True Lies-Ah the Good Ol' Days
Ah, the blissful ignorance of the early 1990's how we all miss you. True Lies is a tongue in check look at life the domestic life of a spy played by Arnold before he married a Kennedy and went into politics (currently Schwarzenegger is in a waiting pattern until the constitution is changed and foreign born citizens are allowed to run for President). Schwarzenegger, plays Harry Tasker a super secret James Bond type who keeps his identity a secret from even his wife, which is played very well by Jamie Lee Curtis back when she was still quite the stunner. At the time the plot seemed more like science-fiction as Tasker, was well-tasked, with the job of stopping Middle Eastern baddie types from doing nasty things to America with a nuke. Funny what a difference a little old decade makes, huh?
This marked director James Cameron's last directing effort before tackling the biggest hit of all time Titanic. True Lies fires on nearly every cylinder and does a great job foreshadowing what Cameron was capable of accomplishing as a director. The film's budget of approximately $90 to $100 million seems low by today's goofy, sky rocketing standards, but the look and feel of the film is often substantial. Much like James Bond films, if you like explosions, gun play, chases and all the rest then you will love True Lies. At its heart True Lies is a “guy's film” but the consistent thread of comedy throughout allows it to appeal to a broader base, which is part of the explanation of its box-office success with a total global take of over $300 million.
True Lies is a great action film with high-production values. The visual and special effects are top-notch as is the cinematography and casting. If released today True Lies would probably be an even larger box-office draw than a decade earlier. The core of the film's success is that the names Schwarzenegger and Cameron of course and when combined with the high-quality effects and fun script True Lies was destined to be a money maker.
Story B+ (The script is fun and works well as a James Bond meets Father Knows Best sort of hybrid.)
Acting B (Overall, the acting by the Governor, Curtis and crew is solid enough and doesn't distract from the real star of the show, the explosions.)
Visuals A
Originality/Innovation B+
Enjoyability Grade A-
Home Theater/HD Factor A
Overall Grade A- (True Lies is not ground breaking but it is a fun time and showcased what Cameron can do with the action genre.)
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