Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (1985)

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 | Ancient Korean Martial Art | Korean | Statue Of Liberty | Ambush

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:

Joel Grey was offered the role of Chiun several times before accepting it, but kept turning it down because he didn't think he was the right kind of actor for the part. Moreover, Grey had no previous martial-arts experience (and received no such training for the movie once he was cast). What changed Grey's mind was a meeting with Carl Fullerton, the film's make-up artist. Grey said that if he could successfully be made to look like an 80-year-old Korean, he would take the job. Fullerton gave the task his best shot and afterward, a private screen test was held between himself and Grey. With Chiun now cast, Fullerton went on to receive an Oscar nomination for his work.

Goofs:

Continuity: On the Statue of Liberty scaffolding, Remo's feet bump into a piece of pipe. In the next shot, Remo's point of view of the pipe, his feet are nowhere to be seen, and the pipe is now shorter and in a different position.

Quotes:

Chiun: Fear is just a feeling. You feel hot. You feel hungry. You feel angry. You feel afraid. Fear can never kill you.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in City of Heroes (2004) (VG)

Soundtrack:

Remo's theme (What If)

This is an 80's action film, not the Matrix...

Look all you movie snobs out there. This is a classic 80's action flick and nothing more. Sure there were some effects, but that is not the focus of the story. It is the interplay between Remo and Chuin that makes this one shine. It has classic and memorable lines. And, it was good enough for major plot points to be stolen later by the writers of the Matrix and Men in Black. If you want better action sequences, see those. If you want to see 80's action in all of its glory, get this one. One last point: It is sad that the DVD doesn't have a Widescreen option.