Sam Makin is a New York City cop who one evening gets more than he bargained as his car is pushed into the harbour by an unknown assailant. The world thinks Sam is dead and he wakes up with a new identity and a new'ish face. How he gets his new name is funny and clever at the same time. Now christened Remo Williams, he has been recruited for a top secret governement organisation who nobody knows about.
Remo is sent to be trained by an old martial arts master (Joel Grey) and soon enough he is pulled into action to bring down corruption in the military.
The film oozes fun in every pore, we have a great hero, good action set pieces (watch and see how light footed Remo is and New York looks awesome) and a terrific 80's score. It's all expertly directed by the man who made Goldfinger (Guy Hamilton) and written by the chap who wrote the screenplay for Moonraker, The Spy Who Loved Me and created Timothy Lea from Confessions of a Window Cleaner.
With MGM remastering the film for HD, the picture looks pretty darn good. There's some nice extras on the discs with interviews with the cast and production team. The isolated score and effects track is a nice bonus as Craig Safan's score is awesome and a real treat to listen to without those pesky actors talking. One last thing after the MGM lion, we get the good old Orion Pictures logo which seems to be removed a lot these days and its not that vile purple remake one.
I first saw this a very long time ago when one was a teenager and seeing it again re-inforced my opinion that it is a real under rated gem which must be appreciated and cherished.
- Starring Fred Ward Wilford Brimley Joel Grey J.A Preston Kate Mulgrew
- Director Guy Hamilton
- Distributor Arrow Video
