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.

I saw this moving when it first came out in the movie theater, on the big screen. In all the study I've done on the IRS, what little facts the agents spill, are accurate. The IRS does run on bluff. At the end of the movie, I witnessed something I've never seen in a movie theater, although I admit I don't go to many movies. The entire audience stood to their feet and applauded and cheered. This movie tells the truth, and elicits the Americans' true feelings about being robbed and brutalized by the IRS. It took me a long time to find this on video, and now I am having trouble finding it on DVD. The reason? The IRS doesn't want this information out there available to the public. That said, I want everyone to know that the income tax is only applicable to "US citizens," and the Internal Revenue Code defines the United States as "Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands . . ." and other US territories. However, the US uses forms to get us to check off that we are "U.S. citizen," which we are not, so you are actually volunteering to pay taxes when you mistakenly state you are a "US citizen." Stop doing that! You are a state citizen.

This movie should be required viewing for all students. It puts into perspective how we have allowed our "servants" to become our "masters". Harry's speech is great talking about freedom and what our founders stood for. So many important lessons we have forgotten. I bought a copy on e-bay. They are getting hard to find and I guarantee it will never again be released. Get your copy while you can. A great deal of the movie is based on truth. The scene with the aunt dying at the IRS kangaroo court is based upon a true incident. When he talks about the IRS and their abuses, many if not all of them can be documented as based on real life. The discussions of the complexity of the IRS code and how no one understands it make you want to stand up and shout "AMEN". Someday I hope our government will listen and ax the tax.

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.

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.