True Lies

Since we have been writing reviews for 9 months now, I realized I have not had a proper Ahr-nuld review. He is probably the best 80's action star icon of all time, and in my opinion places 2nd overall for stars of that era who continued to make quality pictures. I do think the quality of Bruce Willis' movies never had that "what was he thinking" aspect. I could name a few Schwarzenegger films that did make me think that. Oops, just remembered of my Last Action Hero review, but I digress, here is Arnold at his best. As Harry Tasker, he plays the secret spy and the family man keeping his secret from everyone. I also write this because I nearly peed my man pants this week when I read an unconfirmed rumor of True Lies 2. Supposedly the original cast and James Cameron are into it. If this rumor comes to fruition, you may not want to be near me if you value your personal space, because you will get a hug. To date Cameron has done no wrong in his movie making. His politics and tree huggery aside, the guy makes some of the best films ever. True lies is probably in my top 25 of all time. It is definitely my favorite Arnold movie. I am at least 84% sure it is.  So Harry and his partner "Gib" (Tom Arnold) are super spies that work for Moses. Just kidding. Their boss just happens to be played by the great late Charlton Heston. This movie may have the best action scenes ever. Other movies may have equally good scenes, but the quantity in True Lies is second to none. Plus it has comedy. Lots of comedy. First off Harry and Team break into a foreign big wigs house to uncover whatever they need to. The underwater entry is the coolest opening scene ever. Who knew a wet suit could keep a tuxedo THAT dry. Amazing technology those wet suits are. Once the mission is complete we get to meet his family. Wife is Helen (A very dressed down Jaime Lee Curtis) and his daughter Dana (Eliza Dushku). They think he is computer sales and he never lets them think otherwise. Harry goes to take his wife on a surprise lunch when he finds out she is having an affair. Devastated, he goes to the extreme. A complete black ops mission to teach the man involved a lesson. It's one of the classic scenes, especially when Harry's wife, who is not to be touched gets konked in the head. Then Gib gets kicked in the nuts which really rounds out that scene. This, however, opens Harry's eyes. He comes to realize his wife is bored and miserable. She seeks adventure, so he is gonna give it to her. He gives her a completely harmless "mission" to give her that adventure and excitement. This goes awry when some of his past enemies track him down and take them both into their custody. It's hilarious how she pleads with the terrorists to let Harry go. I'm the one you want, she says. This turn of events opens Helen's eyes when she finds out what Harry actual is. Either way, things get harry (pun intended) and Harry must not only save his wife, but also his daughter, and kill the terrorists while saving the USA.  It is a brilliant film, with the best action and I've always been a bit of a harsh judge when it comes to "comedy relief" in films. I, myself, am quite funny. Some people say I am the comedian's comedian. That's neither here nor there. Tom Arnold as the relief was the best cast for that particular role in the history of films that felt they needed said relief. Also I can vividly remember reading the poster tag line thinking how brilliant it was. I was only 12 or 13 and I still remember. "When he said, "I Do", He never actually said what he did", plus you'll notice the grenade on the poster has a wedding ring as the pin. Thank you James Cameron for the years of quality work. "Why do they call him the Sand Spider?" Probably because it sounds scary.

NBM rates True Lies - Phenomenal

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