Along with 'Nick Carter - Killmaster', 'Kung Fu Master', 'The Executioner', and 'Black Samurai', 'The Destroyer' was a popular series of action books from the '70's and '80's. Written by Richard Sapir and Warren Murphy, they told of the exploits of 'Remo Williams', a man brought back from the dead ( in the books, he was sent to the electric chair, but the movie has him as a cop almost killed in the line of duty ) to become an assassin for a U.S. organisation ( which officially does not exist ) known as CURE. Remo is trained in the art of Sinanju, an Eastern martial art that enables one to, amongst other things, dodge bullets and run across a beach without leaving footprints.
This entertaining 1985 adaptation was intended as the first in a series. Unfortunately, the adventure began and ended here, though it later acquired a cult following and, even now, talk persists of a sequel/remake in the offing. It came too late to cash in on the cycle of martial arts pictures that came with 'Enter The Dragon' ( 1973 ), and too early to join the roster of superheroes inspired by the success of Tim Burton's 'Batman' ( 1989 ).
Scriptwriter Christopher Wood also wrote two Bond films - 'The Spy Who Loved Me' and 'Moonraker' - while director Guy Hamilton helmed four Bond pictures, including what some might term the very best one -'Goldfinger'. There's none of the glamour from the Bond series here however. But a spoof - as some have termed it - it most definitely is not.
Fred Ward is very good as 'Remo', as is Joel Grey as 'Chiun', his soap opera-loving Korean mentor. Some of the best film's scenes simply features these characters by themselves, particularly the training scenes. Chiun gets all the best lines - "you move like a pregnant yak!", he tells Remo at one point. He is a racial stereotype, of course, but thanks to excellent make-up and Grey's performance one is prepared to overlook this. Kate Mulgrew provides the only major female character - 'Major Rayner Fleming'.
Less impressive are the villains; Grove ( Charles Cioffi ) is a millionaire arms dealer selling defective weaponry - including a fake 'Star Wars'-style satellite system ( a very topical touch for the time ) - to the U.S. Government. What was badly needed here was a foe of Bond's calibre, such as 'Dr.No' or 'Blofeld'.
Great action, including a fight on the Statue of Liberty which showcases some eye-popping stunts. There's humour too, with Remo relentlessly chased by Dobermanns as he breaks into Grove's plant. Barbara Woodhouse must have had a hand in training these mutts!
Retitled 'Remo - Unarmed & Dangerous' for the British market, this deserved to go on to become a franchise, a sort of 'Our Man Flint' for the '80's. It was not to be though, and an attempt to do a television version of 'Remo' ( starring Jeffrey Meek and Roddy McDowall ) in 1988 also flopped.
This entertaining 1985 adaptation was intended as the first in a series. Unfortunately, the adventure began and ended here, though it later acquired a cult following and, even now, talk persists of a sequel/remake in the offing. It came too late to cash in on the cycle of martial arts pictures that came with 'Enter The Dragon' ( 1973 ), and too early to join the roster of superheroes inspired by the success of Tim Burton's 'Batman' ( 1989 ).
Scriptwriter Christopher Wood also wrote two Bond films - 'The Spy Who Loved Me' and 'Moonraker' - while director Guy Hamilton helmed four Bond pictures, including what some might term the very best one -'Goldfinger'. There's none of the glamour from the Bond series here however. But a spoof - as some have termed it - it most definitely is not.
Fred Ward is very good as 'Remo', as is Joel Grey as 'Chiun', his soap opera-loving Korean mentor. Some of the best film's scenes simply features these characters by themselves, particularly the training scenes. Chiun gets all the best lines - "you move like a pregnant yak!", he tells Remo at one point. He is a racial stereotype, of course, but thanks to excellent make-up and Grey's performance one is prepared to overlook this. Kate Mulgrew provides the only major female character - 'Major Rayner Fleming'.
Less impressive are the villains; Grove ( Charles Cioffi ) is a millionaire arms dealer selling defective weaponry - including a fake 'Star Wars'-style satellite system ( a very topical touch for the time ) - to the U.S. Government. What was badly needed here was a foe of Bond's calibre, such as 'Dr.No' or 'Blofeld'.
Great action, including a fight on the Statue of Liberty which showcases some eye-popping stunts. There's humour too, with Remo relentlessly chased by Dobermanns as he breaks into Grove's plant. Barbara Woodhouse must have had a hand in training these mutts!
Retitled 'Remo - Unarmed & Dangerous' for the British market, this deserved to go on to become a franchise, a sort of 'Our Man Flint' for the '80's. It was not to be though, and an attempt to do a television version of 'Remo' ( starring Jeffrey Meek and Roddy McDowall ) in 1988 also flopped.