Gung Ho (film)

Gung Ho is a 1986 film in which a Japanese car company buys an American plant, and the American liason must mediate the clash of work attitudes between the foreign management and native labor.
 * Directed by Ron Howard. Written by Edwin Blum, Lowell Ganz, and Babaloo Mandel.

When East meets West, the laughs shift into high gear!

Hunt Stevenson

 * [in a conference room in Japan] Hey, did you guys decorate this place yourselves? Because it's damn nice. It's real... Oriental.
 * [to the Japanese executives before starting his sales pitch] I'm just crazy for your country. I mean, I love it. You know, my Dad was over here with the Army in about, uh, ...1945, uh, let's get started.
 * Now on these last few we might need to cut a few corners. Just little things, like...engines.

Mr. Sakamoto

 * [hands a janitor's mop to Saito] Good luck in your new career.

Dialogue

 * Kazihiro: [Hunt has been offered a job by his Japanese bosses] Can we count on you?
 * Hunt Stevenson: Fellas... is a frog's ass watertight?
 * Kazihiro: [he discusses it with his colleagues in Japanese] Yes. We believe it is.


 * Hunt Stevenson: Hey, sugarpuss, what's cooking?
 * Secretary: No, cooking... typing.
 * Hunt Stevenson: Well, is your boss in?
 * Secretary: Today not good day to see boss, man. [resorting to a book of quotes] He between a lock and a hard on.


 * Mr. Sakamoto: Everything is all right here?
 * Kazihiro: Yes. Fine. Great. Have a good trip back.
 * Mr. Sakamoto: I will visit the factory tomorrow.
 * Kazihiro: Uh, tomorrow not good day.
 * Mr. Sakamoto: Why?
 * Kazihiro: Factory is locked and we can't find key.
 * Saito: Bullshit-o!


 * Kazihiro: We know what we are doing. I see now why they gave me ribbons of shame. Because I was beginning to think like an American!
 * Hunt Stevenson Hah! Hey don't flatter yourself, Ace.
 * Kazihiro: It's true! Everybody in this country thinks they are special. Nobody wants to be part of the team. They're all too busy getting personalized license plates. None of you would last two days in management training program.
 * Hunt Stevenson: None of us would be stupid enough to stay two days.
 * Kazihiro: You are all selfish, and that is what makes you weak.
 * Hunt Stevenson: I'm weak? You don't even have the guts to stand up to your own boss! You're a real millie, you know that?
 * Kazihiro: I am no millie!
 * [Hunt kncoks down a security camera]
 * Kazihiro: You get out of here! You are fired! You don't work here any more.
 * Hunt Stevenson: I'm fired?
 * Kazihiro: Fired!
 * Hunt Stevenson: That's great. That's fine with me. You guys think you're so hot. This factory's been running like shit!
 * Kazihiro: It's run our way. The way that we know how! That's the way it is!
 * Hunt Stevenson: Oh yeah?
 * Kazihiro: Yeah!
 * Hunt Stevenson: Oh yeah? Let me just tell you something. If you're so great, how come you lost the big one?


 * Hunt Stevenson: First of all, I think you all should know something. See...gee, I don't know, I figure we made fifteen... you know...if we made 13,000 cars, we'd be so close to 15,000 right? That if we...
 * Willie: Hunt. What are you trying to tell us?
 * Hunt Stevenson: I lied.
 * Willie: My god.
 * Hunt Stevenson: Yeah, there was no...there was no deal for 13,000 cars.
 * Buster: We walked out on a lie?
 * Hunt Stevenson: I never in a million years thought it could lead to this, I swear.
 * Willie: You should've told us the truth.
 * Hunt Stevenson: The truth? You don't want the truth. You want to hear that Americans are better than anybody else. They're kicking our butts, that ain't luck. There's your truth. Sure, the great old American do-or-die spirit. Yeah, it's alive. But they've got it. I tell you, we'd better get it back. We'd better get it back damn fast. Instead, we're strutting around telling ourselves how great we are. I guess if I was really a leader, I would've told you this months ago. Instead, I was telling you basketball stories. I put myself in front of the town and I' m really sorry. I swear to you, man, I' m really sorry.


 * Hunt Stevenson: You're a maniac.
 * Kazihiro: Last night I told off my boss.
 * Hunt Stevenson: Oh yeah? Good for you. Was he awake?
 * Kazihiro: Are you kidding? I was on him good. I was on him like hair on a gorilla.
 * Hunt Stevenson: Where do you get these expressions?
 * Kazihiro: TV.
 * Hunt Stevenson: You're coming around, cosmonaut. Took you long enough.


 * Hunt Stevenson: If you walk out that door, you're going to miss a great comeback. We're ready to roll here, Jack.
 * Mr. Sakamoto: This will never be like a Japanese factory... Jack.
 * Hunt Stevenson: Oh, yeah? You're right. You know what else? So what?
 * Mr. Sakamoto: You failed.
 * Hunt Stevenson: Really? You know what? I got one of the first cars ever made here. I got the first car ever - I don't think I want it anymore. As a matter of fact, here. [hands keys to Mr. Sakamoto] Why don't you take the keys, OK? I'd rather have one of those cars. [points to cars in assembly line] I'd rather have one of these cars that we made together, by hand. Your guys and my guys, together. You know why? Because those cars stand for something. Those cars stand for something pretty great. I'm proud of those cars. I'm taking one. [Turns to workers] Gentlemen, I'm going home in my new car!
 * [All workers cheer and applaud, then silently pray that Hunt's new car has a working engine. Hunt starts the car, and the workers cheer. However, the car literally falls apart after about 2 yards, and the workers start to moan. Hunter gets out of the car]
 * Hunt Stevenson: I tell ya, I thought it handled great!

Cast

 * Michael Keaton – Hunt Stevenson
 * Gedde Watanabe – Takahara Kazuhiro
 * George Wendt – Buster
 * John Turturro – Willie
 * Mimi Rogers – Audrey