A Taxing Woman

Released Jun 18, 1987

2h 7m

Comedy

List

75%

Tomatometer

12 Reviews

87%

Popcornmeter

500+ Ratings

Ace tax investigator Ryoko Itakura (Nobuko Miyamoto) sets her sights on the mysterious and philandering Hideki Gondo (Tsutomu Yamazaki), a suspected millionaire who owns a thriving chain of seedy hourly hotels. For years, Gondo has succeeded at hiding the true extent of his assets from the Japanese authorities. As the government investigation progresses, Itakura and Gondo find themselves locked in a battle of wits -- one further complicated by their growing affections for each other.

Derek Malcolm

Guardian

Itami's real power as a director is to suggest that people are, in fact, much the same everywhere and that anarchy rathe than order is what unites them under the skin.

Aug 16, 2021

Full Review

Variety Staff

Variety

Tighter than [Itami's] first film, The Funeral, and better constructed than Tampopo, The Taxing Woman drives relentlessly forward, mixing social satire with action and sex, if anything piling it a bit too much for one film.

Mar 26, 2009

Full Review

Wally Hammond

Time Out

In this, his third helter-skelter satire on modern Japanese mores, Itami turns his witty attention to the subject of money, with tighter construction and deeper characterisation making it his most entertaining yet.

Feb 9, 2006

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Nathanael Hood

Unseen Films

Dares to ask how much of a bastard does a villain need to be to make us root for a tax auditor.

Rated: 6/10

May 20, 2020

Full Review

Siu Wai Anderson

Sojourner

The gutsiness of the "taxing woman," a quick-witted Tokyo auditor-cum-inspector, gives the story some color, but the plot lacks suspense and ends too neatly.

Aug 30, 2019

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 4/5

Jul 23, 2005

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Audience Member

Juzo Itami was a brilliant comedic director who could have done so much more. I think this may have been the movie that "killed" him.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/25/23

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Audience Member

la heroÃna es una cobradora de impuestos (o sea Â¿cÃ³mo?)

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/21/23

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Audience Member

A not very valued film by an undervalued filmmaker (Juzo Itami). A story about financial bubble, corruption and tax evaders that is still worldwide valid more than 20 years after its release. A comedy about a very sad reality.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/02/23

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Audience Member

yes, it IS possible to make a classic must-see comedy about tax investigators! or rather, a particular freckled investigator whose shrewd observations and dogged pursuit of tax evaders made me glued to my seat throughout the film.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/18/23

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Audience Member

Very good movie, that reflects Juzo Itami's unique take on cinema.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

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Audience Member

(***): [img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif[/img] I didn't realize that a film about a woman going after people who don't pay their taxes could be so entertaining! Well-acted, especially the work of Nobuko Miyamoto.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/18/23

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Juzo Itami

Director

Nobuko Miyamoto

Ryoko Itakura, Tax Inspector

Tsutomu Yamazaki

Hideki Gondo

Masahiko Tsugawa

Hanamura

Seigo Hosogoe

Producer

Yasushi Tamaoki

Producer

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Synopsis

Ace tax investigator Ryoko Itakura (Nobuko Miyamoto) sets her sights on the mysterious and philandering Hideki Gondo (Tsutomu Yamazaki), a suspected millionaire who owns a thriving chain of seedy hourly hotels. For years, Gondo has succeeded at hiding the true extent of his assets from the Japanese authorities. As the government investigation progresses, Itakura and Gondo find themselves locked in a battle of wits -- one further complicated by their growing affections for each other.

Director: Juzo Itami
Producer: Seigo Hosogoe, Yasushi Tamaoki
Production Co: Itami Productions
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 18, 1987, Original
Runtime: 2h 7m