Revisiting Iconic Action Comedy 'True Lies' at 30

By Redmanwriter on July 18, 2024

Alice Oscura, Featured Writer

Thirty years ago, there was a summer blockbuster that had the most expensive production price tag at the time, and that was even before the marketing. That particular movie was the incredibly impressive action/comedy True Lies, released on July 15, 1994. It's the second James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger collaboration to experience mountains of success at the box office, with their previous being Terminator 2: Judgment Day in 1991. The 1990s experienced a great surge in action films in particular, which managed to pave the way for modern filmmaking with the use of groundbreaking methods including over-the-top special effects. Some of these films have secured their place in cinematic history and have managed to surprisingly stand the test of time due to a large fanbase. With True Lies having just celebrated its 30th anniversary on the 15th, I thought it fitting to take a little trip down memory lane as well as divulge some of the lesser-known facts behind the scenes. By the way, I will not be mentioning the 2023 series of the same name that was an abject failure. Here's a hint: it was canceled after just one season, so that alone goes to show you that you can't remake a classic!

Based on the 1991 French comedy titled La Totale!, the premise follows an agent who works for an anti-terrorism government agency called the Omega Sector, unbeknownst to his family. As Harry Tasker (Schwarzenegger) the agent poses as a computer software salesman who is always conveniently away on business trips. However, under his spy persona as Harry Rehnquist, he's a super spy battling against a terrorist group known as the "Crimson Jihad," led by an international terrorist known as Salim Abu Aziz (Art Malik), codenamed the Sand Spider.

Side note, the film received criticism for its stereotypical representation of Arabs and Muslims, with even calls to have it banned in Arab countries. However, keep in mind that the film is a representation of current affairs during that period in time, when there was a heightened sense of negative emotions against Middle Easterners due the occurrence of various terrorist attacks that were in fact perpetrated by known Middle Eastern terrorist organisations all over the world. With this in mind, the portrayal of the Middle Eastern characters in the film can come across as exaggerated and ridiculous. In my opinion, it's not meant to be taken that seriously; we're in it for the action and comedy, pure and simple.

Anyway, moving on, Harry's wife, Helen (Jamie Lee Curtis), a legal aide in a private law firm, and teenaged daughter, Dana (Eliza Dushku) are completely unaware that the seemingly mild-mannered Harry is actually a secret agent. This is where one of the main comedic elements of the film ensues. Helen feels unfulfilled in her life and longs to experience a sense of danger for at least one moment of pure recklessness. She devours suspense novels, and this causes her to capture the attention of sleazy car salesman Simon (the late Bill Paxton). Simon poses as an international spy, taking credit coincidentally for the secret missions of Harry and his longtime partner Gib (Tom Arnold) in the hopes of seducing her. However, things don't go as planned as Harry finds out about Simon and suspects that Helen is having an affair. But nothing can be further from the truth. Soon, after some staging, Harry and Helen get captured by the real terrorists, with Helen finally learning the truth about Harry's real job as a spy!

Other attractive elements of the film are the over-the-top and highly unbelievable action sequences. The truly stand out for most fans, like seeing Schwarzenegger gallop at full speed through a hotel lobby with a horse in pursuit of the terrorist leader who's driving a motorcycle. He somehow manages to fit the horse into a high-rise elevator and becomes enraged with the horse because he refuses to pursue the perp by leaping off the top of the hotel into a pool below. There's also the iconic last-minute helicopter rescue scene where Curtis ends up dangling from only one of Schwarzenegger's muscular arms as the limo she was in crashes off the unfinished causeway and burst into flames.

And then, once you're talking about True Lies, you've got to make mention of Jamie Lee Curtis's iconic striptease sequence. I'm pretty sure that jaws around the world dropped when the actress finally revealed her absolutely fit physique. I believe what made this scene work so well was the fact that it wasn't perfectly controlled. You can see that. Years later, the actress revealed that the sequence was not choreographed in any way whatsoever. Director James Cameron simply asked her which song she would like to dance to, and she decided on John Hiatt's "Alone in the Dark". He then advised her to dance it just the way that she would if she was at home. It was clear after several takes that not only did the dance become sexier, but she was getting better. Too good, actually, so they added in the infamous fall, which worked so extremely well and is absolutely hilarious. Also, the actress dieted and exercised really hard in order to achieve her figure for the film. She said it was not an easy feat, and since then she has opted for a more relaxed lifestyle, preferring to just go with the flow of her natural curves and age gracefully.

In January 2018, actress Eliza Dushku, who made her film debut in True Lies at the age of 12, came out with a sexual assault allegation against the film's stunt coordinator, Joel Kramer. Dushku stated that Kramer assaulted her in a Miami hotel room and the actress published a lengthy statement on Facebook detailing the disturbing encounter with Kramer. He worked to slowly build confidence with the actress's parents and herself before finally revealing his true intentions. Kramer was 36-years-old at the time. Since Dushku's accusation, two other women have come out and accused Kramer of sexual misconduct as well. Kramer may have also been responsible for injuries sustained on the set by Dushku following an incident where an adult relative of the actress confronted the stunt coordinator regarding Dushku's assault. Her co-stars, Tom Arnold, Jamie Lee Curtis and Arnold Schwarzenegger, as well as director James Cameron, have all come out in support of Dushku following the published accusation. Arnold even posted on Twitter that if they knew, they would have all done something about it, to which Schwarzenegger agreed. They've all stated that they were shocked and saddened, but very proud of how brave the actress was for finally deciding to reveal her story.

While there are certain aspects of the film that haven't aged successfully, the film itself has managed to hold up very well against the test of time. It is a shining example of the successful melding of totally different movie genres. It was a time in cinema where action films were all about machismo, over-the-top violence and flashy, unbelievable, gravity-defying action sequences. And along comes True Lies, which not only incorporates all those aspects but also manages to break the mould with something new, which is why it's a timeless film.

Dark Alice Score: 9 out of 10

Are you a fan of True Lies? What is your favourite scene? And you can check out more pumping 90's action below:

Dark Alice has an old soul and a curious mind. I believe that anyone can be a hero and that the good guys should always win! I dislike cruelty to animals and think that they have far superior qualities to humans. My motto is there is no future without the past. I also have a weird penchant for Paranormal TV shows even though the slightest sound makes me jump. I enjoy writing reviews and throwing in fun facts to pique the readers' curiosity. My ultimate goal in life would be to become a published writer one day. Read More