"Should 5 percent appear too small/Be grateful I don't take it all."

-- The Beatles, Taxman

Recently, I had the good fortune to talk to an Aiken County tax assessor. It should be noted that I do not live in Aiken County, so the conversation had nothing to do with what I might or might not (sometimes the glass is half full) owe, but I did find him to be a pleasant and helpful guy.

During the conversation, he alluded to the bad rap the tax man often receives, and I had to agree. You see, the tax man doesn't work on commission. He doesn't get a cut of every income dollar he collects in the name of city, state or country. He, or she, is merely doing a job, a job held in nearly universal disdain.

Hollywood doesn't help matters. Any film featuring a tax collector usually paints him with the broad brush of a mustache-twirling villain looking for little old ladies to put out on the street.

Are they caricatures? Absolutely. Accurate? Absolutely not. Still, here are five films that feature tax collectors, with only a single sympathetic soul in the bunch. To my newfound friends in the Aiken County Assessors Office, my apologies. This will do little to enhance your image. To everyone else, enjoy.

THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (1938): This is my favorite incarnation of the Robin Hood story which, like most, features a sticky-fingered sheriff enforcing unjust taxation laws. Here, the role is played with slimy aplomb by Melville Cooper.

STRANGER THAN FICTION (2006): Perhaps the closest Hollywood has come to a sympathetic tax man, Will Ferrell's Harold Crick is an IRS auditor stuck in a serious rut. He's not a bad man, just incredibly bored and boring. It's only when he becomes the lead character in an unfolding novel (it makes sense in the movie) that he finds a joy for life that, according to Hollywood standards, must always elude the tax guys.

SPEEDWAY (1968): This Elvis exploitation flick, a bit of a guilty pleasure, stars the King as a race car driver in tax trouble. What does a car-crazy crooner do in such a situation? Drive fast and brake only for the occasional musical interlude. Thank you. Thank you very much.

WHAT A WAY TO GO! (1964): It seems incredible that this morality tale about a four-time widow who makes an unsolicited donation to the IRS has been all but lost. It has an incredible cast -- Shirley MacLaine, Paul Newman, Robert Mitchum, Dick Van Dyke, Dean Martin and Gene Kelly -- and a very funny concept.

The execution is sometimes slipshod, but it's still an interesting and entertaining cinematic confection.

THE BLUES BROTHERS (1980): The big, bad IRS wants to evict nuns and orphans. Who are you going to call? How about a pair of felonious musicians with a calling. This musical is one of the classics of comedy and the refrain "We're on a mission from God" continues to be quoted by fans nearly 30 years after the movie's initial release.