TRUE LIES
A film review by Shumway
Copyright 1994 Shumway
TRUE LIES -- Romantic Comedy's Finest Hour. ***+ out of four.
If you've seen any of the "four-walled" TV ads, any of the "Making Of" one-hour commercials shown in prime time, or the twelve-foot posters they're using to cover up some of the buildings downtown, you're aware of this movie, and you probably already have a good idea of the plot.
Since it's a re-processed version of a previous movie script by Claude Zidi, Simon Michael, and Didier Kaminka, there are no huge surprises; movie is a long, pleasant exploration of scenes and themes we've come to expect from any "B" spy flick. What lifts the movie out of the ordinary is that James Cameron re-wrote the original version of the script, got some decent production budgeting, and directed at the top of his typically excellent form.
TRUE LIES is not a realistic spy movie. It's a comedy that opens with an homage to the Connery Bond films, and then goes even a little crazier.
Without giving too much of the plot away, Harry (played by Arnold Schwarzenegger) is what movies call a spy. (In real life, a spy rarely carries a gun, or does anything that gets into the papers.) Harry pretends to be a computer salesman who's even more boring than Clark Kent. He has a beautiful bored wife, an out-of-control teen-aged daughter, and his life is disintegrating without him even being aware that he's spending too much time on his job.
By accident, Harry discovers that his wife is seeing another man, a man who seems to lead the exciting life of a spy. He sees red, and uses the power of his position to toy with the seducer and put his wife on the spot, trying to get even in a more subtle way than merely twisting the lout's head off.
In the process, he discovers how much his wife loves him and how much he loves her, and precipitates them both into the middle of a Bondian nightmare involving terrorists in possession of nuclear weapons.
There is great humor throughout; Schwarzenegger's command of comedic timing has been improving steadily for decades, and his screen presence has come to project as much warmth and humor as physical power and threat. This role is a solid step in his career development, a worthy sequel to his work in THE LAST ACTION HERO, the most under-rated children's fantasy since THE NEVER-ENDING STORY.
Jamie Lee Curtis, normally underutilized in dramatic roles, proves once again that talent and intelligence can make you simultaneously cringe and get a stitch from laughing. In one of her best scenes, her character pretends to be a hooker dancing for someone she thinks is a paying customer. Lithely slinking up against a canopied bedstead, she loses her balance and does a classic pratfall and high-hauteur recovery that would get a standing ovation from Charlie Chaplin. In the hands of a lesser performer, Curtis' part would have degenerated into a series of low-comedy reaction shot mugging sequences, but her acting imbues her character with complete believability; she is totally acceptable as an athletic housewife trying to cope with an incredible situation. Even while you're laughing, her character comes across solidly, as a real person.
The producers managed to get the cooperation of the U.S. Marine Corps for the use of a couple of Hawker "Harrier" jets in the climactic action sequences; these will rank as some of the best high-tech suspense work put on film in this decade. The Director of Photography, Russell Carpenter, already justly famed for his work on movies like THE WIZARD OF SPEED AND TIME, may well be up for an Oscar for some of the things he pulled off in this movie.
Having a national icon like Charleton Heston suddenly pop up in a perfectly executed role adds to the richness of the movie; his character is the consummate quintessence of the movie spymaster, a joy to behold.
TRUE LIES has topnotch supporting performances by the likes of Tia Carrere, Tom Arnold, and Art Malik and Bill Paxton. Brad Fiedel's music is worthy of mention, since it's light, imaginative, and contributive. (Of course, you may wish to bring ear plugs to wear during the end credits; like most current movies, TRUE LIES suddenly develops a raucous "rock" soundtrack during the end credits, completely out of keeping with the rest of the movie, and *not* the product of the movie's composer.)
You won't feel like you wasted your time and your money if you have to see this one at evening-movie prices. It's worth the trip, and the photography and production values make it worthwhile to see it on a large screen, with a 70mm print. However, this movie is good enough that it will play well on any size screen; you're not paying for just the cinematography. James Cameron Did Good, and this is probably the Good Movie this summer.
TRUE LIES ***+ (three and a half stars out of four) A 20th Century Fox release from Lightstorm, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis; also starring good direction and good script from Cameron, and Russ Carpenter's superb photography. Rated -R-, primarily due to language and total body count. (But, as "Harry" says during the movie, "They were all Bad Guys.")
This is a positive, happy fantasy, and much more fun than anything you'll ever see from Disney. Enjoy!
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