Gung Ho

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Movie
German title Gung Ho
Original title Gung Ho
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1986
length 112 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
Rod
Director Ron Howard
script Edwin Blum
Lowell Whole
Babaloo Almond
production Ron Howard
Deborah Blum
Tony Ganz
music Thomas Newman
camera Donald Peterman
cut Daniel P. Hanley
Mike Hill
occupation

Gung Ho is an American comedy film from the year 1986 by director Ron Howard with Michael Keaton in the title role.

action

The automobile plant in the (fictional) American city of Hadleyville in Pennsylvania was once the largest regional employer before the vehicle manufacturer had to close a good nine months ago due to bankruptcy. Since then, unemployment and resignation have been the order of the day in Hadleyville.

The enthusiastic Hunt Stevenson, once the foreman of the factory, no longer wants to watch the decline of his homeland and sets off for Japan on his own . In Tokyo he meets with the executives of the (also fictional) "Assan" automotive company to make the takeover of the Hadleyville plant palatable. After some persuasion, the people in charge at Assan hit the deal, whereupon Hadleyville is finally looking optimistically into the future after Stevenson's return. Soon afterwards, the reopening of the plant is celebrated and many of the carmakers who have been laid off are looking forward to new jobs.

But where there is a lot of light, there is also a corresponding amount of shadow. Hunt and his colleagues notice this when the Assan branch managers and engineers who have also traveled from Japan go to work. In addition to the high Japanese professional ethic and the corresponding diligence, these now demand a number of other sacrifices from the Americans: trade union bans, lower wages and constant internal job changes for overall optimization. In addition, the customs of Asians such as morning gymnastics, eating with chopsticks and group bathing in the city river meet with incomprehension on the part of the Americans. In order not to let the simmering cultural conflict get out of hand, Hunt finally - in addition to a promised salary increase - takes on the role of mediator between the two sides. But he is increasingly plagued by conflicts of conscience in his job, which is why the climate continues to deteriorate and his colleagues are distancing themselves more and more from him.

Ultimately, Hunt found a fellow sufferer among the Japanese: plant manager Kazihiro. This is considered a failure among his compatriots, as he has always been too lenient with the workforce. The Hadleyville factory is therefore his last chance to deliver success, which is why he follows Japanese principles almost pedantically. Hunt notices this and pulls himself together with Kazihiro to a daring compromise that represents the solution for everyone involved: the workers are supposed to build 15,000 vehicles within a month, which would even exceed the Japanese production figures. If they can do this, all employees will receive a raise and additional jobs will be created for the rest of the former workers. However, this is met with unanimous rejection from Hunt's colleagues because of the burden. Even a general meeting and a white lie with lower numbers do not produce anything: the truth eventually emerges and the workers go on strike.

When the corporate management in Tokyo wants to close the factory again, this seems to seal the end of the factory and the city. Hunt tries one last time to wake up his colleagues, but fails. Therefore, in an act of desperation, he and Kazihiro set about building the cars themselves. When the other workers see this, they are finally convinced of the plan and also get down to work. They are finally showing the desired Japanese efficiency and are getting very close to the goal. But shortly before the deadline and an inspection by the management of the parent company, a few dozen copies are missing. Without further ado, the cars are produced with quirks and missing parts, which are then poorly presented - and discovered, during the inspection.

However, the Assan boss is not angry about this, but is happy about the performance and cooperation. The production target is considered to have been achieved, which is why the plant receives new jobs and Hunt and colleagues receive more salaries. At the end of the film you can see how the factory is running profitably and how American and Japanese workers work together and do gymnastics together, among other things.

background

  • Shortly afterwards, a television series of the same name was created based on the film. In this, the majority of the Japanese or Asian-born actors of the film took part, while from the US crew only Clint Howard appeared.
  • The title “Gung Ho” means something like enthusiastic or committed - but originally referred to the Chinese language . There is also a war film under the same name (German title " Unternehmen Donnerschlag ").
  • The name of the Japanese car company "Assan" is a modification of the car manufacturer Nissan . The vehicle models shown in the film are examples of the Fiat Regata , which was built between 1983 and 1990.
  • Two generations of Howards can be seen in "Gung Ho". In addition to Rance Howard as Mayor of Hadleyville, his sons Ron (director) and Clint (as Paul) also star.
  • The shooting took place in the city of Beaver , Pennsylvania. "Hadleyville" itself is fictional. A city of the same name is also the setting for the film " Twelve o'clock ". A pavilion ("gazebo") was also built for the shooting, which was left to the city of Beaver after the shooting.
  • In the German film version, Michael Keaton was not dubbed by his standard voice actor Joachim Tennstedt , but by Andreas von der Meden (standard voice by David Hasselhoff ).

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