Gung Ho

1986

Action / Comedy / Drama

12
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Rotten 46% · 23 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Spilled 46% · 5K ratings
IMDb Rating 6.3/10 10 14809 14.8K

factory worker factory worker japan pennsylvania, usa culture clash

Plot summary

When a western Pennsylvania auto plant is acquired by a Japanese company, brokering auto worker Hunt Stevenson faces the tricky challenge of mediating the assimilation of two clashing corporate cultures. At one end is the Japanese plant manager and the sycophant who is angling for his position. At the other, a number of disgruntled long-time union members struggle with the new exigencies of Japanese quality control.

Director

Ron Howard Photo
Ron Howard

Top cast

Martin Ferrero Photo
Martin Ferrero as Crandall
Patti Yasutake Photo
Patti Yasutake as Umeki Kazihiro
Rick Overton Photo
Rick Overton as Googie
George Wendt Photo
George Wendt as Buster
720p.WEB 1080p.WEB
1 GB
1280*528
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 52 min
Seeds 5
2.07 GB
1920*816
English 5.1
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 52 min
Seeds 20

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by Rodrigo_Amaro 7 / 10

Cultural Clashes

With no laughs but with important messages, "Gung Ho" manages to be a reflexive entertainment about the cultural and economical clashes of two nations when they join forces to rise from the ashes an automobile factory that can be the only hope of saving a town. Michael Keaton plays an American executive who gets the job of rescuing such factory with a new leadership coming from Japan with a desperate executive (Gedde Watanabe) trying to save his career from potential failure. The latter's task is to command the American plant and their workers, accustomed to work in a particular way, trying impose the Oriental methods of working for long hours for the benefit of the company and such clashes with the interests of Keaton who's trying to look good before his friends who aren't used to such working journey. But let's face it: the movie isn't funny. Babaloo Mandel and Lowell Ganz are terrific writers ("Splash", "Parenthood") but they didn't create much moments we could say they were funny, most of the time is just using of caricatures to make some amusing moments, they barely work, maybe two or three scenes. Their concentration to the more engaging aspects was what made "Gung Ho" something really worth seeing. It pokes fun on the culture comparisons between U.S., specially when it comes to both nations traditions but it also establishes a greater sense of supporting each other, one might be better than the other but only together they come up with something bigger, better and stronger. Having a movie like this made on a decade where American superiority was presented in every single movie and also in politics is something of a miracle. It basically says: "We're no longer the strongest nation in the world, neither the most efficient but we can aspire to be if we follow some other examples around the world". Sure, it doesn't paint a fair picture for both sides (Japanese as workaholics who can't contest their bosses and Americans as lazy and incompetent), often recurring to stereotypes but presents something good out of those. Although a little sloppy, clichéd and never serious enough, "Gung Ho" can be used as a source of inspiration, at least for those who have a company and doesn't know how to bring out the best with their employs, it's always there to bring out of the best of a team, push them to the limits and show them the advantages of following new directives. I know this movie is something of a classic between Administration students in here, and most of them enjoy it. Out of this department, it might be a disappointment for Keaton and Ron Howard fans, they're not at their best. The supporting cast formed with the likes of Mimi Rogers, George Wendt, John Turturro, Rance and Clint Howard save this for a bit, but the most interesting in scene is Watanabe, the funniest in the show. In the end, it reaches its purpose of presenting a parallel between cultures, but never takes our fully enjoyment, neither much of our laughs. Easy to watch and quite motivational though. 7/10
Reviewed by lee_eisenberg 6 / 10

Were there some things that it didn't get into?

Focusing on a Japanese car company buying a factory in a Pennsylvania town, "Gung Ho" brings to mind the fact that in the '80's, the US was very much into the Japanese companies; obviously, things changed in the '90's. The movie also shows the company trying to bust the union, and one gets the feeling that Japanese workers are afraid to ever challenge their bosses. But it seems like there was more at which the movie could have looked. Oh well. It's a pretty funny movie overall. Michael Keaton is great as the all-American leader not about to let anyone stand in his way. You'll really like his trip to Japan, and the Japanese woman's attempt to say "hard place".
Read more IMDb reviews

6 Comments

Be the first to leave a comment