Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins

Based on the long-running Destroyer series of novels, Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins follows mustachioed New York City cop Samuel Macon (Fred Ward) as he’s abducted by a shadowy government agency and forced to do their bidding under the name Remo Williams – with the bulk of the proceedings subsequently detailing Remo’s rigorous training regimen and his first mission in the field. Though clearly designed as a fun, fast-paced thriller, Remo Williams: The Adventures Begins suffers from a seriously overlong running time that inevitably prevents it from becoming anything more than a sporadically watchable (yet surprisingly dull) piece of work. The decidedly uneven nature of the narrative ensures that the movie is generally compelling only in fits and starts, with the initial emphasis on Remo’s training undoubtedly standing as the film’s most overtly underwhelming stretch. (It doesn’t help that Joel Grey has been cast as the elderly Korean (!) that whips Remo into shape, as the actor’s elaborate makeup and exaggerated accent are certainly as distracting as one might’ve anticipated.) There are, admittedly, a few surprisingly compelling interludes sprinkled throughout the film (eg Remo’s exciting confrontation with a trio of goofy (yet murderous) construction workers atop the Statue of Liberty) but such moments are all-too-rare within Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins‘ otherwise lackluster atmosphere and it’s ultimately difficult to envision viewers outside of the movie’s target demographic of young boys finding much to embrace here.

** out of ****