True Lies (1994)

Director:

James Cameron

Writers (WGA):

Claude Zidi (screenplay) and
Simon Michaël (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

15 July 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

When he said I do, he never said what he did.

Plot:

When a secret agent learns of his wife's extra-marital affair, he pursues her and uses his intelligence resources in a job he kept secret from her.

Plot Keywords:

Government Agent | High Tech | Mounted Police | Top Secret | Extramarital Affair

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 6 wins & 14 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sat. Aug. 2	8:00 PM	TBS
Sun. Aug. 3	10:00 AM	TBS

US Showtimes:

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Cast

Arnold Schwarzenegger	...	Harry Tasker
Jamie Lee Curtis	...	Helen Tasker
Tom Arnold	...	Albert Gibson
Bill Paxton	...	Simon
Charlton Heston	...	Spencer Trilby
Tia Carrere	...	Juno Skinner
Art Malik	...	Salim Abu Aziz
Eliza Dushku	...	Dana Tasker
Grant Heslov	...	Faisil
Marshall Manesh	...	Jamal Khaled
James Allen	...	Colonel
Dieter Rauter	...	Boathouse Guard (as Deiter Rauter)
Jane Morris	...	Janice
Katsy Chappell	...	Allison
Crystina Wyler	...	Charlene

Runtime:

141 min

Country:

USA

Language:

French | English | Arabic | German

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (35 mm prints) | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)

Certification:

Iceland:16 (video rating) | Iceland:14 (original rating) | Hungary:16 | Finland:K-16 (original rating) | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Chile:14 | Denmark:15 | Finland:K-14 | Germany:16 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:18 | Peru:14 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:15 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | USA:R | UK:15 (cut)

Filming Locations:

Ambassador Hotel - 3400 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Lightstorm Entertainment

Trivia:

James Cameron wanted to make Spider-Man starring Michael Biehn. However, he thought that the film would be technically challenging at that point, and made this movie instead.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Harry notes the missing page in the printout he stops his car on a sidewalk and the car's front wheels are straight. After speaking with Albert, Harry returns to the car and it's clearly seen that wheels are turned to the left.

Quotes:

Helen Tasker: Have you ever killed anyone?
Harry: Yeah, but they were all bad.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Hot Fuzz (2007)

Soundtrack:

More than a Woman

"Can you hurry up. My horse is getting tired."

James Cameron has directed some fantastic action movies during his career (Aliens, the first two Terminator movies, The Abyss, Titanic--that boat action was like totally awesome!!), but none were as funny as True Lies is. Arnold Schwarzenegger (Terminator, Eraser, the Governor of California) is Harry Tasker, a computer programming father by day, James Bond by night, working for a top secret government agency that is beyond the CIA and run by Charlton Heston. Tom Arnold, in his first dramatic role, plays Harry's partner, Gib, and is the smartass, class clown of the agency. Schwarzenegger and Arnold have a fantastic chemistry, creating the movie's biggest laughs. Jamie Lee Curtis plays Harry's under-appreciated wife, Helen, who flirts with the idea of leaving Harry for a used-car salesman, played with uber-confidence by Bill Paxson. Helen finds out the true identity of her husband in another funny scene where both are captured by Arab terrorists with help from a truth serum. The action part of True Lies comes from Harry trying to track down the nuclear bomb that has been stolen by the terrorists. A wonderfully shot escape scene on the bridge that connects the Florida Keys to the mainland is the pinnacle of True Lies. An action film that does not take itself too seriously (notice all of the silly Arnold-lines peppered throughout the movie, my personal favorite being "you're fired!" before Trump thought of it), True Lies is wildly entertaining, so much so that you almost forget Tom Arnold was married to Roseanne.