True Lies (1994)

Featured Audience Ratings

• xGary X

  
  Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a government super spy posing as a computer salesman whose secret identity is unknown even to his wife and family. James Cameron's spoof of Hollywood action blockbusters has all the ingredients of the summer hit; humour, romance and big budget special… More
  Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a government super spy posing as a computer salesman whose secret identity is unknown even to his wife and family. James Cameron's spoof of Hollywood action blockbusters has all the ingredients of the summer hit; humour, romance and big budget special effects, all served with a healthy dose of irony. Arnie will never win any prizes for his thespian skills, but he is perfectly comfortable in the familiar surroundings of stereotypical terrorists, uzis, explosions and cheesy one-liners, with Art Malik slumming it as the usual Islamic nut job and an unrecognisable Eliza Dushku is the rebellious teen daughter. I must admit that the sight of Jamie Lee Curtis being "sexy" made me slightly queasy and the film drags in the middle because of a flabby sub plot involving a potential rival for Arnie's affections. Cameron is a master of the action set piece however, the opening sequence out-Bonding the contemporary 007 films and the set pieces involving Harrier Jump Jets are spectacular. The jokes could've been funnier but it's a nice idea efficiently executed. Solid mainstream entertainment; no more, no less.

• Albert K

  
  Though it holds many cliche's, "True Lies" entertainingly embraces the B action-movie tone of the 90's. It's a lot of fun; the action is in your face. "True Lies" knows what it wants to be: stupid, entertaining, and cheesy and it does it excellently.

• Alexander D

  
  TRUE LIES is one of the best action-comedies I have ever seen. It is also, next to THE TERMINATOR, Arnold Schwarzenegger's best movie.

• Tsubaki S

  
  What? People actually liked this? This is not even fun in an ironic Commando way, it's just flat out bad. How did Cameron went from Aliens to this is anyone's guess.

• Melvin W

  
  "I'm beginning to like this guy...but we have to kill him. That's a given." I was quite surprised by True Lies. It was a relentlessly entertaining movie; that part didn't surprise me. It is made by James Cameron and is one of his best. The… More
  "I'm beginning to like this guy...but we have to kill him. That's a given." I was quite surprised by True Lies. It was a relentlessly entertaining movie; that part didn't surprise me. It is made by James Cameron and is one of his best. The part that surprised me was how funny the movie was. When I read that it was an action comedy; it kind of turned me off the movie. I expected it to be Arnold saying horrible one liners the entire time and that's not the case; although there are a few bad one liners. The movie is funny and entertaining because of the characters and situations that they are in.

• Jeff "

  
  Of all the films that James Cameron has directed, True Lies is one of his more laid back films. Laid back in terms of elaborate plot, special effects and anything that has made James Cameron a household name. The film is very tongue in cheek and at first you might not believe that… More
  Of all the films that James Cameron has directed, True Lies is one of his more laid back films. Laid back in terms of elaborate plot, special effects and anything that has made James Cameron a household name. The film is very tongue in cheek and at first you might not believe that James Cameron has this film, but he did. True Lies is a good action film with lots of humourous bits. Not one of James Cameron's best films, but definitely not his worst, that honor belongs to Titanic. The action in the film is over the top, and Cameron wanted to pull off something that was of course exxeggareted and he did it very well. Obviously what separates True Lies from other Cameron films is the absence of elaborate CGI effects like in Terminator, T2and The Abyss. This film presents a drastic departure from Cameron's previous works, and the result is an amusing action packed thrill ride that humours you as much as it delivers action. True Lies is a film thats not meant to be taken seriously, and some of the things that happen are absolutely ridiculous. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Tom Arnold give good performances and they have good chemistry on screen. James Cameron manages to craft some pretty exciting action scenes and are top notch with Schwarzenegger delivering an unchained performance. Jamie Lee Curtis plays his bored housewife and doesn't know he leads a double life as a government spy, but their lives soon interwine and the film gets crazier when Schwarzenegger must save his family and his country from terrorists. Like I've mentioned before, this isn't the perfect James Cameron film, but its a fun change of pace. The action and story will definitely entertain, despite it being a little off at time. True Lies is a film that just delivers on mindless action and is a popcorn flick. Flawed, but nonetheless enjoyable. Of all of James Cameron's films, True Lies may be his most accessible one in regards of it being a "regular" film, and considering that Cameron tends to offer big spectacle epics, this film may appeal to an audience wanting simply an action film without the fancy special effects.

