Remo – Unbewaffnet und gefährlich (1985)

Remo – Unbewaffnet und gefährlich: Directed by Guy Hamilton. With Fred Ward, Joel Grey, Wilford Brimley, J.A. Preston. An officially “dead” cop is trained to become an extraordinary unique assassin in service of the US President.

“This movie inspires different reactions from people, depending on the expectations they bring to their first viewing. Itu0026#39;s a semi-serious, semi-spoof Action/Comedy/Crime/Thriller/Martial Arts movie that doesnu0026#39;t fit neatly into any category. It is tremendously entertaining, as long as you arenu0026#39;t expecting something totally serious or totally comical. This movie is often misunderstood, and that, coupled with its somewhat-lower-than-average-budget look, may explain why there was no sequel to the movie, which was subtitled in the US u0026quot;The Adventure Begins.u0026quot; It wasnu0026#39;t quite big-budget enough to satisfy people wanting to see a competitor for James Bond, and it wasnu0026#39;t quite like any other movie enough for people to u0026quot;get itu0026quot; right off. Taken at face value as an action movie, therefore, Remo Williams isnu0026#39;t all that noteworthy. However, viewed as an entertaining mixture of action and fun, the movie delivers quite well.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eFred Ward does a fine job as Remo, especially in his scenes with Chiun, his Shinanju master played fantastically by Joel Grey. Some have argued that Ward was too old for the role, which would be debatable even if this were a straight-out action movie; given its true nature, Ward was an excellent choice, and the dynamic between him and Grey makes for some of the most entertaining sequences in the movie.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eJoel Greyu0026#39;s Asian u0026quot;senseiu0026quot; character stereotype can be forgiven in the context of the semi-spoof, tongue-in-cheek nature of the movie. Chiunu0026#39;s humor shines through his sarcastic commentary about America and Remo; the success of the humor relies on the Korean Shinanju masteru0026#39;s strength and ability. Chiun is the most powerful, competent, intelligent, and witty character in the movie. There is also the pleasant story line of Chiun passing on to Remo the legacy of his Shinanju wisdom and knowledge… and wit.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003ePeople have also criticized Kate Mulgrew (Star Trek: Voyager) for her performance of Major Rayner Fleming. Overall, her performance is very good, and appropriate for the character, especially before her character meets Remo at Mount Promise. I am still somewhat disappointed, however, to see Major Fleming change from a competent military career-woman into a bewildered character smitten by Remo and Chiun and carried along in their wake. In the role of the army major, Fleming is competent, witty, and believable: an appropriate portrayal of a mid-1980u0026#39;s woman military officer. The directors could have let the character carry that competence through to the end of the movie.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe movie does have some great action sequences, especially the chase around the scaffolding surrounding the Statue of Liberty (remember when they were remodeling it, back in the 80u0026#39;s?), and it is very funny in many places. (See the u0026quot;memorable quotesu0026quot; page.) If you watch the movie expecting to have fun and to be entertained, if you suspend your disbelief just a little and donu0026#39;t take it too seriously, you will really enjoy it. It has just enough action, just enough u0026quot;buddy movieu0026quot; dynamic, just enough tongue-in-cheek humor, just enough spoof, just enough comic-book type fantasy elements, and just enough enigmatic and amusing martial arts to make it terrifically entertaining. Watch it with your friends on a lazy Saturday afternoon, have some laughs, and be entertained. Youu0026#39;ll be glad you did.”