They Still Call Me Bruce 1987

The film opens in Houston with Bruce on a quiet, determined quest to find the American G.I. who helped him as a child in Korea, hoping to thank him with an antique Korean vase. With only a name and a hazy memory to guide him, Bruce’s mission unfolds as a heartfelt pursuit of gratitude and connection, a mission that sets the tone for a story about mentorship, courage, and hidden loyalties.

After following a handful of dead ends, Bruce crosses paths with the lively students of a local karate studio who introduce their martial-arts master, Master McLean. Thinking Bruce might be a seasoned fighter, Master McLean invites him to run the studio in his stead while he takes care of his own business. Accepting gracefully, Bruce puts on a black belt and, with his own goofy yet clever tricks, wins the trust and admiration of the class. In this makeshift family, Bruce forms a meaningful bond with a young orphan and student, Billy [David Mendenhall], who quickly becomes a bright light in his life and a patient recipient of Bruce’s growing mentorship.

Meanwhile, Bruce’s search for Ernie Brown continues in his free time, guiding him toward a dangerous place: the massage parlor of crime boss Mr. B. Before he can meet with him, Bruce steps up to defend Polly, Polly [Bethany Wright], one of Mr. B’s workers, from harassment. In the ensuing scramble, Bruce’s antique vase is left behind, and the goons decide to pass the vase to Mr. B as a gesture meant to smooth over their boss’s mounting fury. Seeing the vase triggers a distant memory in Mr. B, who remarks that he hasn’t laid eyes on a vase like it since the Korean War.

What follows is a blend of chase and comic misadventure as Bruce and Polly dodge the goons, all while a detective trails the case, keeping Mr. B in sight. The pursuit swings through a club where a dancer challenges Bruce’s skills, a moment of cultural miscommunication that nearly erupts into trouble with a motorcycle gang, and even a wild ride on a mad bull that carries Bruce into town. The stakes rise as Bruce’s efforts to recover the vase become entangled with Polly’s safety and Billy’s wellbeing.

The climax intensifies when Mr. B’s goons locate Polly and knock Billy into a coma. With his young friend unconscious, Bruce becomes resolute to rescue Polly and settle the score. Mr. B pushes him into a hostile bargain: Bruce must face his champion, the brutal Donald Gibb known as the Executioner, with Polly and the vase as the stakes. Bruce, unprepared for this brutal match, fights valiantly but is clearly outmatched. It is Billy’s awakening—proof of his mentor’s influence—that changes everything; Billy crawls toward the ring and inspires Bruce to stand up once more, tucking a sock into his hand and declaring the moment with a raw, improvised resolve.

“Sock it to him.”

With that spark, Bruce finds a second wind and defeats the massive fighter. Mr. B, cornered by the tenacious detective, is quickly arrested after trying to back out of the deal. Polly and Billy join Bruce in the ring, returning the vase and offering their congratulations as a family of three shares a moment of triumph. Yet the story delivers its final, emotional twist: Bruce discovers that Mr. B was his childhood hero Ernie Brown, and the detective rushes in, revealing himself as the real Ernie “Slim” Brown undercover. The reunion is sweet and swift; Bruce thanks him, hands back the vase, and the credits roll, leaving the audience with a sense of closure, gratitude, and the enduring power of mentorship and memory.