I have a fondness for what I call “neglected cinema”. Quirky, weird, “cult” films that never reached a wide audience or great success but did gain a cult following and devoted fans. Buckaroo Banzai is one such film. Sorcerer, another. And then there is Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins.
While the movie was once a cable TV staple (I believe HBO showed it, along with Superman 2, every-other day for at least two years) it has disappeared in recent years. Understandably… It flopped when released in 1985 and its basic premise (a secret government group that assassinates bad guys) is… well, not very American. Which is ironic, because Remo Williams is basically an American James Bond, which is why Orion Pictures green-lit the film. As seen by the title, this was supposed to be the beginning of a whole series of Remo Williams films, adapting (semi-loosely) The Destroyer book series. They even got Guy Hamilton (director of Goldfinger and Live and Let Die) to helm the film.
As I’ve stated before, timing is everything. The Arnold Schwarzenegger movie Commando was released one week before Remo Williams: TAB, and it’s hard-core action sensibilities were much more aligned to audience expectations at the time than a hero who eschews guns, learns an ancient martial art, and dodges bullets. So, the planned franchise never happened
Which is too bad, because The Adventure Begins is great fun, even with some of the very dated aspects of the film and the plot. In summary, a cop (Fred Ward) is “killed” and after plastic surgery and a new name (Remo Williams) is recruited into the secret spy organization (run by Wilford Brimley!) that reports directly to the President. They kill bad guys, but only after proof of their evil deeds are attained.
Remo has to learn how to be an assassin first, and thus we meet Chiun, master of Sinanju… the martial art that all others were derived from. Chiun is played by Joel Grey, under heavy makeup. And that’s one of the very dated aspects of the film. Chiun is a great character, and Joel Grey is fantastic, but… He’s a white-man playing a Korean, and he also sounds like Charlie Chan’s love child. It’s… problematic.
Also at issue are some of the scenes with Kate Mulgrew, a tough Army Captain who turns into a love-struck girl when she stares into Remo Williams’ eyes. She’s good, but the role is thankless and a far cry from strong women from other action films such as Ellen Ripley.
But problems aside, the movie has some great action scenes, and a crazy stunt sequence on the scaffolding surrounding the Statue of Liberty (which was being refurbished at the time) is a highlight of the film. It’s so great to see classic stunts in real-world environments, without CGI. Ah, those were the days.
Is it better than I remembered? Absolutely. There were a lot of great moments, and while the plot is thread-bare it MOVES, with barely a wasted moment. And the chemistry between Ward and Grey elevates most scenes they are in (and Chiun’s insults are perfectly delivered). And above all else the movie is FUN, even though some scenes are pretty dark.
Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins is now on Amazon Prime, so if you have never seen it… Seek it out. It’s definitely worth a watch.