Gung Ho (1986)
Gung Ho (1986) is an American comedy film directed by Ron Howard and starring Michael Keaton. In fictional Hadleyville, Pennsylvania, the town’s main source of employment, the local auto plant, has been shut down for nine months. Former foreman Hunt Stevenson travels to Tokyo in hopes of persuading the Assan Motors Corporation to reopen the plant. The Japanese company agrees and upon their arrival in the U.S., implements several changes among the desperate work force. This includes prohibiting unionization, reducing wages, rotating workers throughout different job roles, and setting high standards for productivity and quality. The cultural differences also add tension as the Americans find amusement in group calisthenics each morning and the Japanese executives’ use of chopsticks during lunch and group bathing in the nearby river.
In addition to their lack of dedication and indifference towards maintaining quality standards, the workers at the plant exhibit a deficient work ethic. Leading the management team is Kaz, known as Takahara Kazuhiro, a Japanese executive who has faced setbacks in his career due to his lenient approach towards his employees. During Hunt’s initial encounter with Kaz in Japan, he is being publicly shamed and forced to wear ribbons of disgrace by his colleagues. As a final opportunity for redemption, he is tasked with making the American plant successful. Determined to meet the expectations of his higher-ups, he offers Hunt significant promotion under the condition that he serves as a liaison between the Japanese management and American workers, smoothing out any potential conflicts and persuading the employees to adhere to new regulations.
Date of download: 2015-11-11T17:22:34+00:00
Cast:  Michael KeatonHunt Stevenson  Gedde WatanabeOishi Kazihiro  George WendtBuster  John TurturroWillie  Mimi RogersAudrey  So YamamuraMr. Sakamoto  Sab ShimonoSaito |
Gung Ho (1986) is an American comedy film directed by Ron Howard and starring Michael Keaton. In fictional Hadleyville, Pennsylvania, the town’s main source of employment, the local auto plant, has been shut down for nine months. Former foreman Hunt Stevenson travels to Tokyo in hopes of persuading the Assan Motors Corporation to reopen the plant. The Japanese company agrees and upon their arrival in the U.S., implements several changes among the desperate work force. This includes prohibiting unionization, reducing wages, rotating workers throughout different job roles, and setting high standards for productivity and quality. The cultural differences also add tension as the Americans find amusement in group calisthenics each morning and the Japanese executives’ use of chopsticks during lunch and group bathing in the nearby river.
In addition to their lack of dedication and indifference towards maintaining quality standards, the workers at the plant exhibit a deficient work ethic. Leading the management team is Kaz, known as Takahara Kazuhiro, a Japanese executive who has faced setbacks in his career due to his lenient approach towards his employees. During Hunt’s initial encounter with Kaz in Japan, he is being publicly shamed and forced to wear ribbons of disgrace by his colleagues. As a final opportunity for redemption, he is tasked with making the American plant successful. Determined to meet the expectations of his higher-ups, he offers Hunt significant promotion under the condition that he serves as a liaison between the Japanese management and American workers, smoothing out any potential conflicts and persuading the employees to adhere to new regulations.
