TRUE LIES
A film review by Mark R. Leeper
Copyright 1994 Mark R. Leeper
Capsule review: This is a mindless situation comedy crossed with an even more mindless action film aimed at an undemanding audience. Some of the gags work, more often the improbabilities make one yearn for the comparative logic, maturity, and subtlety of even THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. Rating: high -1 (-4 to +4). Spoiler section following the review discusses about some improbabilities.
Back when I was in second grade I had fantasies of leading a double life as a seven-year-old and as a secret crime-fighter. Boy, it would really surprise my teacher when she found out who I was when my alter- ego rescued her from certain death at the hands of evil-doers! Today I compliment myself by saying my fantasies were more intelligent than TRUE LIES. But deep in my heart I have to be honest. I know the my childhood fantasies were childish on only on a par with the new Schwarzenegger film.
Harry Tasker (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is a James Bond style spy (undoubtedly because he is so inconspicuous, particularly among Austrian body-builders.) He spends his days having shoot-outs with terrorists and discretely engaging in wild chases all over Washington DC. His wife Helen (Jamie Lee Curtis) never seems to notice the cuts, scrapes, bruises, and occasional gunshot wounds he must be getting. She thinks he is a boring computer salesman. His daughter Dana (Eliza Dushku) thinks the old man is pretty dull stuff too. Boy, are they in for some surprises when they find out who he really is! Meanwhile there are terrorists called the Crimson Jihad, headed by Aziz (Art Malik) and assisted by Juno (Tia Carrere) who plan to hold up the United States to nuclear blackmail. And boy, are they in for some surprises too! Boy, what a whiz-bang plot!
Somewhere there was the seed here for what might have been a good comedy--in fact, it is loosely based on a French farce called LA TOTALE. But like Schwarzenegger himself, the film was over-powered by an excess of excess and just has too many scenes that require the audience to turn down its thought processes and go along for the ride. I found my mind did not have a setting low enough for some of the shenanigans. On a spy film credibility scale from Matt Helm to George Smiley, this one weighs in on the dumb side of Maxwell Smart. The spy story is just the most rudimentary "get captured by baddies and fight your way out" plot.
And just being stupid might be forgivable, but this film is also mean-spirited and sadistic. The film asks us to believe that when Helen knows Harry's secrets she will love him more. In fact, Harry has revealed himself to be a vicious sadist toward both his wife and an acquaintance of hers in ways that also abuse his position as a spy. Harry is just not a very likable person. And frankly at times this is just not a very likable film. When it is at its best it is at the mediocrity level of COMMANDO--the sort of film where entire ammo dumps can be fired at the hero and he never gets a scratch. But when it also takes a light-hearted view of its hero terrorizing his wife and others, TRUE LIES can get unintentionally ugly.
This is not to say there are not a few funny moments in the film and a few nice stunts. Production design is by Peter Lamont who worked on fourteen different James Bond films and this film borrows more than a few little touches from Bond films. Our first view of Tasker, taking off a wet-suit to reveal neatly pressed evening clothes, is a touch lifted directly from GOLDFINGER. Much of the Bond wit is present here. But Schwarzenegger is nowhere near the actor that Connery or Dalton is. Curtis can act a little, but does not get a chance in this film that reduces her to the status of "dumb broad" and "victim."
This is a film with impressive effects work, the usual jaw-dropping stunt work, and some fairly witty scenes. At 141 minutes it can fit that in and still have room for a lot of very childish storytelling. The trailer for the film give away free just about everything worthwhile that this film has to offer. It certainly seems to be pleasing some people, including some I respect, but I can give it no better a high -1 on the -4 to +4 scale.
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
Last May there was a national scandal about someone on the President's staff using a helicopter for a quick trip to a golf course. In TRUE LIES Harry, without authorization, calls assault forces to intimidate people he doesn't like and to demolish personal property. He borrows high-security facilities to play a vicious practical joke on his wife. I have to believe that the use of these interrogation rooms would be closely monitored and that this sort of irresponsibility would end his career right then. The situation then continues with that ridiculous scene in the hotel room. Helen does not recognize that the silhouette looks like her husband of fifteen years. It is a little hard to mistake that Schwarzenegger torso. Meanwhile Harry has guessed in advance exactly what words his wife would say and with what timing and has it recorded on a little tape recorder with such perfect fidelity that Helen cannot tell it isn't the man in front of her speaking.
For a heroic character to be of any interest he has to in some way be vulnerable. How exciting is it really to see crooks shooting at Superman? Harry Tasker goes through the whole film and his worst injury is getting socked by Helen. Helen wipes out a dozen terrorists by accidentally dropping a machine gun down a flight of about twelve stairs. In the time it takes to fall three or four waves of terrorists arrive at the stairs, are mowed down and have time to fall down. Helen also makes it through the film uninjured. Even the worst of the Bond films do not resort to contrivances this absurd.
Admittedly some of this is intended as parody but it is hard to mix scenes of mental torture with light parody and make it work. This is just not a film that works.
Mark R. Leeper
mark.leeper@att.com
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