True Lies
Country: USA Year: 1994 Language: French, English, Arabic, German
Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger (Harry Tasker), Jamie Lee Curtis (Helen Tasker), Tom Arnold (Albert Gibson), Bill Paxton (Simon), Charlton Heston (Spencer Trilby), Tia Carrere (Juno Skinner), Art Malik (Salim Abu Aziz), Eliza Dushku (Dana Tasker), Grant Heslov (Faisil), Marshall Manesh (Jamal Khaled), James Allen (Colonel), Dieter Rauter (Boathouse Guard (as Deiter Rauter)), Jane Morris (Janice), Katsy Chappell (Allison), Crystina Wyler (Charlene), Ofer Samra (Yusif), Paul Barselou (Old Guy in Bathroom), Charles A. Tamburro (Helicopter Pilot (as Chuck Tamburro)), Jean-Claude Parachini (Jean-Claude), Uzi Gal (Lead Terrorist), Majed Ibrahim (High Rise Terrorist), Armen Ksajikian (Juno's Chauffeur), Mike Akrawi (Jihad Cameraman), Mike Cameron (Citation Pilot), Charles Cragin (Samir), Louai Mardini (Bread Van Terrorist #1), Gino Salvano (Bread Van Terrorist #2), Scott Dotson (Harrier Pilot (as SSgt. Scott Dotson)), Tom Isbell (Reporter at High Rise), John Bruno (Custodian), Takao Komine (Party goer), Joe Abby (Man on Escalator (uncredited)), Mary A. DeBriae (Swiss Aristocrat (uncredited)), Kim Giancaterino (Restaurant Patron (uncredited)), Al Kamarr (Terriorist Henchman to Salim Abu Aziz (uncredited)), Dave Knight (Downtown Miami Pedestrian (uncredited)), Jody Millard (Hotel Clerk (uncredited)), Andre Nirmel (Subway Customer (uncredited)), Erik Parillo (French Chef (uncredited)), Manny Perry (Bass Player (uncredited)), Charlie Picerni (Man in Hotel Lobby (uncredited)), William Shipman (Office Worker (uncredited)), Matt Sigloch (SWAT Team Leader (uncredited)), Mark Winn (Arab Terrorist (uncredited)), Ryken Zane (Snowboarder (uncredited))
Keywords: Terrorist, Agent, Secret, Spy, Nuclear, Affair, Secret Agent, Mission, Nuclear Weapons, Weapon, Government Agent, Blackmail, Top Secret, Washington D.C., Tango, Hostage, Intelligence, Marriage, Florida Keys, Intelligence Agency, Shot To Death, Gadget, Flamethrower, Blockbuster, Criminal Syndicate, X Rayed Skeleton, Exploding Car, Gash In The Face, Buddy Comedy, Honesty, Explosion, Neck Breaking Scene, Humor, Father Daughter Relationship, Child In Peril, Hit In Crotch, Knife Throwing, Seven Mile Bridge, Exotic Locations, Gun, Anti Terrorism, Terrorism, Martial Arts, Shot In The Leg, Secret Mission, Femme Fatale, Villainess, Espionage, Intelligence Agent, Urination Scene, Undercover Men, Surveillance, James Bond Spoof, Female Removes Her Dress, Girl In Bra And Panties, Wetting Pants, Seduction, Infidelity, Brassiere, Knee In Groin, Extramarital Affair, Terrorist Base, Spying, Computer Cracker, Terrorist Bombing, Spy Spoof, Motorcycle, Gadget Car, Undercover Agent, Power Abuse, Black Bra, Two Way Mirror, Car Dealer, Spy Hero, Slut, Shot In The Arm, Gunfight, Remake, Neo Noir, Mounted Police, Helicopter, Exploding Helicopter, Blood Splatter, Unfaithfulness, Grenade Launcher, Mushroom Cloud, Remake Of French Film, Hero, High Tech, Counter Terrorism, Dance, Secret Service, Gadgetry, Stabbed In The Eye, Striptease, Terrorist Group, Humiliation, Violence, Murderous Fantasy, Black Bra And Panties, Mass Murder, Action Hero, Terrorist Plot, Extremism, Truth Serum, Black Brassiere, Double Agent, Undercover, Shootout, Shot In The Chest, Shot In The Forehead, Blue Danube Waltz, Automobile
Summary: Special agent Harry Tasker gets out of the water outside a heavily guarded mansion, takes off his wetsuit, and there is a dinner jacket underneath. Harry strolls into a swanky party. Harry meets with Juno Skinner, steals some computer files, and escapes in a blaze of gunfire. He's picked up by his partner, Albert "Gib" Gibson, and they return to the United States. Harry goes home to his wife Helen. Helen doesn't know what Harry does because he pretends to be a computer salesman. Their 14-year-old daughter Dana is a sullen teenager, and Helen is so bored by the routine of her life that she's on the verge of having an affair with used-car salesman Simon, who claims to be a spy. Harry is hot on the trail of a group of terrorists led by Salim Abu