Arnold Schwarzenegger is the epitome of the classic action hero. Beginning with 1982’s Conan the Barbarian, the man enjoyed a string of successes that quickly launched him into the upper stratosphere of superstardom. Terminator, Commando, Predator, Red Heat, Total Recall, and Terminator 2: Judgment Day rank among his most outstanding achievements. Even gimmicky comedies such as Twins, Kindergarten Cop, and the underrated Last Action Hero remain as watchable as ever.
Unfortunately, nothing lasts forever. Beginning with 1994’s Junior, Schwarzenegger’s career slowly dissipated due to duds such as Jingle All the Way, Batman & Robin, End of Days, and Collateral Damage. The occasional Eraser, 6th Day, or Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines offset the decline, but Schwarzenegger peaked in the early 90s, and given the state of modern action pictures favoring mopey, frail, emasculated men over muscle-packing titans, a last-minute resurgence is probably unlikely.
I’m not bitter. Schwarzenegger’s greatest works, such as T2, Total Recall, and Predator, have not lost their charm. If anything, they are more captivating than ever, standing as timeless classics in a genre stripped bare by modern sensibilities.
Yet, his final truly enormous box office success, excluding 2003’s T3, might be his best: James Cameron’s 1994 hit True Lies, a thrilling blockbuster about a man whose double life as a spy is uncovered by his well-to-do wife. Co-starring Jamie Lee Curtis (in what might be her finest role), Tom Arnold (in an extraordinary film debut), the late great (and scene-stealing) Bill Paxton, Tia Carrere, Art Malik, and Eliza Dushku, True Lies is a delightfully tongue-in-cheek action comedy with larger-than-life set pieces built around a novel story about a couple realizing their ideal companion is standing right beside them.
Released on July 15, 1994, True Lies earned a massive $365M worldwide, ranking as the third highest-grossing film of the year behind The Lion King and Forrest Gump. Critics were divided on the picture, with many taking issue with the lengthy second act that sees Schwarzenegger’s Harry Tasker using considerable resources to spy on his wife after learning about her alleged affair with Paxton’s mysterious Simon.
True Lies takes a while to build up, but the middle act is crucial in setting up the climactic third act. Plus, we get some of Paxton’s best comedic work as Simon, the sleazy used car salesman masquerading as a superspy:
Tom Arnold’s Gibson also stands out during these sequences, offering Harry much-needed advice about his love life:
More pivotally, True Lies effectively blends Schwarzenegger’s comedic sensibilities with his well-honed action chops better than any film throughout his career. Twins and Kindergarten Cop showed off his softer side at the expense of the thrilling escapades audiences desired, while T2 afforded Schwarzenegger a few brief moments of levity. By contrast, True Lies approaches its subject matter in a light-hearted manner, allowing its iconic star to poke fun at his hulking image (e.g., “I married Rambo!”) while simultaneously enhancing and capitalizing on it.
A terrific example of this is the scene in which Harry deals with the effects of a powerful truth serum:
The way he deals with his wife’s infidelity is downright hilarious:
Of course, the gist here is that Harry is also cheating, to a certain extent. He gets to travel the world, kill bad guys, do the tango with gorgeous women, and fly fighter jets while his wife, Helen, slowly withers away in domestic servitude. He realizes that she, too, craves adventure, leading to the sexy (and hilarious) strip tease sequence:
The character dynamic eventually gives way to monstrous set pieces, and it’s here that True Lies truly shines. From a James Bond-ish opening action sequence to the stunning climax featuring a Harrier Jet, Cameron delivers a big-budget spectacle of the highest caliber, replete with jaw-dropping effects, awesome stunts, and the usual assortment of Hollywood cheese:
Terminator 2 remains my favorite Schwarzenegger movie, but True Lies bears his best overall performance. More than any other entry in his oeuvre, it deftly balances his action, dramatic, and comedic chops, resulting in a unique summer thriller featuring a healthy serving of heart and testosterone-fueled gusto. At the time, it was hard to imagine Schwarzenegger ever tumbling down the mountain at this stage in his career.
Alas, a few bad movie choices, the ever-changing cinema landscape, and a questionable foray into politics muted Schwarzenegger’s shimmering star power, leaving him to coast on his early success for the next three decades. I would love to see the big guy enjoy a late-career resurgence, perhaps in James Cameron’s Avatar series or another Predator flick. Hell, I’d take Red Heat 2.
Still, if that last hurrah never occurs, True Lies is one helluva way to cap off a remarkable superstar run. Thirty years later, the action comedy remains the icing on Schwarzenegger’s proverbial cake and a tremendous example of what an action picture can accomplish when placed in the right hands.
