Based on the popular The Destroyer series of pulpy adventure novels by Richard Sapir and Warren Murphy, in which an ex-cop’s death is faked in order to train him as a secret assassin working for the ultrasecret (and diminutive) agency CURE, this Guy Hamilton production predictably shows the origins of the contentious father-son relationship between the newly recruited assassin Remo Williams (Fred Ward) and his elderly Korean mentor Chiun (Joel Grey in surprisingly convincing cosmetic alteration but in an unsurprising fine performance mode), who claims to be the last master of the secret art of Sinanju, an ancient mind/body discipline from which all other forms of martial arts are but weaker derivations.
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CHANDLER SWAIN REVIEWS 
Nothing ruins a movie more than having read the book first. Being an avid reader myself, I have just downloaded the first book in the series and salivating at the thought of having another series of books to enjoy, thanks again.
Oops forgot to click reply. Sorry
I have to say, I LOVE THIS MOVIE! Of course, you have to understand what the movie means to me. I first saw this in college on video. This movie means late night pizzas and all that comes with the college life style. It brings back some great memories. It also has some memorable lines: “You drive like a monkey in heat,” “You move like a pregnant yak.” And the one that will get any guy in trouble “Women should stay home and make babies. Preferably, manchild.” I could go on.
While I tend to agree with your review, for many emotional reasons this is one of my guilty favorite movies of all time. If only because of that fun time in life we can only relive in our memories. Thanks for reviewing and making me smile.
I am always happy to hear when anyone has a good time at the movies (I’m convinced smoking doesn’t shorten life as much as sitting through bad movies.) and agree with you about the good qualities of the film, especially the witty banter between Remo and Chiun. Unfortunately, the summer prior to the film’s opening, while spending a few weeks on Cape Cod, I found myself obsessively immersed in reading The Destroyer novels (nothing feeds a reading addition like used book stores) and by the time the film came out I had read approximately forty of them (they’re quick reads) and so while initially delighted by the portrayal of the main duo, I felt let down by the rather pallid villain in the piece. Where’s SPECTRE when you need it?