True Lies (1994)

Director:

James Cameron

Writers (WGA):

Claude Zidi (screenplay) and
Simon Michaël (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

15 July 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

When he said I do, he never said what he did.

Plot:

When a secret agent learns of his wife's extra-marital affair, he pursues her and uses his intelligence resources in a job he kept secret from her.

Plot Keywords:

Terrorist | Secret | Agent | Mission | Secret Agent

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 6 wins & 14 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Tue. Dec. 1	9:00 PM	AETV
Wed. Dec. 2	1:01 AM	AETV

Cast

Arnold Schwarzenegger	...	Harry Tasker
Jamie Lee Curtis	...	Helen Tasker
Tom Arnold	...	Albert Gibson
Bill Paxton	...	Simon
Charlton Heston	...	Spencer Trilby
Tia Carrere	...	Juno Skinner
Art Malik	...	Salim Abu Aziz
Eliza Dushku	...	Dana Tasker
Grant Heslov	...	Faisil
Marshall Manesh	...	Jamal Khaled
James Allen	...	Colonel
Dieter Rauter	...	Boathouse Guard (as Deiter Rauter)
Jane Morris	...	Janice
Katsy Chappell	...	Allison
Crystina Wyler	...	Charlene

Also Known As:

Mentiras verdaderas (Argentina) (Peru) (Uruguay) (Venezuela) [es]
Правдивая ложь (Russia) [ru]
A Verdade da Mentira (Portugal) [pt]
Ausad valed (Estonia) [et]
Két tüz között (Hungary) [hu]
Livsfarlig løgn (Denmark) [da]
Mentiras arriesgadas (Spain) [es]
Pravdivé lzi (Slovakia) [sk]
Pravdivé lzi (Czech Republic) [cs]
Prawdziwe klamstwa (Poland) [pl]
Resnicne lazi (Slovenia) [sl]
Sanne løgner (Norway) [no]
Tosi valheita (Finland) [fi]
True Lies (France) [fr]
True Lies (Brazil) [pt]
True Lies (Austria) [de]
True Lies - Wahre Lügen (Germany) [de]
True lies, le caméléon (France) [fr]
Vrai mensonge (Canada: French title) (TV title) [fr]

Runtime:

141 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French | Arabic | German

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby Digital (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 (original rating) | Iceland:14 (original rating) | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Hungary:16 | New Zealand:M | Brazil:14 | Portugal:M/12 | France:U | Netherlands:12 | South Korea:12 (cable rating) | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Chile:14 | Denmark:15 | Finland:K-14 | Germany:16 | Netherlands:16 (original rating) (cinema release) | Norway:18 | Peru:14 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:15 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | USA:R | UK:15 (cut)

Filming Locations:

Ambassador Hotel - 3400 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

A full scale model of a Harrier was built for all close shots of Arnold Schwarzenegger flying the plane; it was puppeteered from a crane on a nearby building which was painted out with CGI. (As the Harrier lands in the street, dust and debris stirred up by its jetblast is all done in CGI; the CGI blast swirls up a CGI piece of paper which is sucked into the Harrier's CGI air compressor fan)

Goofs:

Continuity: Bullets in the bathroom were fired at an angle, but the holes were straight.

Quotes:

Faisil: It's a scale really, with a perfect mission at one end and a total pooch screw at the other, and we're right about in the middle.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Late Night with Conan O'Brien: 5th Anniversary Special (1998) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Edelweiss

An extremely entertaining action movie that, for some reason, I like but don't love.

*** 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.