Harry's War

First, the IMDb rating for this movie (at the time of this writing) of only 5.7 is a sham. If one takes the actual rating average from the 193 voters, then the rating average is actually 7.16, and if you take the number of stars from those who wrote reviews (and included stars) it has a 9 star rating. So why the 5.7? Well, it appears that if IMDb disagrees with the vote, then they simply change it to whatever they think it should be, and they also clearly state that they will not tell you how they came to that decision. So, in summary, your vote does not count unless they (IMDb) agrees with it, thereby, rendering the movie average that they display as practically useless.

How appropriate a treatment for this very movie, where the governing who disagree simply change the rules to their satisfaction.

This movie is worth seeing for those who wish to see a film regarding an ever growing issue in the US. It is hard to find, but with diligence you can come across DVD copies on the internet. It is certainly better than 5.7.

The protagonist, Harry, attempts to remedy a situation where his friend is about to have her property confiscated for back taxes, taxes that she actually does not owe. He attempts to talk with the IRS director, to no avail. He goes to the kangaroo tax court, only to learn that he lost before ever entering the court room. He quickly finds out that the system is designed to squelch noncompliance, which also results in the death of his friend in the tax court. The property, having been willed to Harry, now becomes his fight, which he does with a method of last desperation with seemingly no other alternative.

Although the film is a bit lighthearted and meant to be a comedy, the subject matter is quite serious. The end scene is darkly prophetic of the tragic incident involving the US government in Waco, Texas, 12 years after the movie was made.

In the mid-1980s I once saw part of an interview with David Ogden Stiers, who played the IRS agent/director in this great film. He was asked about what his favorite role had been, and I got this idea that the interviewer was expecting him to say something about his character in M*A*S*H. But instead he paused for a second, and said "There was this movie about the IRS, and I was the biggest [bleep] in the office...." at which point they cut to a commercial.

Unfortunately, I didn't bother to note what program this was, and it's been so many years ago that I'm not even sure I'm recalling everything right. But it was funny enough to remember all this time.

By-the-way, the Harry character gives a pretty good speech about his position near the end of the film -- it's not really all that radical or "anti-government" so much as it is anti-bureaucratic abuse and pro-freedom. Highly recommended, overall.

There are still a few sources (some online) with copies of this movie available -- you just have to look around.

HARRY'S WAR is one of the only American films ever made that really attempts to reveal the corruption in our governmental system. Other than Frank Capra's MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON there has never really been a studio film made that tells it how it really is. And although this film only scratches the surface of how absolutely corrupt and unconstitutional the I.R.S. is, it does deliver a shocking amount of truth, within a film community that is undeniably censored and most of the time pure propaganda.

It's amazing the power that film has. It people saw this film in mass. It would start a revolution.

I had never heard of this movie and just today (20121215) came across it on Netflix.

So, for those looking to watch it, you have the opportunity. (and this is where my review would end, were it not for the 10-line minimum rule! So, on to the blathering...)

Casting (or, possibly, makeup) and score selections were slight distractions. Less cartoonish portrayals of 'Aunt' Beverly and Billy would have helped the audience relate more with these characters, who represent a genuine compassionate, charitable neighbor to everyone and a war veteran. As it stands, they are presented as kooks and the antagonists (I'll let you figure out who they are) are presented as the sane, "normal," most-easily-related-to folks. That may have been the only way to get the film made, however. Sort of like Churchill being forbidden from writing about Hitler - he still did it, using animal abstractions, but people read between the lines and understood.

I've also never been a huge fan of scores that include whimsical flute playing. I understand the link to our nation's history, but the sound just doesn't strike the right chord for such a serious topic.

The presentation of the story is typical for the 80s. Not quite the gritty "French Connection/Dog Day Afternoon/Dirty Harry" quality of the 70s films and not the over-the-top "Dumb and Dumber/Scary Movie" silliness of the 90s/00s. Somewhere in the middle.

If this film were made today, it would be darker (truer?), and the omnipresence of the IRS, while significant, would be but a mere shadow of its true power. Still, I think you'll get the intended feelings when watching the current film.

I remember seeing "Harry's War" (1981) when I was on vacation in St. George of all places (where "Harry's War" was filmed). I honestly don't remember much about the film--the political arguments were a little beyond my 12-year-old brain.

Watching it recently as a 42-year-old, I must say that I enjoyed it quite a bit. Oh, the cinematography, script, and acting are a bit wobbly (you can tell it was a low-budget production), but it has one thing that a lot of movies today lack: entertainment value. I was entertained throughout the entire film. Part of it was probably due to the fact that I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I've seen plenty of left-wing diatribes on film, but I don't think I've ever seen anything so sincerely right-wing. And even though it was in the service of a "silly" comedy, it was smart right-wing (I know that sounds like a contradiction: silly and smart). The condemnation of the IRS in the film was valid, and it's only gotten about 1000 percent worse since 1981.