Appelez-moi Bruce?

"Bruce" (Johnny Yune) is a hapless cook who just happens to work for the main mafia boss on the West Coast. But things aren't going well for the mob because of a series of drug busts by the feds. So, the boss of the West Coast named "Lil Pete" (Bill Capizzi) decides to use an unsuspecting Bruce to deliver his cocaine throughout the United States by fooling him into thinking that it is flour from China. Naturally, Bruce doesn't know any better. He also doesn't suspect that his new girlfriend, "Anita" (Pam Huntington), is a federal agent who has planted a bug on him to track his movements. Meanwhile, another mobster on the West Coast named "Big Al" (Martin Azarow) is seeking to discredit Lil Pete and has his girlfriend, "Karmen" (Margaux Hemingway) follow Bruce to inhibit his deliveries. Anyway, rather than detail the entire plot, I will just say that for a low-budget comedy, this wasn't too bad. Johnny Yune was absolutely hilarious. Unfortunately, the action scenes and everything not centered on him fell completely flat. In addition, the middle portion of the film really seemed to drag. All in all then I rate this film as about average.

Yes it's cheaply made, yes it's stupid, and yes it's cheesy, But, this is one of the funniest movies that I've ever seen. Johnny Yune is great in this one (I wish he would have made more movies). His one liners are so cheesy that you can't help but laugh, and his facial expressions when he is swinging those nunchucks makes me hit the rewind button every time...... Anyone who does not find this movie funny does not have a sense of humor!!!

Here's a unsuccessful comedy, you feel really tries, but still manages to be really entertaining, mainly thanks to Yune, a natural comic performer,and it's story and characters. Although really, does he look like Bruce Lee, "I think not". Parts of his face, around the eyes, yes, but really. He becomes a drug muel for a mafia organization he works for. He really isn't the sharpest tool in the box, but it's great watching him make his famous spaghetti- the best in the world, or make a vase magically break, by executing a karate strike, while standing nowhere near it, or too, eating chicken with numb chucks. His sidekick on his drug round, Freddy, is very likable, who, unlike his partner, knows what's really in those sacks, beside flour. The film's music score is the best thing about this lively, colorful film, that hosts some beautiful woman, none more than that sexy CIA agent, Bruce falls for, sort of. He's a really mislead lovable sort. This isn't a badly made film, but as I said, it really tries hard, where Yune is the film's star saving grace. This very talented guy should of done much more, film wise. Hemmingway is very good as a feminine fatale.

To answer the implied question about Australians in an earlier comment, I saw the film for what it was: a spoof comedy. I thoroughly enjoyed it as such. I didn't look for errors of continuity or consistency; that seemed rather pointless; or for any hidden meanings. I simply took the gags at face value and enjoyed them.

I would not draw any conclusions about "real" Asians from this movie; any more than you would say draw conclusions about any other nationalities from comedy movies. I guess that Woody Allen comedies would be a perfect example of how that would not work.

As for the best line, in my opinion it is:

"...and then I got run over by a Toyota. Oh, what a feeling".

Some of these people are being way too critical over the quality of the script and social stereotypes. People should take it for what it is...it's a spoof. It's not like they have money to recruit big-name stars. It's a movie that should be enjoyed by the public...it's not an oscar contender. Are the gags mundane? yes. Are there asian stereotypes? Yes. The movie plays on these stereotypes and they know that's how the general public viewed them at the time. Someone commented on how Johnny's acting was bad...but excuse me...there was no royal academy of acting in korea. Like Margaret Cho said, "There was war." And also...where do people get the idea that the character Bruce is Korean? Don't people see the Chinese motif in the story? Chinese flour, Chinese noodles, Chinese food? Marco Polo? The actor is Korean, yes, but they said nothing of Bruce being Korean.