The Gung Ho - Movie Review Example

Gung Ho Synopsis The movie is about a foreign Japanese auto company called Assan Motors Cooperation operating in Pennsylvania U.S.A. the local plant in Haleyville had been closed for nine months due to bankruptcy. The town is left in disarray because the firm provides most of the town’s jobs. The Japanese company reaches an agreement to reopen the plant under their management. When they arrive in Pennsylvania they exploit the desperate workforce and initiate very oppressive rules and regulations. The workers are forbidden from making a union, they are paid dismally, and they are rotated from one department to another so that they learn every job. In addition, they are expected to meet impossible standards of quality and efficiency. Due to these constraints, the relationship between the American employees and their Japanese employers is strained. The Americans find it humorous to engage in group calisthenics as demanded by the Japanese. They are also amused at their executives’ habit of taking lunch using chopsticks and having bath communally in a nearby river. On the other hand the Japanese are disgusted by the work poor wok ethics and lack of attitude towards quality control of the Americans. Takahara Kazuhiro is the Japanese executive in charge of the plant. He has had problems in his managerial duties in the past due to his leniency. He is ridiculed by his colleagues back in Japan and he is forced to wear a ribbon of shame. His peers award him a chance to prove himself in America. When he arrives in the states, he is determined to prove himself. He decides to become less lenient and more thorough with his employees. He promotes Hunt acted by Michael Keaton on conditions that he works in liaison with him and help him achieve a smooth transition by convincing the American workers to form obey the new rules and regulations. Hunt is determined to keep his promotion and rapport with the new bosses than regarding the welfare of his fellow workers. He tricks the American workers into complying but the culture clash proves to be excessive and he looses control of the workers. In negotiations, Hunt and Kazuhiro makes a deal that promises pay rise and more jobs to unemployed dwellers of the town if they could produce fifteen thousand cars per month. In the case that they fail even with a single car, they receive nothing. Hunt gathers the workers and tells them about the proposal. The workers do not balk to the idea of making so many cars in a short time and under the pressure; he reduces the target to thirteen thousand. The workers eventually discover the truth and boycott work. Assan Motors threaten to abandon the factory which could mean the end of the town. Hunt observes that the reason for all this tribulations is due to the work ethics of the Japanese which the American workers have abandoned. Hunt and Kazuhiro cannot afford to disappoint the town and their peers respectively. They take matters into their own hands and begin to build the cars themselves. Seeing this inspires the workers who return to work. Their attitudes have changed and they are willing to pursue the level of diligence that the japans managers had demanded. During the final inspection the workers present numerous incomplete cars hoping to hood wink the executives. The scheme fails when Hunt’s car falls apart as he attempts to drive it away. The executives are impressed and declare that the goals have been met. In the end the workers and the managers reach a compromise and everyone is happy. Discussions There are differences between the American and Japanese culture. The movie portrays the relationship between these two cultures in a lightly comical manner in the operations of the factory. The connections and exchanges between the Japanese managers and American employees present distinct differences between the two cultures. The American workers find it humorous and strange that their Japanese bosses eat lunch using chop sticks and shower together in a river nearby the pool. The Japanese on the other side, are perplexed the casual nature and poor work ethics of the American workers. The American society is based more on individualism while the Japanese are collectivist. In the film, the American workers want to be treated specially and differently. However the Japanese put the company beyond anything else. In one of the scenes towards the end of the movie, Mt Sakamoto inspects fifteen thousand cars and declares that the company has a bright future. There are differences in the gender roles between the American and Japanese people in the Movie Gung Ho. Even though both cultures embrace the traditional male role model, the Japanese hold these roles in very strong regards in terms of achievement control and power. In the United States these roles are held to a lesser degree. In one of the scenes, masculinity is clearly depicted when Hunt and his wife Audrey are invited for dinner at his manager Oshi’s home. After dinner, Oshi says that they want to engage in business. All the women at the table walk away except Audrey. She is well confused at the female migration and asks if she could also leave after realizing the awkward looks in the faces of the Japanese men’s faces. Audrey remains seated because in America women have more freedom to engage in businesses unlike in Japan in which the male roles are more dominant. There are instances in the movie where cultural difference has lead to conflicts, in one scene Hunt flies to Japan to convince Assan motors executives to convince them to invest in their plant in Pennsylvania. He arrives at the meeting alone, his dressing is informal, he is late and he speaks informally and makes Jokes. This would be viewed as normal in America but not in Japan. He is met with silence and stony faces making the meeting awkward. In another scene, the Japanese executives have mandated all the workers to engage in group calisthenics which does not go well with the American workers. In intercultural ventures, language is usually a hindrance and this leads to miscommunications and conflicts. In the scene in Japan, Hunt is asking for directions to the location where he was going to have a meeting with the Japanese investors. He clearly misunderstands the instructions and ends up in a maize field. Hunt arrives late at the meeting and makes statements that are humorous in America but not in Japan. He makes jokes which are deemed in appropriate and he is met with awkward silence. Non verbal cues have been used in certain scenes in the movie. In the Japanese culture people bow when they greet each other to show respect. When one is greeted with a bow it is expected that they bow back by keeping their eyes low and palms flat on the thighs. The movie is filled with confusions and Japanese business men feel offended when Hunt does not bow back during their meeting. Listening is a fundamental component of communication. In one scene when Hunt and Kazuhiro strike a deal. He promises that if the workers make 15000 cars in a month they would have a pay increase and more workers would be employed, however Hunt when under siege from the employees states that the target figure would be 13000. The lack of listening by Hunt almost cost the town the plant when the workers go on strike and the Japanese threaten to close the plant down. The movie is filled with several conflicts. Several conflict management strategies have been applied by the film. The most used strategy is holding of consultative forums. On two occasions when the workers have threatened to boycott work, Hunt meets them and discusses with them the problems at hand. The second strategy is leading from the front, when the workers boycott work Hunt and Kazuhiro gets to work. On seeing this, the other workers get back to work. Conclusion The movie Gung Ho expresses the importance of tolerance in the interaction of two distinct cultures. The Japanese perceive the Americans as lazy and weak. They think the American workers have put their interests above that of the company. The Japanese executives are good in self monitoring their employees demanding a lot from them while this does not go well with the American workers. The self image of Hunter is hurt when he lies to the workers in order to reputation and job. He almost cost the town its main source of livelihood Work cited Howard R., (1986). The Gung-Ho Movie, Paramount Pictures. DVD Read More