Keiju Kobayashi Movies

The taxing woman of the title is Nobuko Miyamoto (the wife of director Juzo Itami), who works for the Japanese version of the IRS. She is also "taxing" in her insistence upon upholding the letter of the law and doggedly tracking down tax cheats. Her current quarry is millionaire Tsutomu Yamazaki, who uses his mob connections to evade paying what he owes the government. This "untouchable" cheat is brought to heel by the diligent Miyamato -- and Yamakazi is so overwhelmed by her persistence that he falls in love with her and proposes marriage! Things get even goofier in the 1988 sequel, titled (you guessed it) The Taxing Woman's Return. The first Taxing Woman was originally released in Japan as Marusa No Onna. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Nearly ten years after his last screen appearance (in 1975's Terror of Mechagodzilla), the Tokyo Terror stomps again -- albeit awkwardly -- in Toho Studios' highly publicized bid to reestablish the Green Guy's popularity in Japan and overseas. More a remake of the 1956 classic Godzilla, King of the Monsters than a continuation of the series, Godzilla 1985 represents an attempt to revamp the Big G with Star Wars movie technology and a more "serious" approach. Unfortunately, Toho's efforts may have gone astray, since the film resorts to exactly the same cheesy conventions that had endeared the series to bad-movie buffs around the world: flimsy cardboard buildings, inconsistencies in the monster's size from one scene to the next, and the same mock-profound commentary from Raymond Burr. The only notable additions consist of some interference from those evil superpowers, America and the Soviet Union, who both want to nuke Godzilla before he decides to direct his rage somewhere other than Japan. Though the film did manage to jump-start the franchise, spawning several high-tech sequels (continuing with Godzilla vs. Biollante and 1995's Godzilla vs. The Destroyer), its cheesiness spelled certain doom for the series in overseas markets, with minimal legitimate U.S. distribution until their arrival on video amid advance hype for Sony-TriStar's mega-budgeted 1998 version. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

Set during World War II, the inhuman side of combat is again emphasized in this film that deals with navy officers and their decisions concerning the "great fleet" that they must manage. In order to put the human drama of separation and death in full relief, that drama is played against scenes of nature (ocean waves, cherry blossoms, falling snow) that convey a sense of impermanence and ephemeral tranquility. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

In this Japanese sci-fi film based on the prophesies of the French seer Nostradamus, the story begins in 1999, the year the prophet predicted the world would end. The future world is horribly polluted, and one scientist is assigned to deal with the giant blood-sucking slugs that have been spawned by the toxic filth in the ocean. With their presence, almost all sea-life dies, the Earth's plants shrivel up, and children begin to expire. At this point, the common folk begin to riot until the governments call in the military to stop them. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Samurai Assassin and Japan's Longest Day director Kihachi Okamoto offers a vivid dramatization of the bloodiest battle ever fought in the Pacific Theater with this combat film produced to portray the Japanese perspective on this landmark confrontation. The year is 1944, and when Allied forces descend on Okinawa the Japanese people become subject to horrors that would forever change the face of war. As the Japanese people struggle with all their might to endure an unrelenting attack, Allied forces receive a harrowing demonstration of what to expect when they take the fight to the Japanese mainland. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

In this Japanese love story, a young man, the son of deaf-mute parents, is given a job by a factory owner who thinks he would make a good match for his daughter who is also a deaf-mute. The girl is already in love with a similarly afflicted man, but her father objects as he does not want her children to be deaf-mute. The despairing young lovers make a suicide pact, but fortunately, the factory worker intervenes and encourages them to stay alive. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

This star-studded and relatively lavishly produced fact-based war drama, set in 1945 Japan during WW II, chronicles the attempts of Japan's War Minister, (played by Toshiro Mifune), to prevent Emperor Hirohito from publicly broadcasting the declaration of surrender. The War Minister rallies those officers around him who also want to keep the war going. The conspirators murder the leader of the Imperial Guards and storm the palace. Fortunately they are stopped by the palace guard. On learning of this failure, the War Minister commits suicide. At least one Western reviewer of this 1967 film (for Variety) still bore very harsh memories of the war and attributed all sorts of face-saving propagandistic intent by the Japanese to this relatively innocuous movie. He was particularly distressed that the aura of sanctity surrounding the Emperor remained intact and was even enhanced by this film; even so, he praised it as expertly acted and entertaining in its own right, despite being an apparently "official" film. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In this Japanese WW II drama, several inductable youths decide to avoid combat by playing in an army band. Unfortunately, following basic training, the musicians end up sent to China to help the flagging morale of troops stationed there. There they are brutally attacked by the Chinese and sent to a POW camp. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

This film biography of Japanese artist Kiyoshi Yamashita follows his rise to international fame, including an incident in WWII when he declared himself a pacifist and took off all his clothes in public, which landed him in an institution and helped him avoid being drafted. ~ Steve Huey, Rovi

This Japanese comedy is about a hobo who has saved a great deal of money over the years, keeping it taped to his side. After he is arrested for trying to stiff a restaurant, he meets a female hobo who cons people out of cash by telling them she is an A-bomb victim. They stay together for a little while, but one morning he awakes to find that she has left with all his money. While looking for her, he meets two abandoned children and takes them to his house. Waiting for him is a letter from the female hobo saying that she has wisely invested all his money and would like to marry him. ~ Steve Huey, Rovi

This sweeping historical epic has sometimes been labelled the Gone with the Wind of Japan; at any rate, it's almost the same length as Gone (the film was originally released in two parts). Chusha Ichikawa plays a powerful and ruthless feudal lord who battles virtuous young noble Yuzo Kayama. Ichikawa is temporarily victorious when he tricks Kayama into committing Hara Kiri. Vengeance is meted out by Kayama's forty-seven samurai retainers. Based on a venerable Japanese legend, the story of Chushingura has been filmed several times, but only the 1941 version (47 Ronin) matched the grandeur of director Hiroshi Inagaki's 1962 version. In some English-speaking countries, Chushingura has been released in a shorter version titled The Loyal 47 Ronin. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi