Review of True Lies (1994) by Jay R — 13 Dec 2009

The 90s were a great decade for action flicks, and this is no exception. Who doesn't want to see Arnold taking about bad guys I mean c'mon. With slick action, moments of good humour and a better than okay script, James Cameron's True Lies is pure escapist fun.

This movie goes so far over the top with the action set pieces I had a great time. For this movie to have been even better, it needed some realism and some unpredictability. The Bourne franchise capitalizes on realistic action and a great story.

This does not, but it knows what it wants to be. Its a hell of a lot of fun is what it is. There are some nice smart tweaks in the script, there are some really funny moments courtesy of Jaime Lee Curtis and Tom Arnold.

There are also some unintentionally funny moments because I just could not take Arnold seriously as a spy and husband. Don't get me wrong, he's perfect for this film, killing people and taking names, but why even bother trying to make a back story with such amazing action like this.

This is why we go to the movies, for entertainment. Cameron manages to deliver on that using sweeping camera moments and flashy editing to great effect. Another thing that I would have like to have seen is the movie stray from the formula, but it stays right on track.

Cameron decides to use basics, but make those basics incredible which is why this movie works. It takes everything that you know is going to happen and makes it a tonne of fun. This is a movie not to be taken seriously or else you will end up hating it.

Why you would want to take this movie seriously escapes me, but laughs, deaths and love are exactly what this movie needs. True Lies delivers everything that you want, need and expect in a spy movie, and makes it a guilty pleasure.

Thumbs up!