True Lies
(http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i266/Chiprocks1/Star%20Ratings/HTL_04star.gif)
(http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i266/Chiprocks1/DVD%20Covers/True%20Lies/TL.jpg)
Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3B7HG8_xbDw
Everyone that knows me, knows I am what you would call a James Cameron fan-boy as I worship practically all of his films. After I saw True Lies in the theater, this was a 5 Star movie for me for the longest time, in spite of it's sexist and misogynist overtones that a lot of people like to label it. I didn't really care about what others were saying, to me this was a fun action movie and a return for Arnold after the disaster that was The Last Action Hero. But over the years, the more I have watched and dissected True Lies, the more cracks I seem to find in the film itself.
I've always known from the very first time I saw this that we are basically getting 2 seperate films in one. The first one is that of Helen (Jamie Lee Curtis) stuck in a rut with a 'boring' marriage and is looking for excitement to feel alive. The second film is the action sequence or what you could call the 3rd act with Harry (Arnold Schwarzenegger) as they take on the terrorist. The more I watch the movie, the more glaring it becomes how the first half is one tone, and the second is another and don't really meshed together at all. The set up for me is way too long. It's 90 minutes before we finally get to the slam bang action we have been waiting for.
To me, the only thing that basically saves the Helen arc is Bill Paxon as Simon, who once again steals every single scene he is in. So damn funny and spot on as a Used Car Salesman using the 'Spy Angle' to seduce women. The other person that saves this film is Tom Arnold as Gib. Yep, Tom saves this movie big time. When I first heard that he had been cast in the role as Harry's partner, I was dumbfounded and couldn't believe it at all. But he held his own and was so damn funny.
The movie is very uneven now for me, but there are enough laugh out loud moments and action sequence that make up for that little transgression. This is definitely a Rent, even though I own it on DVD.