You don’t normally hear “Oscar-nominated” or “Golden Globe-winning” about an Arnold Schwarzenegger film. Why? It’s no surprise, and I’m not putting Arnie down because, well, are his movies popular? Without a doubt. Is the action great? Undoubtedly. However, an acting award? Hmmmmm. Not so much. Yet, “True Lies” brought home a Golden Globe and a SAG award for Jamie Lee Curtis (her second Globe after TV’s “Anything But Love”) and the Oscar nomination for … you guessed it: special effects. Still, “True Lies” is truly excellent and there’s a great performance by one supporting actor you wouldn’t believe capable of anything close to do it. It is simply one of the best-ever action flicks.
‘True Lies’
(1994; 141 minutes; rated R; directed by James Cameron and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis and Tom Arnold)
HE’S TELLING LIES AND KICKING SERIOUS BUTT
(NOTE: I expanded this review with additional trivia and the updating of links on June 4, 2015. I expanded it again on Oct. 11, 2017, with the further updating of links. I again updated the film on July 23, 2020. I again expanded the review on Dec. 17, 2024.)
What a difference a decade makes for Arnold Schwarzenegger in “True Lies” in 1994. After all, it was only that 1985 brought out his kill-fest called “Commando” (click here to read my review) and the years in between apparently brought Arnie’s game up more than a notch.
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“True Lies” is absolutely James Bond-ian in scope: its main character travels the world; he is not afraid to use his license to kill (although James never racked up the body count that Schwarzenegger does here); it has a world-threatening nuclear mission by terrorists; it has beautiful women; and has seriously great action. It is with the caliber of the best of 007 and I’ll attribute that to top-shelf director James Cameron, who was able to fabricate an outstanding action film not just by special effects, but o a foundation of solid, good work by its cast.
“Commando” while a mostly enjoyable action flick, was none of those and its body count just in the last third of the film was higher than all of “True Lies” and its 71 casualties. Remember, ultimately it’s the quality not the quantity. By the way, the final numbers of kills by Schwarzenegger for both movies are 81 for “Commando” and 54 for “True Lies.” In comparison, the total throughout all of Arnie’s iconic “The Terminator,” there were only 34 kills. Of course, “The Terminator” is a sci-fi classic, but “True Lies” overall isn’t too far behind as one of the best-ever action flicks.
The only way a good film becomes great is from its supporting cast and “True Lies” is no exception.
Jamie Lee Curtis as Arnie’s wife is simply … well, Jamie Lee. The biggest surprise is that Tom Arnold is truly funny here and can actually act (forget “McHale’s Navy”). The no-surprise is how good Bill Paxton is as a used car salesman pretending to be a spy. Finally, the terrorists are terrifying and Tia Carrere is solid at the femme fatale for the bad guys’ side.
“True Lies” is about Schwarzenegger as “Harry Tasker,” an agent for “Omega Sector,” a secretive branch of the U.S. government dealing in anti-terrorism. He’s tops at work, dispatching international assignments without breaking a facial expression (I’ll explain this later). However, he’s long neglected his family at home and his wife is looking for some spark in her life.
The conflicting sides are exposed as Arnie and his team battle terrorists smuggling a nuclear bomb into the United States. Work and family collide with the apocalypse at stake. Whew! As I said: James Bond-ian in scope, but not in family.
Arnie established the Schwarzenegger School of Acting: using basically the same expression and basically the same voice for a character. Still, where others using his type of acting fall flat, Arnie is endearing and ultimately watchable in just about all his films. It’s a formula to success in being liked by audiences who pay. Of course, his physical presence is a plus, such as the scene here where he gets mad while looking through binoculars and squeezes so tight he cracks the glass.
Here’s a look at the top of the cast …
- You’ll truly enjoy Golden Globe winner and nominee (not for this one) Arnie as he plays off well with all three key supporting players: Curtis (the ostensible co-star, but this is an Arnie flick), Arnold and Carrere. Of course, you’ll recognize that in addition to “Commando,” Schwarzenegger was in “Predator” (click here for my review), the “Terminator” series and stretched himself in “Twins” (click here for my review) with Danny DeVito. He won for “Stay Hungry” from 1976 and was nominated for “Junior,” in which he becomes pregnant.
A two-time Golden Globe winner and five-time nominee, Curtis as “Helen Tasker” starts out as the prim legal secretary who’s fed up with being second to Arnie’s career as a “computer salesman.” Through lies told by Paxton as “Simon,” Curtis looks for some adventure and gets it. She does her usual ultra-professional turn here and garnered much attention for a sultry dance in her underwear (com reports it was her unmentionables and not from the costume department). Curtis was (again and of course) in the original “Halloween” (click here to read my review), “Trading Places” (click here to read my review), “A Fish Called Wanda” (click here to read my review) and even comedy fare such as the remake of “Freaky Friday.” Her other Globe win was for “Anything But Love” and was nominated for “A Fish Called Wanda” and “Freaky Friday” along with several others. Jamie Lee is the class in the recent “Knives Out,” but, despite all the Hollywood-centric gushing, that movie is just plain bad (click here for my review).- The comic relief is provided by Tom Arnold as “Albert Gibson,” who is Arnie’s partner and continual kibitzer with an endless supply of one-liners (just about every single one funny). He’s not cut from Schwarzenegger’s action cloth, but he hustles. Tom, who also in “Soul Plane” and TV shows such as “Psych,” does such an efficient comedic turn that you look forward to what he’ll say next and his appearance is a pleasure and not a cringe. At the same time he’s funny, he can also get real with Arnie when the chips are down. No bad, Tom. Not bad at all. Actually, a career best effort.
