Taxman

He's not Hollywood handsome and can't dance. He has more tenacity than brains and is more impulsive than courageous. He has a tendency to act first, think later, and screw up. He will apologize, but only if it's really necessary and not everything works out in the end for him. Such is the central character in "The Taxman" (Pantoliano), an okay cops vs crime flick with the twist being the hero is a federal tax investigator who stumbles into a mafia-style operation and has almost as much trouble with the system as he has with the hoodlums. "The Taxman" is an earnest effort and a worthwhile watch for those who are looking for a down-to-earth crime flick.

I thought that some of you might be interested in knowing what it's like to actually work on films like these. I was on the crew as a Production Assistant. It was an independent film (not produced by a major Hollywood studio) which meant a low budget. We shot it mostly in Brooklyn where the real Russian mob have been known to operate from. It was an extremely difficult movie to work on because it was poorly managed and there were a lot of jerks on the crew. I think a big reason why so many people acted like they did was because of the utter chaos which stressed everyone out. On most other productions they are probably nicer people. The producers didn't care that we didn't have enough resources to do our jobs because all they wanted to do was keep the budget down. The production coordinator had the nerve to ask me to work on Thanksgiving and then got annoyed when I refused. We worked six days a week at an average of 15 hours a day. Then near the end they laid off a bunch of us, including me because of budget problems. Several other Production Assistants quit beforehand which I can say from experience is not typical, even on low budget movies. They also fired a few other members of the crew. I will admit it was a good film when I saw it and was amazed they were able to pull if off considering how much they screwed up the actual shoot. I invite all comments and questions.

This was Joe Pantoliano's first starring role, and I've always found him to play interesting guys - AFTER this movie because he's kind of flat in here. His character, "Al Benjamin," doesn't have the normal "Joey Pants" spark to him. Even the narration - and I love narration - is dull. His character also is a little obnoxious to be the "hero" of the story. Unlike others, I was expecting more going into this viewing.

His sidekick, however: "Joseph Romero" (Wade Dominguez) is very interesting. Michael Chiklis also was good as a Russian businessman who has been a target of the Soviet hit men.

The story is a bit convoluted, concerning the Russian and gas stations being used as fronts for tax purposes. Once again, we get the typical Hollywood cliché of the good cop being a renegade on the force. Overall: fair, at best.

This is a small little gem of a movie. It has a good script, great acting, and deals with an important subject: the influx of Russian organized crime into the US. It is all the more interesting because the protagonist is not a flashy A-list actor, and his character is just a tax inspector with a mortgage and alimony payments. In this respect, it is much more realistic than typical Hollywood cops & robbers b*******t. This film had several very touching moments, made more poignant by the fact that the main character is a regular working stiff.

Flipping channels one day and came across this film. Joe Pantoliano has always been good in whatever he does, and then it was 'Hey, Michael Chiklis!,' "Oh look, it's Elizabeth Berkley!" and the clincher was "OMG!! Freakin' Robert Townsend!!" It's a good movie, not a great film. It has a somber ending, fitting the film's almost anti-climatic aftermath...

Worth a rental for sure... It's funny how much cell phones have changed movies, especially cop dramas.

My only complaint .. as usual with Joe P.'s movies .. is his hair. The poor guy needs to just shave that mess... or go big with the transplants... Plus he's blonde in the movie and I just don't seem his as this fair-haired guy.