Of all the genres to mix comedy with, action has the most potential because everything is so over-the-top anyway, it wouldn't be any more unrealistic if a few jokes and gags were thrown in. This is the appeal and them of "True Lies:" it purposely exaggerates to amaze us, even if it does get a little cliche and cartoony at times.
We meet Harry (Schwarzenegger) and Gib (Arnold), two U.S. spies just doing their jobs of trying to stop international terrorists. The opening scene immediately establishes the film's lightheartedness and satirical nature, as Harry speaks Arabic while the subtitles say "'Where's the John?' (in perfect Arabic)." Meanwhile, Gib waits in "the van" making lots of wisecracks and one-liners that aren't just recycled sit-com stuff, but truly original and funny jokes (you don't see stuff like this in a Van Damme flick). Suddenly we get one of those typical Schwarzenegger scenes where he runs from and single-handedly disarms 50 terrorists using his bare hands. Yes, we've seen this before, but this film doesn't make the mistake of taking itself too seriously, and thus, it's fun.
The basic plot involves Harry and Gib's pursuit of an Arabic terrorist named Aziz (Makik) who has access to nuclear warheads. But the story skews off on a huge tangent when Harry realizes his wife Helen (Curtis) is having an affair with a man claiming to be a spy. What makes this such a coincidence is the fact Helen herself, nor their daughter know Harry is a spy and not the computer salesman he claims to be.
This sub-plot allows for good characterization and some great comic relief (due mostly to Bill Paxton as Simon, Helen's pathetic suitor), but after a while the main plot seems to be forgotten about. This is my only real problem with the film, because its high-tech spy stuff and action had been great, but the tangent is goes off on lasts entirely too long. Eventually it does come back to the terrorist-chasing aspect and does so by diving head first into it, which is somewhat forgivable.
The final act is the action and suspense-driven story you'd expect the film to become. Getting into the details would be pointless, because much of it is predictable, but at least it's fun. The film makes no apologies for its existence and this is why we get nuclear explosions, fantastic car chases, people dangling from helicopters and airplanes, and gunfights and fist fights galore.
Special mention must be made to the camaraderie between Schwarzenegger and Arnold. They're just another "odd couple" or even "cop buddies," they're just two talented actors in fun, original film.
"True Lies" is the action movie for people who don't like action movies. It's the movie equivalent of cherry cheesecake, but with reduced fat.
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