- A four-time Golden Globe nominee, Paxton, who had worked before “True Lies” with Arnie in a brief moment on-screen in “The Terminator” and even more brief appearance in “Commando,” plays the sleazy salesman trying to seduce Curtis as if he were born to it. His best scene is where he takes Arnie for a test drive and has a running commentary about his campaigns with unsuspecting women. Solid job, Bill. Paxton as also been in “Weird Science” (click her for my review), “Aliens” (click here for my review), “Titanic” directed by Cameron and “Apollo 13.” He won his Globe for “A Bright Shining Lie” and was nominated three times for the HBO series “Big Love” about a polygamist. Sadly, Paxton died at 61 in 2017 of a stroke following heart surgery.
On the terrorist front …
- Carrere is suave and sophisticated as “Juno Skinner,” the accomplice to the terrorists who acts as bait for Arnie. She does a solid, solid job in this one. Carrere was also in “Wayne’s World” and I enjoyed her in a small role in the TV mini-series “Noble House” (click here for my review).
- It was perfect casting to bring Art Malik to the role as the wild-eyed terrorist leader “Salim Abu Aziz.” Malik is utterly convincing as the fanatical terrorist and a pleasure to watch. Malik has also been in “The Living Daylights” and “Year of the Comet.”
Eliza Dushku and Grant Heslov round out the primary supporting cast …
- Dushku, who plays Arnie’s daughter “Dana Tasker,” doesn’t fumble this one, but bring anything remarkable to the role. She has also been in “Bring it On” and TV work including an episode as an FBI agent in “The Big Bang Theory” (click here for why that wonderful comedy should end). Dushku was a tiny sliver of light in the darkness of the crapfest called “Bye Bye Love” (click here for my review) and managed to stay somewhat hidden in another crapfest called “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.”
- Like Dushku, Oscar winner and three-time nominee (not for this one) Heslov, who plays Arnie’s second sidekick “Faisil,” is OK and at his best he’s smooth in his delivery, but it’s not an award winner for him. Still, he doesn’t fumble in any scene and that’s always a positive vote for an actor. Heslov has also been in “The Birdcage” and “The Scorpion King.” Heslov often works with George Clooney and won a best film Oscar for “Argo” with Clooney and Ben Affleck. He was a nominee for writing “The Ides of March” with Clooney and another writer as well as snagging two nominations for “Good Night, and Good Luck” about television journalist Edward R. Murrow (one award was for best picture and the other for writing with Clooney).
Cameron’s direction and the cinematography equally share kudos for the quality of “True Lies.”
Of course, Cameron also did “Avatar,” “The Terminator” and “The Abyss.” He is great, but it’s the camerawork and special effects keep this head and shoulders above the competition. The air battle sequence in the Florida Keys along a bridge highway is spectacular and IMDb.com reports that Curtis did the helicopter rescue herself and didn’t use a stunt double.
One funny little detail in a scene is common to many parents: As the terrorists record a video message threatening the U.S., the videocam used by Mike Akrawi as “Jihad cameraman” has its battery warning start blinking. With a homicidal terrorist in charge, it would make any video operator nervous. Anyone whose videocam battery ever failed at a youth event can relate. It’s a neat little touch in the scene and just one example of a small detail that separates this film from imitators.
“True Lies” was No. 3 at the U.S. box office in 1994 with $146.2 million in receipts, according to Box Office Mojo. Worldwide, it raked in $378.8 million on a budget estimated between $100 million and $120 million (it is a Cameron film after all), according to Wiki. The No. 1 film that year was the outstanding original “The Lion King” with $295.6 million while the overrated and crappy “Forrest Gump” with $294.5 million was second. “True Lies’” third ranking is impressive especially since it is R-rated. Other films I reviewed that year are:
- “Blue Chips” (good sports drama) – click here for my review
- “Little Giants” (great kids football flick) – click here for my review
Assorted cast and film notes (via IMDb.com):
- Arnie’s middle name is Alois; and Carrere’s birth name is Althea Rae Duhinio Janairo.
- Charlton Heston has a small role as Arnie’s boss “Spencer Trilbly,” but it looks as if he was written in just to get a paycheck here. Heston, of course, had been a leading man for years in such classics as “Ben-Hur” and “Planet of the Apes.”
- Schwarzenegger took dancing lessons to be able to do the tango in the film.
- Dushku reportedly was injured (broken ribs) in one of the stunt scenes. She was in her third movie here.
- Fortunate casting opportunity: Jodie Foster was originally set to play “Helen Tasker” but took the lead in “Nell.” I have great respect for Foster, but she wouldn’t have done the job that Curtis does here. Sorry, Jodie. You’re no Jamie-Lee.
- Click here for IMDb.com’s extensive trivia page for the film.
- Finally and directly from IMDb.com: “When Harry tells Gib that Helen is having an affair, Gib tells a story about his second wife taking everything when she left him – he says, ‘What kind of sick bitch takes the ice cube trays out of the freezer?’ This is a reference to Tom Arnold‘s divorce from Roseanne Barr – she was reported to have taken his ice cube trays when she left him, too.”
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