• Thomas B

  
  Bombastic set pieces galore, the way only James Cameron can. Full review later.

• Jens S

  
  Back when the Governator was still a walking one-man-army his cooperations with director James Cameron yielded gems of the action genre like this. Starting out like a James Bond movie the film soon takes its time to develop the main dilemma, Arnie's wife having no clue about his… More
  Back when the Governator was still a walking one-man-army his cooperations with director James Cameron yielded gems of the action genre like this. Starting out like a James Bond movie the film soon takes its time to develop the main dilemma, Arnie's wife having no clue about his true, lethal profession, and then enjoys taking it to the extremes before stepping on the gas pedal and leading into one of the most breath taking action finales ever. The Florida Keys highway scene and the final fight between the Harrier jet and the skyscraper are mind-blowing fun. The film's humor may be a tad too silly at times, but at least it doesn't take itself too seriously. And Jamie Lee Curtis' transition from the homely housewife to the dancing vamp is a joy to behold.

• KJ P

  
  A somewhat farfetched action film, that actually turns out to be incredible! I love True Lies for it's witty plot and care free dialogue that is actually quite funny. The action scenes are beyond impressive for it's time and I could not picture anyone pulling off the lead… More
  A somewhat farfetched action film, that actually turns out to be incredible! I love True Lies for it's witty plot and care free dialogue that is actually quite funny. The action scenes are beyond impressive for it's time and I could not picture anyone pulling off the lead role more than Schwarzenegger. Not a perfect film, but action-wise, it's beyond amazing. Therefore, True Lies is more true than any action film I have seen in a long time.

• Conner R

  
  It accomplishes what it sets out to do ten fold. If there's ever going to be an ass kicking couple bringing down a terrorist cell, it's going to be Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis. Both play an awkward normal couple perfectly and a dysfunctional violent couple… More
  It accomplishes what it sets out to do ten fold. If there's ever going to be an ass kicking couple bringing down a terrorist cell, it's going to be Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis. Both play an awkward normal couple perfectly and a dysfunctional violent couple even better. The action is outrageous and up to James Cameron standards. The opening scene is still one of the biggest displays of Arnold being cool, but the defining moment is Arnold fighting Salim Abu Aziz with an airplane. In terms the genre it plays in (romantic/action), it's a masterpiece to say the least. Not only is there enough cool stunts, explosions, death and one-liners to match any other action movie, it also manages to be funny without being cheesy.

• Jason S

  
  A good run of the mill action flick with a good bit of comedy thrown in to boot. The story is really split into two different movies. One being a spy going up against some terrorists and the other a spy trying to merge his family and work life into one. The terrorist angle gets… More
  A good run of the mill action flick with a good bit of comedy thrown in to boot. The story is really split into two different movies. One being a spy going up against some terrorists and the other a spy trying to merge his family and work life into one. The terrorist angle gets dropped completely in favor of the storyline with the wife but I don't seem to care all that much. Arnold and Jamie Lee Curtis have good chemistry in the flick and it would have been nice to see a sequel to this one back in the day. Tom Arnold is also a nice touch to the movie as well.

• Jennifer D

  
  Another AMC - battling-a-migraine movie. I gotta admit, I did not have the stomach to sit all the way through to the very end, but I can guess how it ended. I found this awful. Contrived, egoist bull. Huh, James Cameron directed this? Why am I not shocked? Bill Paxton did render a… More
  Another AMC - battling-a-migraine movie. I gotta admit, I did not have the stomach to sit all the way through to the very end, but I can guess how it ended. I found this awful. Contrived, egoist bull. Huh, James Cameron directed this? Why am I not shocked? Bill Paxton did render a chuckle or two.

• Candy R

  
  A bored houseiwfe (Jamie) seeks adventure with a used car salesman Simon, pretending to be a spy. She doesn't know that her husband (Arnie) leads a double life and is a real spy. Arnie and Jamie are very funny. I love the dancing scene and the machine gun on the stairs scene.… More
  A bored houseiwfe (Jamie) seeks adventure with a used car salesman Simon, pretending to be a spy. She doesn't know that her husband (Arnie) leads a double life and is a real spy. Arnie and Jamie are very funny. I love the dancing scene and the machine gun on the stairs scene. I've been on the bridge at the end of the movie, it's cool!

