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Taxman, The
Phaedra Cinema

Taxman, The reviews
Critic Score
Metascore: 48 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
8.0 out of 10
based on 8 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 1 votes
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Rate this movie

MPAA RATING: R for graphic violence and strong language

Starring Joe Pantoliano, Wade Dominguez, Elizabeth Berkley, and Michael Chiklis

New York State Tax Investigator Al Benjamin (Pantoliano) infiltrates the Russian community of Brighton Beach, New York, to track down the con man who is running a tax fraud scheme.


GENRE(S): Suspense/Thriller  
WRITTEN BY: Roger H. Berger
Avi Nesher
 
DIRECTED BY: Avi Nesher  
RELEASE DATE: DVD: December 28, 1999 
Video: December 28, 1999 
Theatrical: September 17, 1999 
RUNNING TIME: 104 minutes, Color 
ORIGIN: USA 

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

75
San Francisco Examiner G. Allen Johnson
Shows how Tinseltown sensibilities can be well thought out even on a low budget.
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70
The New York Times Lawrence Van Gelder
An offbeat little charmer of a mystery.
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63
New York Post Rod Dreher
An odd, unexpectedly interesting little movie.
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50
TV Guide Maitland McDonagh
This modest little moral thriller is a pleasant surprise.
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50
LA Weekly Paul Malcolm
Writer-director Avi Nesher and co-screenwriter Roger Berger -- upon whose real-life investigations the film is based -- deliver on the hard-boiled promise of this low-key thriller with plenty of gritty twists and turns.
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50
Los Angeles Times Jan Stuart
Has the hit-machine aura of something whipped together by L.A. studio execs over avocado sandwiches and banana smoothies.
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38
New York Daily News Jami Bernard
Brutal but somewhat endearing.
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30
Village Voice Katherine Wolff
A wintertime crime caper that truly leaves you cold.
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What Our Users Said

Vote Now!The average user rating for this movie is 8.0 (out of 10) based on 1 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Doug M. gave it an8:
Probably actually a 7.5; the accessible reviews seem to warrant a higher score than 48 (TV Guide rated it 3 0ut of 4 stars but it was only assigned a rating of 50) - an impressive Everyman film about incorruptible low-level bureaucrats who are much brighter than they appear and determined to do the right thing. The smallness of the film does not allow for sexual or action scene diversions and the focus stays on the two main characters. It could have been black&white and made in 1948, fitting alongside D.O.A. or This Gun for Hire in its compact, economical and functional approach.

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