True Lies

I had the idea that True Lies was one of the more digestible films of the acting genius Arnold Schwarzenegger, or rather one of several movies that I can give 3 stars. However, when I repeated the experience years later, it quickly became clear to me that the film contains a lot of nonsense, and the humor it possesses no longer appeals to me. The French original seems to me to be two classes better. Here the American budget and Arnold's myth earn it points. Overall impression: 45%. (04/22/2013)

As I always say, as a rule, mono-genre films are not as attractive as those where there is a genre hodgepodge. And that's what True Lies is about. As much as I don't like action movies, here it's perfectly combined with comedy and a dash of romance, and the result is perfect. On the technical side of things, I have to commend the great cinematography and excellent editing of all the action scenes. As for the actors, I have no words. Arnie is just good at tough guy roles and he really excelled here. Jamie Lee Curtis was very good in the role of the naive desperate wife who can turn into a dragoness, and the icing on the already quite excellent cake was the dopey and unlucky Bill Paxton. In short, if you're going to make an action movie, combine it with comedy, add a great cast and put someone like James Cameron in the director's chair and it's a smash. (07/17/2010)

In the film's prologue, a secret agent subtly infiltrates a tightly guarded party of bourgeoisie, speaks five languages flawlessly, seduces a beautiful art collector, and busts out a tango so classy it would make Argentineans throw their hats on the floor in frustration. And the agent is played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, who normally leaves wreckage behind him just by walking into a room and hasn't been able to learn English in forty years. Like sorry kids, but this is total comedy gold. Cameron is fully aware of what he holds in his hand so he knows that all he has to do is zoom the camera into Arnold's face at the right moment and he’ll bring you to your knees. Completely against current tradition, this action comedy is actually action (whereas these should be two automatically kindred genres since they're mostly about rhythm, pacing, and editing) and even though the second half falls a little short of the first half, once Schwarzenegger picks up an AK with his foot and shoots four people in a single second, all is absolutely forgiven. (10/31/2022)

If it weren’t for one detail it would be terrible nonsense but, because it’s pleasant and evidently a spoof, it’s a cool and relaxing watch. Arnie in his only good comedy role and, in addition to this, with the more than titanic help of Jamie Lee Curtis who is overflowing with comedy talent. Cameron’s directing is on top of everything and especially the final part is action-packed and brimming with desperate jokes. A movie that returned star status for Arnie that was definitely deserved. The only downfall is the rather excessive running length. Although the beginning and the ending work excellently, True Lies runs out of breath somewhere around half-way through. And that’s too bad. (04/21/2022)

If James Cameron had realized that sometimes less is truly more and had ditched the runtime of around two and a half hours, this could have been a truly excellent film. The chase with the daughter is indeed action-packed, but after two hours, it still feels unnecessary. The film tries to open and then close too many things, which is probably its biggest flaw. Otherwise, it's a beautiful example of a gritty action comedy that works great in other respects. (10/27/2014)