in heavy makeup (Grey is not as ancient as the character Master Chuun) Grey was commended for the most sensitive and accurate performance of an Asian character by a white actor. Sounds racist, but the critics at the time really meant it. Yellowface was still in vogue. Very true to the culture, from his accent to the attitude that women are fairly worthless, from his love of soaps to his love of assassination, Grey nails this character. I doubt that the great Keye Luke himself could have done it better. Since America had only cheap Chinese "kung-fu" films, and samurai films were limited to Kurosawa's output, "Remo Williams" is not so bad. Jackie Chan had a small cult following then, and his films were a delight, but I was there when "Remo" was newly released, and I was jaded by all there was to see from Asia. Yet "Remo" moved me. It showed me a good time, and didn't kill me at the box office or when I originally bought it on VHS. Few youngsters today realize the impact it had on the martial arts genre American-style. It gave the genre a hope it had never nejoyed. Bottom line: see this film and decide for yourself, and be merciful to the 1980's for once!