True Lies - Wahre Lügen

James Cameron has directed some fantastic action movies during his career (Aliens, the first two Terminator movies, The Abyss, Titanic--that boat action was like totally awesome!!), but none were as funny as True Lies is. Arnold Schwarzenegger (Terminator, Eraser, the Governor of California) is Harry Tasker, a computer programming father by day, James Bond by night, working for a top secret government agency that is beyond the CIA and run by Charlton Heston. Tom Arnold, in his first dramatic role, plays Harry's partner, Gib, and is the smartass, class clown of the agency. Schwarzenegger and Arnold have a fantastic chemistry, creating the movie's biggest laughs. Jamie Lee Curtis plays Harry's under-appreciated wife, Helen, who flirts with the idea of leaving Harry for a used-car salesman, played with uber-confidence by Bill Paxson. Helen finds out the true identity of her husband in another funny scene where both are captured by Arab terrorists with help from a truth serum. The action part of True Lies comes from Harry trying to track down the nuclear bomb that has been stolen by the terrorists. A wonderfully shot escape scene on the bridge that connects the Florida Keys to the mainland is the pinnacle of True Lies. An action film that does not take itself too seriously (notice all of the silly Arnold-lines peppered throughout the movie, my personal favorite being "you're fired!" before Trump thought of it), True Lies is wildly entertaining, so much so that you almost forget Tom Arnold was married to Roseanne.

*** out of ****

I've seen True Lies at least four times now, and every time I find myself having a great time watching this first-rate action/comedy/thriller. But it's a movie that I can't muster more than passable (but occasionally fairly ecstatic) enthusiasm for. It's a very good action movie, and I can certainly see how it's attained a reputation as one of the best adrenaline-pumping rides of the 90's, but it's not great.

What True Lies has is one of the more ingenious action movie premises I've seen. Arnold Schwarzenegger is Harry Tasker, a husband (to Jamie Lee Curtis) and father (to Eliza Dushku) by day, and world-saving CIA agent by night (or day, it depeneds). His latest assignment puts him on the case of a mad Islamic terrorist called Aziz, who's retrieved several nuclear warheads and plans to set them off on U.S. soil if his group's demands are not met. Complicating matters for Harry is the inclusion of his wife, Helen, whom he believes is having an affair with a used car salesman (Bill Paxton, in what's got to be his funniest performance).

In terms of pure escapist enjoyment, this is actually James Cameron's most successful film. True Lies is probably the only Cameron film that never suffers from the slightest hiccup in pacing (yes, Aliens had a slow beginning and viewing The Abyss was like watching molasses sliding down a brick wall). From beginning to end, there's not a single slow spot, as you can expect either a sharply staged action sequence or comical setpiece around every corner. To keep such momentum up for 141 minutes is pretty damn amazing, and Cameron must be given credit for making such a long movie almost so effortlessly enjoyable.

But for all that is so enjoyable about it, True Lies lacks a strong plot (in terms of action, as the romantic subplot is actually quite excellent). The villains are stereotypical terrorists, pure cartoons who don't even make an impression as cool villains. In his heyday, Arnold has battled tons of memorable villains (T-1000 and the Predator stand out), the terrorists here are clearly among the weakest of Arnold's foes to date.

The action is suitably over-the-top, especially the harrier jet climax, which makes almost all the action that came before it believable in comparison. But the action is mostly excellent, the shootouts and fistfights are exciting, there's plenty of cliffhanger thrills, and the chase/catfight set on the lengthy bridge is classic.

The movie has to keep a balance between strong violence and screwball humor, which it pulls off very well. The half-hour segment devoted entirely to Harry's marital problems is hilarious, its only flaw being the abrupt segue to "typical" Arnold action. Even when Arnold's taking down massive armies of terrorists, Cameron still maintains the same light tone evident during the comical scenes, while still keeping the action thrilling. That's quite an accomplishment.

The cast is all excellent, given the material and intent. Schwarzenegger is still the extremely likeable big lug. These roles aren't a stretch for him, but he excels at such parts because he radiates charisma like no other actor (even if they may all be better than him when it comes to talent). As the comic relief, Tom Arnold is surprisingly very funny (since then, it hasn't been so surprising as he's actually provided decent humor in those Andrzej Bartkowiak films, or however you spell the guy's name). Jamie Lee Curtis is wonderful, too, and I've never been a big fan of hers. Without a doubt, this is easily her most winning performance.

One of the big box-office hits of 1994, I was surprised to see True Lies didn't inspire any genuine imitators. Just as well, I suppose, there's only so much Bond "parody" you can see without the material getting tiresome (Austin Powers, anyone?). But True Lies' charms lies in that it works as parody while still excelling as a straight action thriller. When it comes to pure direction, that's proof James Cameron can be a genius.

Once again, Arnie and Cameron team up to deliver a terrific action film.

Arnie stars as a secret agent posing as a computer salesman. Not even his wife knows his true identity and since he is always busy she decides to have a little excitement and hooks up with a nitwit posing as a secret agent! In the mean while, in trying to get her back, Arnie gets his family inadvertently pushed into a plot, by terrorists to nuke the USA! Preposterous? Yes! Hilarious? YES!!!

The resulting film has Arnie chasing motorcycles on horseback through hotels all the way to "borrowing" Harrier jets from the military. And, of course, getting his wife and daughter back.

Packed with awesome action scenes and some really terrific hilarious moments this is what an action movie should be. Not too serious and not too pointless. 8/10

Rated R: violence and profanity

Why should one watch this film? It's stupid, without any character developments and is about as believable as any James Bond movie. I'll tell you: It's great fun. When I watch a movie, I try not to confuse art with entertainment, as some commenters clearly have done. True Lies doesn't have a hint of art - but its comic-style spirit and adventurous action is compelling. And please don't be childish - admit you like seeing nukes go off on screen. This film isn't a Great Film. But it is Great Fun.

Joining Terminator 2: Judgement Day as one of the best action movies of all time! Terminator 2 is my favourite action movie of all time followed by Aliens, but this has to be extremely close! This is not only one of the best Cameron movies, but also one of the most fun movies I have seen in my entire life. The action is absolutely breathtaking! The script is absolutely hilarious! It's got all of your favourite Arnold Schwarzenegger dialogue that James Cameron seems to be extremely good at. The one-liners are perfect, the performance by Jamie Lee Curtis is great and she makes it even better.

This is one of the most re-watchable movies I have seen in my entire life. One thing that James Cameron is extremely good at is character-driven movies, you get the character's background story, their personal life and another thing he is good at is extremely kick-ass female leads! He did it with the Terminator films, Aliens, Titanic, Avatar and he does it once again with this. It's one of the greatest female performances of all time along with Sigourney Weaver in Aliens, Linda Hamilton in Terminator 2, Jodie Foster in Taxi Driver & Silence of the Lambs, Molly Ringwald in The Breakfast Club and many more!

I won't get into the story & plot because I feel that this is one of Cameron's movies less people have viewed because they are focusing on the bigger Cameron movies and I believe that's a mistake because this is one of the greatest films of the 90's!

100%