Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins

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

1985 2h 1m EN

😐

6.3

MID

🥫

44%

ROTTEN

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

6.4

IMDB

★6.3TMDB · 300🥫44%Rotten Tomatoes●46Metacritic★6.4IMDB · 15,417

ActionAdventureComedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Tough Brooklyn street cop Sam Makin is unwillingly recruited as an assassin for a secret United States organization known as CURE, who fake his death and give him a new identity: Remo Williams. With his appearance surgically altered, Williams is trained to be a human killing machine by his aged, derisive and impassive Korean martial arts master Chiun.

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

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Fred Ward
Remo Williams
Joel Grey
Chiun
Wilford Brimley
Harold Smith
J.A. Preston
Conn MacCleary
George Coe
Gen. Scott Watson
Kate Mulgrew
Maj. Rayner Fleming
Charles Cioffi
George Grove
Patrick Kilpatrick
Stone

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Guy Hamilton
Writers: Christopher Wood
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America, Mexico

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 36% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

41 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United States of America, Mexico.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Guy Hamilton, shot by Andrew Laszlo. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Craig Safan. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Mark Melnick shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Fred Ward and Joel Grey and Wilford Brimley carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Guy Hamilton directs. Andrew Laszlo behind the camera. Craig Safan scores. Mark Melnick cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America, Mexico. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 36% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
241 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3International production across 2 countries: United States of America, Mexico.
4Directed by Guy Hamilton, shot by Andrew Laszlo. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Craig Safan. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Mark Melnick shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Fred Ward and Joel Grey and Wilford Brimley carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "A hero who doesn't exist must save America from an enemy we never knew we had.".
9IMDB entry: tt0089901 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 9 themes, including "martial arts", "based on novel or book", "new identity", "secret agent".

The technical file

Cinematography: Andrew Laszlo
Original score: Craig Safan
Editing: Mark Melnick
Production design: Jackson De Govia
Costume design: Ellen Mirojnick
Makeup / hair: Carl Fullerton
Stunt coordinator: Glenn Randall Jr.
Runtime: 121 min · 2h 1m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $40,000,000
Box office: $14,393,902
Return: 36% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (1985)
Rotten Tomatoes: 44% 🥫 Rotten
Metacritic: 46/100
IMDB rating: 6.4/10 · 15,417 votes
MPAA: PG-13

Awards

Nominated for 1 Oscar. 4 nominations total

Also by

Guy Hamilton

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

JPV8522022-02-13
★ 5/10
Really weird movie, at least the first half as I never expected to see Fred Ward being trained by a fake Korean (not sure what's worse, Joel Grey or Fisher Stevens from Short Circuit in bad makeup). Had a few entertaining moments but ultimately a forgettable action-adventure-comedy. 2.5/5
misubisu2022-11-11
★ 8/10
Turn on your suspension of disbelief while watching this movie... because there is a lot that doesn't make sense. But, I love this movie. It's a fun and entertaining adventure. It's great to see Kate Mulgrew prior to her Star Trek Voyage days... she does a great job in this movie. I think Fred Ward is well cast as Remo Williams. He plays the part well, and in the spirit of the movie. He also has excellent chemistry with Chiun. This, apparently, was supposed to be a pilot for a TV series. But it never went any further.