Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins

Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (1985)

Director: Guy Hamilton

Writers: Richard Sapir (novel), Warren Murphy (novel), Christopher Wood (screenplay)

Cast: Fred Ward, Joel Gray, Wilford Brimley, J.A. Preston, George Coe, Charles Cioffi, Kate Mulgrew, Patrick Kilpatrick, Michael Pataki

Synopsis: 

NYPD officer Sam Macon (Ward) is ambushed while responding to a call and is seemingly killed in the line of duty. However, his death was just a ruse and part of a plan to recruit him into a clandestine organization known as CURE, dedicated to rooting out the corruption plaguing the U.S. government. Macon undergoes extensive plastic surgery to hide his identity and is even given a new name, Remo Williams. Harold W. Smith (Brimley), the organization's leader, and MacCleary, Remo's handler, send him to train with Chiun (Gray), the master of a mysterious martial art called Shinanju. Soon, Remo is sent to kill George Grove, a weapons contractor who is defrauding the government out of millions of dollars. Remo partners with Army Major Rayner Flemming (Mulgrew) to find evidence of Grove's fraud and bring him to justice. 

First Impressions:

I saw this film on VHS when I was about 9 years old. We had taped off a TV broadcast, and I remember loving the movie when I first saw it. I watched so many times that I'm sure I wore out the tape. The film is one of Hollywood's many failed attempts to build a profitable movie franchise around an obscure literary character. As a result, the movie has been largely forgotten over the past three-plus decades. In fact, I've only met one other person outside of my family that has even heard of the film. Even though I thought it was cool as a kid, I knew that it was still pretty crummy, and my impression hasn't changed much over the years. Still, the film has a nostalgic pull on me. I picked it up on DVD ages ago through one of those "2 for $30" deals at Future Shop. It's been a long time since I last watched it, but there's no time like the present to get reacquainted.

Story/Direction: 

"You're going to be the Eleventh Commandment: 'Thou shalt not get away with it.'"

Okay, so there's a lot to unpack with this movie. Some good, some bad, so let's dive in. I think the filmmakers had high hopes that this might turn into a big-ticket franchise, like an American James Bond or something. To that end, they hired Guy Hamilton, a notable Bond veteran, to direct the film. While it was a good idea, even Hamilton's vast experience behind the camera could save this picture. The story doesn't go through much setup, and we're thrust into the action almost immediately with Sam Macon's (Remo's) apparent death. After that, there's a bit of exposition describing how CURE operates and poof, we're into the bulk of the story. While I usually appreciate such brevity, it all moves a bit too fast for my liking in this film. Remo finds out he was operated on without his consent, given a new identity and forcibly recruited into a shadowy organization and he just kind of goes with it. This stretches even my suspension of disbelief. Outside of the overall premise, the story is kind of uninteresting. It's a cookie-cutter plot that could have been pasted into any number of generic 80s action movies. The only thing missing was Soviet bad guys running the show (I'm surprised the Ruskies weren't included). 

While the story is unimpressive, the film's biggest failing was the portrayal of many of its characters. The most egregious is that of Chiun, a Korean character played by Joel Gray, a white man. While such a practice is practically unheard of today, it still happened back in the 80s, though it was still fairly rare. Now, usually, when I review an older film, I go into it with the understanding that it was made during a different time, and it should be viewed as a snapshot of its time and should be exempt somewhat from modern sensibilities. However, that's hard to do in this case, not just because the film casts a white actor in an Asian role but because Chuin's portrayal is so painfully, painfully racist. We're talking Mickey Rooney in Breakfast at Tiffanys-levels of racism here. Not to mention that Chiun as a character is also pretty racist and sexist. It's just a big jumble of ick, and it will undoubtedly turn off many modern movie viewers.

Acting/Characters:

So, is there anything good about this film? Yes, the first item on that list is the film's star, Fred Ward, who excels in the lead role. I've always liked Ward as an actor, and it's a shame he didn't get more significant roles throughout his career. Because he wasn't traditionally handsome, he was relegated to character actor status for most of his career. Still, he's very charming as Remo, and he has a decent arc throughout the film.

Kate Mulgrew plays the female lead, Maj. Flemming, an Army officer who is also investigating Grove. The Flemming character is not given much screen time, but Mulgrew makes the most out of what she's given. Flemming is a tough and no-nonsense character that expertly deals with the shit that I assume many women in the military had to deal with back then (or probably still do). She's an interesting character, and it's a shame she wasn't given a bigger role.

The rest of the cast is filled with veteran character actors of the time. Wilford Brimley is his old curmudgeonly self as the head of CURE. J.A. Preston is good as Remo's handler MaCleary, and Charles Cioffi is perfectly slimy as Grove. Patrick Kilpatrick also shows up as Grove's main henchman, Stone. It was also lovely to see Die Hard's Reginald VelJonson pop up as an ambulance driver near the film's beginning.

Visuals/Action:

The action is another high point of the film, as there are several pretty neat set-pieces. The fight that leads to Remo's death to open the movie is gritty and entertaining. The chase across an army base was also super fun during the film's climax. But the movie's crowning achievement is Remo's fight with three construction workers on top of and around the Statue of Liberty. It's a ridiculous but fun sequence that lives in the vertical space as it does horizontal and is worth the price of admission on its own.

From a visual standpoint, the film looks pretty good. Hamilton starts the film with muted greys and blues, similar to many movies set in the Big Apple at the time. However, the color palette shifts to become more vibrant during the film's third act at the army base. I liked the way that contrast worked with the story. In addition, the production design really did a good job recreating the Statue of Liberty for that fight. Overall, both the action and the visuals get a thumbs up from me.

Score/Music:

Craig Safan wrote the music for the film, and I have to say, I really like it. Yes, it was the 80s, so there's liberal use of synthesizers through the music, which dates it. However, the music is bombastic, in your face, and really catchy. I haven't been able to stop humming it all week. I also really like Chiun's theme, which works in many Asian-inspired sounds that really worked well. So, at least the character was represented well in one respect.

Final Verdict:

This is tough because the film was a favorite when I was younger and didn't have as much understanding as I do now. There are some entertaining action scenes, and the music is excellent, but I don't think I can fully recommend it just because of Chiun's characterization and all that entails.