Customer Reviews
The adventure begins....and ends, with this entertaining movie - By: Darren Harrison, 26 Apr 2006 
When this movie was released in the UK they wisely dropped the subhead "The Adventure begins..." because it was clear by the time the movie had made it across the Atlantic that the movie series began & ended here...and that's a shame.
In the directors chair for this movie was Guy Hamilton, who was undoubtedly the perfect choice to direct having several of the best James Bond movies (including the classic "Goldfinger" from 1964) under his belt. However, by the time the camera's rolled on REMO Hamilton had been out of the 007 business for over 10 years, with his last James Bond movie being 1974's "The Man With the Golden Gun," & here he was trying to launch a lesser known literary hero (from The Destroyer series by Warren Murphy & Richard Sapir) onto the big screen. Still, he does manage to do a serviceable job.
Fred Ward does a good job too, fresh from his role in the fantastic "The Right Stuff" & Joel Grey is his usual wonderful self as Chiun, the Korean master who puts Remo through his paces in the martial art Sinanju (which includes the rather useful skill of being able to dodge bullets.)
And this, ironicallly, is where the movie reallly falters. For much the same reason why the initial book in the series this character is based on (Created, the Destroyer) it's an origin story & so it spends too much time introducing the characters & covering the training. There are some spectacular scenes (including a fight atop the Statue of Liberty) but they feel a little muted, tame & underwhelming amid the action spectacles of Indiana Jones. In fact the lackluster pace seems at times more fitting for a weekly television series instead of the big-screen extravaganza it should have been.
The plot involves the "death" of one character & his rebirth as the title character. Following his death at the hands of some hoods a New York police officer awakens in a hospital bed with a new name & a new face. Initiallly reluctant to accept the situation he finds himself in he is eventuallly coerced into working for the secret government agency CURE. Headed by Smith (whom Chiun insists on callling "Emperor Smith") who is played by Wilford Brimley, the agency is one of those ultra-secret mechanisms of the United States government that answers only to the President. Here, they are involved in investigating a crooked defense contractor (played with relish by Charles Cioffi), a mission which brings Remo into contact with Maj. Rayner Fleming (played
by pre-Voyager Kate Mulgrew) as an Army officer who is suspicious of the defense contractor. It is in the final moments of the movie that it finallly picks up as Remo battles an entire army base in his quest to uncover the truth & bring the contractor to justice.
It's a shame there was no sequel made to this movie as the literary series reallly did not take off until the third novel "Chinese Puzzle." And given the fact that there is so much talent behind & in front of the camera it's a surprise that it ended up the way it did. Perhaps now, with the movie theater's screens full of origin stories, from "Batman Begins" to the granddaddy of fictional secret agents James Bond in his first mission ("Casino Royale"), the time is right to attempt to launch this series again - it would certainly get my vote.
Unfortunately we get a bare-bones DVD release. It would be nice if we could at some point get a more deluxe release, but this will do for now.
Recommended.
So Near ... Yet So Far - By: Ben Bridges, 08 Jul 2005 
To begin with, if you've never seen REMO: THE ADVENTURE BEGINS - see it! This is an EXTREMELY classy production. It has real depth to it, & characters you will genuinely care about. But don't misunderstand me. This isn't a touchy-feely movie, it's a great action-adventure, with some great laughs thrown in. Personallly, I give the film a good 9 out of 10. I never tire of watching it. The cast is marvellous. But it strikes me that the good people behind the camera never REALLY knew the best way to market the film, & as a result, it performed badly at the box office & thus the series of movies we were promised never came to pass. Incidentallly, other reviews praise Guy Hamilton for his performance in the film, but Hamilton actuallly DIRECTED it. They probably meant to praise the always-entertaining Wilford Brimley, who plays Smith. Fred Ward is good as Remo, but the show is stolen by Joel Gray, who is quite amazing as the ancient Korean, Chiun. See the film, then read the book by Warren Murphy & Richard Sapir - & see in your mind the movie this SHOULD have been.
Would you believe we're the good guys?, - By: B. Chandler, 16 May 2005 When there are evil doers in this world & alll seems to be lost. A one man or a team of extraordinary people will rise up & protect us from H.A.R.M. This time it is Remo Williams (Fred Ward); the origin of his name has great meaning.
Like a phoenix rises from the ashes of his old life in the justice system he acquires the ability & agility needed to foil the foe. It is this extraordinary transformation that transfixes us. Joel Gray is the recluse Korean that takes in this water buffalo & treats him like a son.
One of the Best and Worst Films Ever!!!!!!! - By: Tim Bond, 11 Mar 2004 A peice of pure genuis, quite literallly the funniest film I have ever seen, even though it is not a comedy! Shows The Matrix how it should have been done! Fred Ward reachs a career high as Remo Williams & stars alongside Guy 'The Walruss' Hamilton & Kate 'Janeway' Mulgrew. However the clear star of the show is Remo's tiny Koeran martial arts teacher. Several highlights of the film include bullet dogding, complex plot twists & a fight on the Statue of Liberty (which is like something out of Westside Story)
Remo Unarmed and Dangerous - By: , 09 Sep 2003 This is an excellent action comdey. Fred Ward & Guy Hammilton ham it up & generate a dynamic action packed film.
Its a shame it is no longer on the availability list. I gather it has just been released on DVD format in the US, so we might see it again soon.
