True Lies - Wahre Lügen

We, the audience, are lucky that no one has offered Arnold the role of James Bond yet (a terrible idea), but here he fits the role of a secret agent very well. He tryes to act and it doesn't look bad at all. The script is good, the storyline with the irresistible "super agent" Bill Paxton is funny and Jamie Lee Curtis is a born comedian. The horse and motorbike chase is excellent and especially the whole final half hour is one big action orgasm. Arnold should kiss Cameron’s feet. (28.09.2003)

An action ride with Schwarzenegger, Curtis, a fighter jet and a horse, without a single weak spot. Cameron delivers one action scene after another, plus some funny one-liners here and there. It’s absolutely impossible to get bored. (07.06.2010)

Ich kann mich des Eindrucks nicht erwehren, dass Arnie seine 3-4 Standardgrimassen mit mehr Intensität als je zuvor abwechselnd zieht, was nicht gerade zur Leistung eines Schauspielers beiträgt. Der stämmige Muskelprotz läuft mit der Eleganz eines rasierten Turners durch die Bondow’sche Ausstellung und man denkt, dass ihm die Haut und das Verprügeln von Bösewichten besser stehen. James Cameron hat ziemlich gute Arbeit geleistet, aber ich verstehe wirklich nicht, warum ein Film mit einer so dünnen Handlung 144 Minuten lang ist, wenn der Inhalt in 90 und der Witz in 20 Minuten passen könnte. Einige der Actionsequenzen (vor allem die mit Harrier) sind großartig, Jamie Lee Curtis' verführerisches Tanzen ist wirklich sexy und bestimmte Gags sind perfekt (z. B. der mit der Taschenlampe in der Kamera wirkt auch heute noch ziemlich aktuell). Leider habe ich mich die meiste Zeit des Films gelangweilt und versuchte, in der Mischung aus Familienkomödie und Spionage-Action etwas wirklich Sinnvolles zu finden. Es ist sicherlich keine Geschichte, die in der Versenkung verschwindet, es ist sicherlich nicht Arnies spastische Etüde oder Jamie Lees aufgeblähter Körper und Miss Carreres Killerkörper... Er wurde nicht einmal von Cameron Regie geführt... was um alles in der Welt ist das also? (03.04.2006)

If it weren’t for one detail it would be terrible nonsense but, because it’s pleasant and evidently a spoof, it’s a cool and relaxing watch. Arnie in his only good comedy role and, in addition to this, with the more than titanic help of Jamie Lee Curtis who is overflowing with comedy talent. Cameron’s directing is on top of everything and especially the final part is action-packed and brimming with desperate jokes. A movie that returned star status for Arnie that was definitely deserved. The only downfall is the rather excessive running length. Although the beginning and the ending work excellently, True Lies runs out of breath somewhere around half-way through. And that’s too bad. (21.04.2022)

I had the idea that True Lies was one of the more digestible films of the acting genius Arnold Schwarzenegger, or rather one of several movies that I can give 3 stars. However, when I repeated the experience years later, it quickly became clear to me that the film contains a lot of nonsense, and the humor it possesses no longer appeals to me. The French original seems to me to be two classes better. Here the American budget and Arnold's myth earn it points. Overall impression: 45%. (22.04.2013)

A visually stunning gem with the typical directorial signature of a master. Arnold Schwarzenegger delivers one of his best performances here, becoming a true charmer, he is he is absolutely irresistible as agent Harry Tasker. Throughout the movie, we get countless gags and see several excellent comedic scenes. The ending is one of those action sequences that are bound to make every viewer hold their breath. Another multimillion-dollar production where the money is truly visible. Everyone put their heart into it, including the King of the World, James Cameron, he truly is one of the best directors of all time. (27.01.2006)

Sometimes there is great power in simplicity. Arnold the is simplest famous actor ever, but we eat his every fist and grin, and there’s also Jamie Lee Curtis, who looks simply divine in a bathing suit, sidekick Bill Paxton, who is intellectually simple and wryly funny, and James Cameron, who can make a simple action comedy almost as surely and imaginatively as he can make his visual spectacles. It's unnecessarily long and the ending evokes the overblown Commando from the 80s (especially in terms of body count), but it’s still great fun and one of the best representatives of Hollywood action of the 90s. 85% (12.10.2012)

In the film's prologue, a secret agent subtly infiltrates a tightly guarded party of bourgeoisie, speaks five languages flawlessly, seduces a beautiful art collector, and busts out a tango so classy it would make Argentineans throw their hats on the floor in frustration. And the agent is played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, who normally leaves wreckage behind him just by walking into a room and hasn't been able to learn English in forty years. Like sorry kids, but this is total comedy gold. Cameron is fully aware of what he holds in his hand so he knows that all he has to do is zoom the camera into Arnold's face at the right moment and he’ll bring you to your knees. Completely against current tradition, this action comedy is actually action (whereas these should be two automatically kindred genres since they're mostly about rhythm, pacing, and editing) and even though the second half falls a little short of the first half, once Schwarzenegger picks up an AK with his foot and shoots four people in a single second, all is absolutely forgiven. (31.10.2022)

It's been ages since the last time I saw this film... and I don’t regret watching it again today. Sure, it's not an Oscar-winning masterpiece, it does get pretty naïve at times, the action scenes are far-fetched and there are lapses in logic. On the other hand, it’s still great entertainment. Jamie Lee Curtis has been on my good for quite a while (I'll never forget A Fish Called Wanda). I already liked her as Helen the resigned wife, but when she became Doris, I almost laughed my head off. In what other film could I see a future California governor dancing the tango with a rose in his teeth? (19.04.2020)

If James Cameron realized that sometimes less is really more and ditched the running time of around two and a half hours, this would have been a truly excellent film. However, the escapade with his daughter is indeed wonderfully action-packed, but after two hours, it still feels unnecessary. The film wants to open so many things and then close them, which is probably its biggest mistake. Otherwise, it is a beautiful example of a grittier action comedy that works great in other respects. (27.10.2014)