Review of True Lies (1994) by Gregory G — 28 Apr 2012
This generally offensive action-comedy by writer-director James Cameron is an international spy thriller that is part spoof and part homage to James Bond. Arnold Schwarzenegger is an undercover spy who lies to his wife (Jamie Lee Curtis) that he is a computer salesman as he fights Arab terrorists.
Roles are reversed when Schwarzenegger suspects Curtis is cheating on him with a sleazy used car salesman (Bill Paxton) who poses as a spy to seduce married women. Cameron is superb at staging high tech action sequences but the comedy is very broad and the mixture of the two falters badly.
Curtis is forced to do a strip tease for Schwarzenegger that is an attempt at comedy but comes across as blatantly misogynistic. As a view of American imperialism its also blatantly xenophobic towards Arabs.
Tom Arnold provides some comic relief as Schwarzenegger's wisecracking sidekick. The movie was a big hit at the box office but not the gargantuan success that Cameron's recent pictures were. A remake of the 1991 French film "La Totale.
" With Tia Carerre, Eliza Dushku, Art Malik, Grant Heslov, and Charlton Heston.
This review of True Lies (1994) was written by Gregory G on 28 Apr 2012.
True Lies has generally received positive reviews.
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