• Lenny M

  
  Original review: James Cameron, Arnold, Tom Arnold? Update: True Lies is quite retarded in terms of all the stunts and action sequences. I thought Live Free or Die Hard was overblown, but dang True Lies must have been the trend setter to overblown action movies. It had over a… More
  Original review: James Cameron, Arnold, Tom Arnold? Update: True Lies is quite retarded in terms of all the stunts and action sequences. I thought Live Free or Die Hard was overblown, but dang True Lies must have been the trend setter to overblown action movies. It had over a $100 million budget. Ridiculous. James Cameron's total career movie budgets must exceed $1 billion.

• Tim S

  
  Fun action movie.

• Aaron N

  
  Helen Tasker: Have you ever killed anyone? Harry: Yeah, but they were all bad. A romantic comedy first, an over-the-top Schwarzenegger movie second. Before Cameron went to the ocean he made his last crazy-comedic arnold movie, and it's a great joy. Arnold stars as a man… More
  Helen Tasker: Have you ever killed anyone? Harry: Yeah, but they were all bad. A romantic comedy first, an over-the-top Schwarzenegger movie second. Before Cameron went to the ocean he made his last crazy-comedic arnold movie, and it's a great joy. Arnold stars as a man who works in the job of kicking ass for his country, he does this for a living, except its a secret to everyone else, including his family who is none the wiser. Because of this Jamie Lee Curtis, as his wife, decides to do something to escape boredom. This prompts the main romantic comedy aspect of the movie, which Arnold takes upon himself to help his wife out. Meanwhile, Arnold and Tom Arnold, in a role where he is actually very funny, have to stop terrorists from terrorizing things, and to do that, they must do everything in the biggest and loudest ways possible, and its great to watch. It doesn't matter how carried away things are, because it is all supposed to be fun, and it is. Even Bill Paxton shows up, which is always welcome in any movie. Simon: Take her! Take her! Oh, god, don't hurt me! Action packed, funny, ridiculous, all the ingredients you need. Harry Tasker: First I'm gonna use you as a human shield, then I gonna kill this guard over there, with the Patterson trocar on the table. Then I was thinking about breaking your neck. Samir: And how are you going to do all that? Harry: You know my handcuffs? Samir: Hmm... Harry: [hold his hands up] I picked them. Looking back on this movie, its seems to be quite an odd pick for a Cameron film. Coming off of T2 and next moving onto Titanic, its like Cameron was just slumming it with his pal Arnie, to churn out a crazy action flick, anchored by a romantic comedy plot line. However, its still a lot of fun to watch. The effects hold up pretty well (it certainly seems like Cameron has a few hands in some effects companies at all times). The film is certainly a product of the 90s, because you just don't see this kind of unabashed, R-rated action-comedy flick these days. One final note, this is a movie that has somehow not seen an upgrade since its first DVD release. Its certainly a film that would definitely benefit from a Blu Ray release. Lot of fun, straight up Arnie style. Harry: Well, you see, this is the problem with terrorists. They're really inconsiderate when it comes to people's schedules.

• Anthony L

  
  Truly awful, not my kind of film at all

• Al S

  
  A tremendously entertaining and spectacular action extravaganza. It's a smart, fresh, furiously funny and teriffic film. Loaded with amasing action and gut-busting laughs. An unstoppable and unforgettable thrill-machine that you will love to watch again andd again. Thrilling,… More
  A tremendously entertaining and spectacular action extravaganza. It's a smart, fresh, furiously funny and teriffic film. Loaded with amasing action and gut-busting laughs. An unstoppable and unforgettable thrill-machine that you will love to watch again andd again. Thrilling, relentlessly exciting and truly exhilerating. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis are teriffic together, adding a spec of romance to this awsome adventure. Tom Arnold is a riot of great humor. A fantastic action-comedy. This is truly one of Arnold's best films.

• Phil H

  
  Great Bond type play here. The fantastic opening action sequence, harrier jet finale, horse chase sequence with toilet shoot out, gun battle in the baddie camp and Bill Paxton really hamming it up well hahaha its all here. The action looks awesome and it doesn't stop, not as… More
  Great Bond type play here. The fantastic opening action sequence, harrier jet finale, horse chase sequence with toilet shoot out, gun battle in the baddie camp and Bill Paxton really hamming it up well hahaha its all here. The action looks awesome and it doesn't stop, not as violent as Arnies regular gun fests but still impressive. Tia Carrere is hot as hell and even Tom Arnold can raise a smile.

• Coxxie M

  
  you read the title. dont expect to do much thinking in this one.

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