Toughest Man In The World, The (1984)

This made-for-TV movie from CBS finds A-Team star Mr T (born Lawrence Tureaud) playing Bruise Brubaker – a brute with a heart of gold who finds himself responsible for troubled kids from a youth centre and sets them on the straight and narrow.

Bruise is actually a bouncer in a Chicago nightclub, but his spare time is dedicated to running – without pay – the youth centre on the city’s South Side. Unfortunately, government funding cutbacks are threatening to close the facility.

A concerned Bruise takes his case to city hall but finds himself getting the runaround from the secretaries of the bureaucrats. Frustrated and furious, he simply knocks down the door to the deputy mayor’s office, declaring “I’ve been social, now I’m going to get some services”.

A pretty city worker (Lynne Moody) manages to save him from going to jail and provides the film’s romantic interest, such as it is. Like the cowboy heroes of yesteryear, Bruise carefully avoids kissing the heroine.

This mind-numbing amalgam of cartoonish action and syrupy sentimentality is a horribly misconceived vehicle – and quite how Hammer veteran Jimmy Sangster got mixed up in the script is anybody’s guess.

Incidentally, Mr T also gets to sing (rap) the theme song.

Bruise Brubaker
Mr T
Dick
Dennis Dugan
Billy
John P Navin Jr
Esther
Peggy Pope
Leslie
Lynne Moody
Matty
Joe Greco
Tanker
Tom Milanovich
Charlie
Englehardt
Fox
Jimmie F Skaggs
Grass
Frank Rice

Director
Dick Lowry