True Lies (1994)

James Bond meets "Junior". The Governator stars in a spy-thriller with an everyday twist. Can he save the world and his family the same week? Yeah, I agree. Not a brilliant tagline. 

Though Arnie works really hard to add some suave to his character, that really isn't his strong suit. Cameron does know this, however and tries equally had to make it work. And some of the time it works really well, particularly when Cameron is able to insert some aloof arrogance and calm skill in situations of distress. Jamie Lee Curtis on the other hand, is wasted for a long time. As a homely, clumsy and insecure housewife, she is not playing to her strengths either. As the film, and her character, progresses, she does find her footing and adds a bit of spunk towards the end. The scene where she goes from housewife to high-end prostitute is very nice though, and a perfect (literal) transformation. Tom Arnold is excellent though. With just the right blend of everyday working man and comical agent with control of all aspects, generally a believable and jovial colleague, regardless of one's occupation. And a funny asshole at times. Those are priceless! Kudos to Bill Paxton for being a total sleezebag too, moustache and all. He brings out the best of repressed hate and anger from Arnie, very amusing. 

Unfortunately, Cameron doesn't stop at that, entering a prolonged jealousy frenzy that takes up a lot of time and focus without ever giving anything back. And a 2 hours, 21 minutes, you really need to do better editing than that. That there is no real villain, nor henchman for that matter, is another disappointment. All action-flicks need villains and henchmen of quality, and though Tia Carrera is delectable in her dresses and has a sly smile, she shouldn't have to be the best baddie here. Furthermore, as the action takes over, the film looses a lot of its positive traits. 

So the comedy is a bit good (at least in the first third), a bit bad, and mostly decent. The action is 90's in the sense that there is an utter excess of bullets and explosions, and aiming worse than a Stormtrooper. James Cameron is usually not bad at suspense, but doesn't really hit a good note in that respect here. Perhaps because he tries to insert too much humour in his chases, taking the edge off. But even though it's a bit hit & miss, and too long to really flow nicely, it's slick and entertaining. The ending is crap on a wheat cracker, though. 

5/10