True Lies

The zenith of Arnold's career... "True Lies" not only represents the singular moment in the actor's pre-governor acting career where he played more than a one dimensional action hero. In an homage to the secret agent genre, the film opens with an action / glamour set-piece that is more James Bond than a 21st century 007 film. From there the story breaks into what would a few years later become the mold for numerous of Jackie Chan's "goofy secret agent" movies, although Chan would replace the cutting-edge CGI special effects set-pieces with a variety of more economical but just-as-exciting acrobatic, complex choreography hand-to-hand fights. There is one mano-a-mano beat down scene where Arnold takes down his enemy by flushing his head in a urinal, complete with his attempt at a trade-mark one-liner: "Cool Off". (It's a set piece worth comparing to the more recent scene in "Mission Impossible: Fallout".) Along with that, it shifts smoothly back and forth from a rather straightforward super-spy/terrorist story line and exploring the practical troubles of living of the life of a secret agent while having a wife and kids. This film also represents the movie that put Jamie Lee Curtis back on the map after a stint in a slew of flops following her role in "A Fish Called Wanda". "True Lies" put her acting range on display and put to rest any lingering question of whether she was anything more than a scream queen. One of the most hilarious moments she pulls off flawlessly is falling flat on her face while attempting to pole dance, and then getting getting back up and acting like it didn't happen. Without her screen presence, the film would be just another entry in the list of Arnold action films scotched with a twist of comedy. One could go so far as to conclude that the difference in the enduring appeal of "True Lies" vs. the mis-matched partner straight-man, funny-man film "Red Heat" is the degree to which Jamie Lee Curtis caries the fish-out-of-water funny-woman role in contrast to Jim Belushi's semi-funny, street-wise American cop. But, unlike the cold war, the regimented soviet style vs. the fast-and-lost American way, the contrast in "True Lies" derives from the ahead-of-it's time idea of adaptable, underrated woman and her somewhat over-inflated male counterpart. When the secret agents attempt to arrest Curtis's character, she fights back fiercely, with a well placed nut-shot that made women and men alike erupt with cheers and laughter in theaters, something not so likely contemporary Hollywood's constant browbeating with girl power - male buffoonery film after film.

Geronimo1967

Apr 21, 2025

7/10

A tale of double lives. “Harry” (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is a government agent embroiled in tracking down some nefarious Middle Eastern terrorists whilst presenting the façade of a meek computer salesmen to his wife. Meantime, “Helen” (Jamie Lee Curtis) is a bit bored with his timidity and so is seeking a bit of clandestine fun with the enigmatic “Simon” (Bill Paxton) who claims he is also something altogether more “007”. When the jihadist “Aziz” (Art Malik) kidnaps both wife and would-be lover, it falls to “Harry” to use all of his wiles to save the world from devastation and to save his own marriage from the doldrums. Though the story isn’t so new, it’s the engaging chemistry between Arnie, JLC and Paxton that really keeps this entertaining as the adventure kicks in and we have loads of action-packed scenarios; some typically daft buffoonery; lots of death-defying and the pyrotechnics go mad as the story races along. Perhaps, as he was in “The Living Daylights” (1987), Art Malik is a bit lightweight as a not terribly menacing baddie but all in all this is an enjoyable romp through the gadget driven espionage genre with a couple of stars who are clearly enjoying themselves towards a denouement that is a little long in coming, but the substance of which might even suggest a sequel.