Marusa no onna (1987)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Juzo Itami

Writer:

Juzo Itami (writer)

Release Date:

June 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime

Tagline:

He has a Yen for her, but he won't tell her where it's hidden... [USA Theatrical]

Plot:

Ryoko Itakura is a government tax agent who has just landed a big promotion. Her first assignment is to catch wheeler-dealer Hideki Gondo...

Plot Keywords:

Tax Evasion | Japan | Female Nudity | Yakuza | Tax Collector

Awards:

22 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Nobuko Miyamoto	...	Ryôko Itakura
Tsutomu Yamazaki	...	Hideki Gondô
Masahiko Tsugawa	...	Hanamura
Yasuo Daichi	...	Ijûin
Kinzoh Sakura	...	Kaneko (as Kinzô Sakura)
Hajime Asô	...	Himeda
Kiriko Shimizu	...	Kazue Kenmochi
Kazuyo Matsui	...	Kumi Torikai
Hideo Murota	...	Jûkichi Ishii
Machiko Watanabe	...	Kangofu
Shôtarô Takeuchi	...	Rihei Hakamada
Mitsuhiko Kiyohisa	...	Gondô no Untenshu
Akira Shioji	...	Fudôsan'ya
Kôichi Ueda	...	Ninagawa no Fukushin
Yuusuke Nagumo	...	Ninagawa no Kobun (as Yûsuke Nagumo)

Also Known As:

A Taxing Woman (USA)

Runtime:

127 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:M | Sweden:11

Company:

New Century Producers

Quotes:

Hideki Gondo: To save money, you don't spend it. It's as simple as that. You give maybe $100 at a funeral, $200 at a wedding. That's not good. A million is nothing if you spend it. But even $100 is yours if you save it. Say you're trying to fill a glass with dripping water. When it's half-full, you're thirsty, so you drink. But that's stupid. Wait until it's full. But still don't drink. Wait 'til it brims over and lick it. That way you save the water and drink.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Marusa no onna wo marusa suru (1987) (V)

Beware The Tax Inspector

This film from director Juzo Itami, who also directed the excellent "The Funeral" is about Ryoko Itakura, a cute freckle faced bowl haircut style tax investigator. She tries innovative ways to separate people from their hidden earnings, which is, after all, her job. Nobuko Miyamoto, who plays Ryoko, is great, always looking like the only important thing is the job. When she gets promoted to Tax Inspector her job with her new colleagues is to investigate developer Hideko Gondo, played extremely well by Tsutomu Yamazaki, to find out how he is cheating on his taxes. Gondo is, of course, shrewd about hiding his money, so you're left to wonder whether they will succeed. This is essentially a comedy, with a little drama and a bit of erotica (not involving Ms. Miyamoto's character), and it does have some heart. It falls short of "The Funeral" in that the character development, aside from Ryoko and Gondo, is a little weaker. But, for its subject, it is never boring and it is entertaining. I'm sure these people in Japan are as zealous as they seem in this film. Enjoy, its well worth your time.