True Lies

James Cameron directs this terrific action flick that gives way to bursts of comedy. Arnold Schwarzenegger is a spy trying to keep his profession a secret from his wife(Jamie Lee Curtis)and realizes that she is having an affair. The mild mannered salesman is really a double fisted devil may care secret agent. The beginning and final sequences are a movie in themselves. My favorite scenes are Curtis' striptease in the hotel and her "cat fight" with the gorgeous Tia Carrere in the limo. Plenty of gun fights and big bangs to please everyone. The cast also features Bill Paxton, Art Malik and Tom Arnold in his funniest and greatest role as Schwarzenegger's sidekick. There is a small role for Charlton Heston as the stern single minded boss. Absolute entertainment.

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

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.

I had forgotten how funny this film is. From the very start it begins to laugh at itself and the entire genre, with great audacity. Every single scene is worth watching and I am still giggling about many of them. (Well, ok, the camera angle on the scene with terrorist-as-missile is a teensy bit overdone.)

I delayed renting it again because I remembered the Jamie-Lee-as-prostitute scene was difficult to sit through--her predicament is just so embarrassing. But this time I discovered it is probably my favorite scene. She is just a scream (and surprisingly erotic), while her underplayed klutziness throughout is hysterical, right down to the tango at the end. Especially in contrast to her husband's ridiculously effortless physical skills and unruffled cool. The only time he loses it, and hilariously so, is with Bill Paxton. (And I love that she gets her own back for Arnie's sleazy trick. A woman who packs a punch.)

Even the excellent special effects are pure humor. They are just huge enough to be ridiculous, and yet never seem overblown--and this with a nuclear explosion and a Harrier on an urban rampage. This film is a work of genius. How an action/espionage/romance spoof could deliver such outrageous tongue-in-cheek and yet never feel like corn, slap or déjà vu is a mystery to me.

I give this 8/10 for being relentlessly entertaining, at a very high level. And the acting is top notch all around.

True Lies is an action comedy film written and directed by James Cameron, the film stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Arnold, Art Malik, Tia Carrere, Late Bill Paxton, Eliza Dushku, Grant Heslov and Late Charlton Heston.

A secret agent's life fighting with a terrorist who is threatening nuclear war in America turns upside down when he discovers about extra marital affair of his wife, now he has not only to save his country but also his marriage.

Now this is what you called a good action film, the film has almost everything, great action scenes, regular dose of comedy and lots of Kabooms. The best part of the film is that it creates a great cocktail of action and comedy and will keep the viewers engaged throughout.

Acting is great and Arnie and Jamie Lee Curtis did a tremendous work, they looked really funny and complimented each other very well, Bill Paxton looked very funny and impressive, Tom Arnold lends a great support.

Screenplay of the film is good and has all the ingredients to keep you engaged, the climax of the film is good and gives a perfect ending. A Must watch action comedy film.