True Lies (1994)
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True Lies Movie Review
True Lies is a 1994 action comedy film directed by James Cameron and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis. It’s an unexpectedly good movie.
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“You’re fired!“
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It follows a government agent who pretends to his wife that he’s a salesman. When he suspects that she might be cheating on him, he questions her mysteriously and eventually organizes for her an adventurous evening that she always wanted. Yes, the premise is excellent and very authentic in a way. It’s a typical action comedy from the nineties, but it’s one of the better ones as it works so well in both departments.
Well, I actually found the action overwhelming and boring at times. Some of the action was great, but some of it was dull and certainly overly extended. The spy elements are the most disappointing ones in the film as they are quite uninspired.
However, in the comedy and romance department, the film works splendidly. The marital relationship between the two protagonists is so well established and quite playful and the actors share really strong chemistry. The third act of the film is solid and the first act is the worst and most uninteresting one, but the second act is where the movie shines the most owing to clever dialogue, very amusing situational comedy and particularly strong characterization.
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I am one of the few people who never liked Arnie. I find him to be a terrible actor who only succeeded in Hollywood thanks to his tough looks. However, this is the only exception to that rule. Here, he actually had a strong, more demanding role and surprisingly he delivered a pretty good performance. I did not expect it, but both him and his character were very endearing.
But Jamie Lee Curtis is so good here. Both are so well cast, but she delivers a very strong performance and is the perfect combination of a very sexy, but still very smart, capable and even funny female character. Bill Paxton as Simon is also very strong and quite memorable in a couple of scenes.
True Lies is most definitely one of James Cameron’s finest films. That’s not that high of a praise, but this film is so much better than his overrated films such as ‘Avatar’ and it truly might be his most underappreciated work. It still has his typical annoying trademarks and is a representative 90s blockbuster for better and for worse, but there is no denying its entertainment value and its undeniable charm.
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I wanted much more romance, comedy and dialogue in the film as those scenes are so good and whenever the action came in, it was underwhelming. But I still liked the ending and some of those chases and fights were quite good. The score is fine and the editing is mostly good. The dialogue is particularly good for a film such as this one.
True Lies has a forgettable first act and an overly action-oriented third act, but the second act is where the film shines the most thanks to a terrific mix of situational comedy, strong dialogue, great chemistry between the two leads and a solid script. It’s one of James Cameron’s better films featuring a terrific Jamie Lee Curtis performance while also showcasing stupendous Arnie who here gave the only really good performance of his career.
