Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (1985)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Guy Hamilton

Writers:

Warren Murphy (novel)
Richard Sapir (novel)

Release Date:

11 October 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

A hero who doesn't exist must save America from an enemy we never knew we had.

Plot:

An officially "dead" cop is trained to become an extraordinarily unique assassin in service of the US president.

Plot Keywords:

Assassin | Korean | Ancient Korean Martial Art | Statue Of Liberty | Women In Uniform

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 nominations

Cast

Fred Ward	...	Remo Williams
Joel Grey	...	Chiun
Wilford Brimley	...	Harold Smith
J.A. Preston	...	Conn MacCleary
George Coe	...	Gen. Scott Watson
Charles Cioffi	...	George Grove
Kate Mulgrew	...	Maj. Rayner Fleming
Patrick Kilpatrick	...	Stone
Michael Pataki	...	Jim Wilson
Davenia McFadden	...	NYC traffic control cop
Cosie Costa	...	Pvt. Damico
J.P. Romano	...	Boomer #1
Joel Kramer	...	Boomer #2 (as Joel J. Kramer)
Frank Ferrara	...	Boomer #3
Marv Albert	...	Sports announcer (voice)

Also Known As:

Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins... (USA) (alternative title)
Remo: The Adventure Begins... (USA) (poster title)
Remo: The First Adventure (USA) (poster title)
Remo: Unarmed and Dangerous (UK)

Runtime:

121 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Germany:16 | Australia:M | Iceland:14 | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Argentina:16 | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Trivia:

An enormous amount of mature marijuana plants are plainly visible as Remo and Rayner work their way across the Army base. It leaves one to wonder what the Army really testing at Mount Promise.

Goofs:

Continuity: At the Statue of Liberty, Remo wraps a rope around a boomer's neck and throws him out of the lift, and the rope jerks taut with a sound that implies the man's neck has broken. Afterward, the man is shown hanging from the rope by his foot.

Quotes:

Remo Williams: Are there any disadvantages?
Conn MacCleary: Hell, I'm lucky I've lasted THIS long.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Ultraviolet (2006)

Soundtrack:

Janet

Remo Williams makes James Bond look like Maxwell Smart...

Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins... is a terrific action/espionage film that rides on the wave of the immensely popular Roger Moore 007 films of the 80s. But, Williams is a decidedly different spy...a policeman who "dies", but is brought back through the miracles of plastic surgery to become Remo Williams, the enigmatic point man for CURE, headed by the wonderful Wilford Brimley as Harold Smith. The true scene stealer in this action-packed, fast-paced film is Joel Grey as the Korean martial/mental arts master, Chiun, who delivers the best lines and performance of the movie. Fred Ward is also good as our hero, who is physically imposing and equally emotionally distraught as Remo Williams.

Highly recommended for action lovers, spy fans, and people who love quirky films that have been lost, but not forgotten.