True Lies (1994)

Harry Tasker (Arnold Schwarzenegger) works for a top-secret government organisation, Omega Sector, and – with his partner Gib (a scene-stealing Tom Arnold) – is investigating a group of Arab terrorists involved in smuggling nuclear weapons.

His mousy legal secretary wife, Helen (Jamie Lee Curtis) – who believes Harry to be a dull workaholic computer salesman – feels neglected by her husband and begins a flirtation with Simon, a used car salesman who pretends to be a spy (Bill Paxton).

Harry spies on his wife, and when they are both kidnapped by the terrorists, Harry is forced to reveal his true identity to Helen. They manage to escape, only to learn that the terrorists – under the command of Salim Abu Aziz (Art Malik) – have kidnapped their teenage daughter and are threatening to explode a nuclear warhead in Miami.

True Lies has Schwarzenegger playing a semi-parodic, self-reflexive version of his well-established action hero role – though not as self-reflexive as 1993’s The Last Action Hero.

Whether it was conceived to broaden the actor’s range and humanise his Terminator (1984) persona, the film’s concentration on the husband-and-wife relationship lacks the conviction of the action sequences, which, as one would expect from Cameron, come thick and fast and increasingly spectacular.

TRIVIA NOTE
Dangling Jamie Lee Curtis’ stunt double from a helicopter skid was relatively easy. The hard part was dropping her into the sunroof of a speeding limo and then yanking her back out again in the 8.5-second window before said vehicle nosedived off a bridge.

The point of no return was marked with traffic cones, and stuntwoman Donna Keegan was extracted from the limo just as the car’s wheels tipped over the edge. Keegan called it an “out of body experience”.
Harry Tasker
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Helen Tasker
Jamie Lee Curtis
Gib
Tom Arnold
Simon 
Bill Paxton
Juno
Tia Carrere
Salim Abu Aziz
Art Malik
Dana
Eliza Dushku
Faisal
Grant Heslov
Khaled
Marshall Manesh
Janice
Jane Morris
Allison
Katsy Chappell
Charlene
Crystina Wyler
Yusif
Ofer Samra

Director
James Cameron

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