A Taxing Woman's Return (1988) User Reviews

Mega-Spoiler Ahead: Only Read After Watching Movie

[mmuchall · 7/10 · 18 February 2005]

Although some of the acting & situations were a little contrived this movie was enjoyable and is definitely worth seeing. However, it took a 10 minute discussion with my Japanese wife and a review of the first and last few minutes to really make sense of the ending which is, in some ways, vaguely similar to 'The Usual Suspects'. As far as we could tell, the opening scene where a group of men are sharing a meal of crab features some powerful politicians, one of whom appears later (with sideburns). These politicians are the real power brokers with the 'Minister' shown in the last few moments possibly being the top guy. They want to cash in on the Real Estate deal around which the plot of the movie takes place but don't want to get their hands dirty. The boss of the religious cult is several rungs on the ladder below them and they only try to kill him so that the audit trail doesn't lead to them. So the Cult leader pays the tax but gets to keep an even more secret valuable legacy in his grave. Meanwhile there's not enough evidence to implicate the high ranking 'Minister' at the end while the two guys discussing the Land Deal are bankers, aware of the 27 billion cost of making the land available and the 10 billion profit that was made when the land was resold to the Insurance Company, much of which presumably ended up in the pockets of the politicians involved. Hope this makes sense! It's what we thought was going on but we could be wrong.

hilarious even with subtitles

[mainstay · 8/10 · 5 November 1999]

"A Taxing Woman's Return" seems like a strange title for a movie, but somehow Juzo Itami makes Japanese tax investigation quite entertaining and interesting. The film has a carefully constructed, intricate plot and well-written screenplay; good acting and a *wonderfully* caustic sense of humor make this movie hilariously entertaining. Some of the best moments, though, come from showing how the fraudulent religious cult works (in evicting stubborn tenants, for example), and from Itami's gradual peeling away of plot layers to give us a peek at the never ending corruption in the system. This movie sits comfortably in my favorite 20 films.

A Good, Multi-Layered Film

[crossbow0106 · 8/10 · 15 November 2008]

This sequel to the original is about the tax inspectors in Tokyo trying to find hidden money amongst a religious group, which at the time, in the age of Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggert, was a very topical subject. Nobuko Miyamoto is back as Ryoko, but she is more just one in an ensemble piece rather than a big star of the film. Still, she is a great character and great fun to watch. This film has more action than the first, but it is also a little confusing. You get a major peek inside what seems like a religious cult and you see the world of greed at your doorstep. If you saw the original, which was better since it had more Ryoko, you'll want to see this also. Its a worthy follow up and its a shame there weren't more films on the subject. I saw the two films within a few days of each other and I enjoyed them. I think you will too.

Better than the first Marusa No Onna

[ebiros2 · 2 December 2011]

This sequel to the Taxing Woman takes on the corruption of politician, religious organization, and yakuza.

Ryoko (Nobuko Miyamoto) is on to a case concerning religious organization, and gangs concerning Jiageya ( A group of gangs who buys homes by using violent means so that real estate can be rebuilt and sold for a profit ). The case eventually leads to corrupt politicians. Ryoko enters the religious organization in question as its member, and finds out that its headquarter has a hidden room containing evidence of corruption.

The movie takes into account many topics that was suspected of being the case in society back in the '80s Japan. Itami connected the dots taking artistic license and turned it into a movie.

This movie is more entertaining than the first Marusa No Onna. The corruption is on a bigger scale, and investigation is more sophisticated.

This is one of the most entertaining movie by director Itami, and is recommended for viewing.

A promising setup that falls apart at the end.

[freakus · 6/10 · 24 June 1999]

I am a big fan of Nobuko Miyamoto and her work with her husband, Juzo Itami, in such films as "Minbo" and the first "Taxing Woman" but this film dissappoints. It starts out with a great setup, a religious cult is involved with yakuza real estate dealings, but the payoff is unsatisfying. The money is difficult to keep straight, ie. who payed what to whom, and in the end I wasn't sure if the bad guys had been punished or not. Some fine moments with Miyamoto but in the end it was very forgettable.

Bigger Quarry, Bigger Stakes

[chicagomike · 9/10 · 2 July 2006]

Inspector Ryoko Itakura from 'Marusa no Onna' is back, but we don't get to see her or her colleagues from the Tokyo Tax Inspection office for almost half an hour. The first scene shows us a body floating in Tokyo Bay, and we segue quickly into the middle of a very elaborate real estate scheme involving one of the New Religions and that old sinner, Senator Urushibara. Ryoko has continued her meteoric rise, and it is she who gets to break in their newest inspector. He is also their future boss, since he is a golden-boy graduate of Tokyo University (think Harvard Business School). He turns out to be bright, hard-working, and sincere (a quality much prized in Japan, in theory). Neither Ryoko's ingenuity nor her willingness to bend the rules have flagged, and the case comes down to another high stakes big raid. Given the amount of money in play, there is a sniper and a well-armed burglar. This is definitely one of those movies for movie lovers. Itami continues his signature visual citations of Japanese, British and American classics. There is a slightly more realistic tone this time, so the movie ends with a sigh of relief rather than a cheer.

I suppose it was inevitable

[mjneu59 · 5/10 · 6 January 2011]

Juzo Itami's sequel to his popular 1988 comedy has energy to spare, but there's more than a hint of redundancy in the further adventures of his intrepid, freckle-faced tax agent and her one-woman war against corporate greed. The new film is even more exaggerated than its predecessor, with enough sex, skullduggery, intrigue, and action to fuel any three James Bond thrillers, but as with most sequels the novelty is gone, and the scenario is desperately over-plotted (to say the least). Contrary to the film's title the heroine herself doesn't even return until well into the second half-hour, and then in a more limited role. What made the character so appealing in the original was her resemblance to a pint-sized Popeye Doyle (with most of the same obsessions), but here's she's reduced to being just another cog in a very stylish, very busy machine, running more or less on autopilot.

A Serious(ly good) Itami film

[peter s-2 · 24 July 1999]

This is my favorite of Itami's films. Some of his fans may not like it because it has much less humor than his more well-known works. It has a remarkable soundtrack, and a completely different tone than A TAXING WOMAN. It has an intricate and unconventional screenplay, and has the great technical qualities you expect from Itami.

Kind of confusing...

[smakawhat · 4/10 · 13 August 2000]

I found this movie confusing in that I couldn't uniquely identify the characters. Also, the movie seems to switch gears (first it seems to be comical, then it is serious, then it is comical) and it can't seem to make up its mind about what it wants to be.

I did like some of the characters, but the movie was confusing and FAR to long.

I enjoyed Tampopo immensly but this film was dissapointing considering it was made by the same director.

Rating 4 out of 10