I loved James Cameron’s “True Lies” when I saw
it in a Philadelphia cinema 21 years ago with a friend. I cheered the openly tongue-in-cheek story and
action as Arnold Schwarzenegger as a secret U.S. spy demolishes Middle Eastern
terrorists in downtown Miami, the fanatics threatening to destroy the city with
a stolen nuclear warhead. In a scene still spectacular Ahnuld flies a Harrier
jet up against a skyscraper and kills a villain with a ride on a missile. But,
damn, this is an ugly sexist film. See, I was a very naïve 20 year old in
1994. Now I cringe at the entire midsection which has Schwarzenegger’s Harry
Tasker going rage as he suspects his dumb, hapless wife (Jamie Lee Curtis) of
cheating on him; him, a guy who’s done nothing but lie to her for two decades. See,
Cameron has our hero kidnap and then psychologically torture the woman until
she admits in fact she has committed no sin against her husband. (If she had!?!) Cameron seems to know his
writing is vile. Side characters offer admonishments, almost as
sideline commentary. But it still smacks of, “Keep watching. Keep laughing!” Cameron’s
worst film. C+
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
True Lies (1994)
Labels:
1994,
action,
Arnold Schwarzenegger,
comedy,
James Cameron,
Jamie Lee Curtis,
marriage,
Muslim,
sexist,
spy,
True Lies
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