Written by Richard Sapir and Warren Murphy, the stories catalogue the adventures of Remo Williams, an ex-cop brought back from the dead and trained in the obscure (and fictitious) Korean martial art of Sinanju. Scott WatsonGeorge Coe George GroveCharles Cioffi Maj.Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins is based on "The Destroyer" pulp novels books from the seventies. Remo WilliamsFred Ward ChiunJoel Grey Harold SmithWilford Brimley Conn MacClearyJ.A.
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At Criterion, Broadway at 44th Street Loews Orpheum, Third Avenue at 86th Street Manhattan Twin, Third Avenue at 59th Street, and other theaters.
#Remo williams the adventure begins series#
Off to the Comics REMO WILLIAMS: THE ADVENTURE BEGINS, directed by Guy Hamilton written by Christopher Wood, based on ''The Destroyer'' series by Richard Sapir and Warren Murphy director of photography, Andrew Laszlo edited by Mark Melnick music by Craig Safan produced by Larry Speigel released by Orion Pictures. ''Remo Williams,'' which has been rated PG-13 (''parental guidance suggested''), includes a lot of arbitrarily vicious scenes of mayhem. William Hickey, one of the major assets in ''Prizzi's Honor,'' is on and off the screen very quickly in the role of a Coney Island barker. In principal support are Charles Cioffi, as a crooked industrialist who snarls a lot, and George Coe, as an American general on the industrialist's payroll. On the screen far too briefly is Kate Mulgrew, as an Army major with a sense of humor, the only real one in the film.
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Chiun, a walking fortune cookie, teaches his secrets to Remo, accompanied by such statements as, ''The Korean is the most perfect creature to sanctify the earth with each imprint of its foot.'' Ward's costar is Joel Grey, who plays Chiun, the ancient Korean master of something called Sinanju, by which Remo gains control of his mind and body to such an extent that he can dodge bullets fired at point-blank range. He isn't helped by a screenplay that is constantly putting him in situations of direst jeopardy, and then allowing him to escape by rather perfunctory, anti-climactic ruses. Whatever the reason, he seems uncomfortable and, especially in the action scenes, including one atop the Statue of Liberty, ungraceful. Ward, who was very fine as Gus Grissom in ''The Right Stuff,'' may be too legitimate an actor to be able to believe in this sort of nonsense. There's something deeply unpleasant about seeing this many millions of dollars being spent to such paltry purpose. Thus begins ''Remo Williams,'' another elaborately produced, brutal, all-too-jocular adventure film, which cost so much money that it's difficult to take it as lightly as it means to be taken. ''This is a wonderful country, my boy,'' says Harold, ''but our legal system doesn't work the way it's supposed to.'' Says Harold Smith ( Wilford Brimley), the avuncular old fellow who recruits Remo (Fred Ward), ''Professional assassination is the highest form of public service.'' ''Why?'' Remo Williams might ask, though he doesn't.
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It's about an ordinary New York cop who, through an intense course in martial arts and something like Zen, is physically and spiritually reconstituted to become an invincible, top-secret United States agent, the sort who murders freely on behalf of good government and honesty in business. ''REMO WILLIAMS: THE ADVENTURE BEGINS,'' which opens today at the Criterion and other theaters, is a live-action comic book of a movie.