True Lies

Directed by James Cameron, True Lies follows an elite government agent (Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Harry Tasker) as his personal and professional worlds collide after his wife  (Jamie Lee Curtis’ Helen) becomes embroiled in an illicit scheme. Filmmaker Cameron, armed with his own screenplay, delivers a palpably overlong yet mostly compelling endeavor that benefits rather substantially from Russell Carpenter’s solid visuals and an assortment of top-notch performances, as, in terms of the latter, Schwarzenegger’s predictably stellar efforts are matched by a roster of such talented periphery players as Charlton Heston, Tia Carrere, and Tom Arnold. (It’s ultimately Bill Paxton, however, who walks away with the title of MVP thanks to his scene-stealing turn as an almost extraordinarily sleazy car salesman.) And although Cameron has punctuated the movie’s first half with eye-popping, thoroughly exciting action sequences, including a fantastic bathroom fight that segues into a pursuit involving a motorcycle and a horse, True Lies progresses into a less-than-streamlined midsection that emphasizes Helen’s exploits, as well as Harry’s attempts at teaching her a lesson, to a degree that threatens to derail the entire proceedings – although, to be fair, such concerns become moot once the picture moves into its often enthralling climactic stretch. The final result is a predominantly entertaining blockbuster that does, in the end, feel as though it could (and should) be so much better, which is a shame, certainly, given that Cameron has packed True Lies with some seriously engaging and engrossing bits of larger-than-life action.

*** out of ****