Aziz. Aziz and his men are smuggling nuclear weapons into the USA in pieces of Persian art, and Aziz plans to hold the country hostage in the name of the Crimson Jihad. Harry's also out to save his marriage when he discovers Helen with Simon, who still claims to be a spy. Harry uses the Agency's resources to give Helen a taste of the real thing. Harry blackmails Helen into seducing an enemy agent -- Harry himself -- in a hotel room, but their tryst is interrupted by Aziz's men, who kidnap them and take them to one of the Florida Keys, where they're preparing to detonate their nuclear bomb. Harry escapes and rescues Helen, and then they discover that Aziz has gone to Miami and kidnapped Dana. Harry uses a harrier jet to get to Miami, where he sets out to rescue Dana.
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For the spectacular Florida Keys climax, the production actually bought some redundant causeway links, and restored the missing chunks so that they could blow them to smithereens onscreen.
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Arnold Schwarzenegger signed on to make the film before he made Last Action Hero (1993). The reason for the delay was that James Cameron was busy writing Strange Days (1995) for his ex-wife, Kathryn Bigelow.
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A full scale model of a Harrier was built for all close shots of Arnold Schwarzenegger flying the plane; it was puppeteered from a crane on a nearby building which was painted out with CGI. (As the Harrier lands in the street, dust and debris stirred up by its jetblast is all done in CGI; the CGI blast swirls up a CGI piece of paper which is sucked into the Harrier's CGI air compressor fan)
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The soundstage where they shot the Harrier scale model was the largest 180 degree green-screen background ever built.
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Eliza Dushku broke some ribs during the filming of her Harrier jet stunt scenes.
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According to the plane tickets that Helen Tasker glances at, the movie is set in 1994, the year of its release.
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In the scene where Helen Tasker (Jamie Lee Curtis) is given a "mission" they tell her that her contact's name is 'Boris' and she asks to be 'Natasha'. Boris and Natasha were the villains from The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show ("Rocky and His Friends" (1959)).
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The sub-machine gun used by the terrorist in the bathroom is a Steyr TMP 9mm Austrian weapon.
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The film is loosely based on Claude Zidi's Totale!, La (1991), a French comedy from the early '90s in which a wife discovers her husband works for the French secret services. It starred Miou-Miou and Thierry Lhermitte.
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The appearance and traits of Spencer Trilby (Charlton Heston) is based on Nick Fury, a Marvel Comics character. Like Fury, Trilby has an eye-patch and the same mannerisms as well as heading a peacekeeping organization.
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The bridge that was blown up was an 80' model of the 7 Mile Bridge. The old bridge (where they did the shot) was already "blown up", when they opened the new bridge. The bridge had sections removed so that taller boats could pass through without the need for a drawbridge.
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The "horse in the hotel" scene was filmed in the lobby and elevators of the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.
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When Arnold Schwarzenegger is at the urinal, the song he whistles is "Edelweiss" from The Sound of Music (1965), a movie set in Schwarzenegger's native country, Austria.
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James Cameron remembered Art Malik's work in City of Joy (1992) and offered him the role of Salim Abu Aziz without an audition.
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The military aircraft seen late in the movie were McDonnel Douglas AV-8B Harriers of the Marine Attack Squadron 223 (VMA-223) which is nicknamed the "Bulldogs".
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Harry Tasker works for the secret government agency called The Omega Sector. Its motto is "The last line of defense." It's headed by Charlton Heston who once starred in a movie called The Omega Man (1971).
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When the film was initially released, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee was one of several groups to hold a protest at a Washington, D.C., theater. The groups attacked the film for its "depiction of Middle Easterners as homicidal, religious zealots". A demand for the boycott of the movie was called, as well as a ban of its distribution in fifty-four Arab and Muslim countries.
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Originally, the writers wanted Arnold Schwarzenegger's character during the horse chase sequence to chase after the suspect through the reflecting pool at the Washington Monument. The National Parks Service refused to allow that to happen.
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In an early version of the script, Harry discovers Dana ditching school to sing in her boyfriend's band. While Harry drives Dana back to school, they sing the song she was doing ("Sunshine of Your Love" by Cream) when he walked in on her. Both scenes were cut from the movie. Instead, you can faintly hear the song playing on Dana's Walkman in the scene before her boyfriend picks her up for school.
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Many problems plagued the shooting of the opening sequence: the mansion scene was filmed on an extremely cold night and the mansion itself was not heated; all of the women wore dresses with nothing underneath and a costume change room was set up outside in the cold; kerosene lamps were used to heat the tents; one of the extra's blouses caught fire. For their suffering through the harsh cold that night, the extras were paid an additional $50.
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James Cameron wanted to make Spider-Man starring Michael Biehn. However, he thought that the film would be technically challenging at that point, and made this movie instead.
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James Cameron can be heard as the helicopter pilot who says, "Yeah she's got her head in his lap, Yahoo!"
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After Harry and Helen Tasker escape from Samir, Helen says "I married Rambo". Director James Cameron helped write Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985).
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Jamie Lee Curtis did the helicopter stunt on her birthday.
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In an interview, James Cameron says that the script was brought to him by Arnold Schwarzenegger who said that he wanted to do it because he thought the Tasker character was interesting. Cameron was shocked because he had never seen Scwarzenegger pick a script based solely on his interest in a character and decided that he saw the same thing and made the movie.
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A sequel to True Lies (1994) was once in the works, which would've reunited the principal cast as well as been directed by James Cameron, who directed the first movie. A script was even ready for this sequel, and had the movie been made, it would've been released sometime in 2002. The sequel idea was eventually scrapped (or at least indefinitely shelved) due to script problems as well the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Cameron even said in an interview that he dropped his sequel plans because "in this day and age, terrorism just isn't funny anymore".
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The just after dawn sequence on the bridge, where the truck teeters on the edge and a pelican knocks it in, was actually filmed just before dusk. Therefore instead of the limo fight and trucks falling into the water facing east toward the rising sun, they were all facing the setting sun in the west.
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Tia Carrere's contract was only for seven weeks but because of long period of shooting, she ended up earning 7 months of pay.
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Body count: 71
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The set of bra and matching panties worn by Helen Tasker (Jamie Lee Curtis) during the striptease scene were Mrs. Curtis's own.
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When Arnold Schwarzenegger rescues wife Jamie Lee Curtis from an airborne chopper, he grasps her by her arm just as the chopper heads out over the water. The woman you see dangling below the chopper skid is no body double, but Curtis doing her very own stunt work. At her insistence, director James Cameron agreed to let her perform this scary spectacle. According to Jamie Lee Curtis, on the TV special promoting "True Lies", it was Cameron's idea for her to do the helicopter work; she said, "Oh, yeah. And just where are you going to be while I'm dangling way up there in the air, Jim?" And, according to her, he said, "Hanging out the door filming you with a hand-held camera." So she decided that if he was willing to do that to get the shot, she could stand to do it, too.
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The US Government supplied three Marine Harriers and their pilots for a fee of $100,736 ($2,410 per hour).
Release Date: Friday, July 15, 1994
Budget: $110,000,000 Gross: $146,261,000 Profit: $36,261,000
Rating: 7.2 Votes: 67,466
High
High Risk of
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