THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, July 22, 1994 TAG: 9407220123
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E13 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BRENT A. BOWLES, TEENOLOGY MOVIE CRITIC
LENGTH: Medium: 63 lines
H E'S BAAAAACK.
But with ``True Lies'' it's not just Arnold Schwarzenegger who is returning, it's acclaimed action director James Cameron, too. And their third teaming has resulted in a film that is the action film. The action sequences are cutting edge, the special effects are dazzling and the mixture of action and comedy works, almost.
Ah-nold stars has Harry Tasker, a secret agent for an intelligence agency called the Omega Sector. Harry, who has kept his identity masked from his wife for 17 years, is drawn into an Arab terrorist plot to attack America with Soviet nuclear warheads.
Arnold's last attempt at mixing action and comedy was the overwrought ``Last Action Hero,'' a box-office bomb. ``True Lies'' is a bomb that will blow the top off the box office and will likely be the hit of the summer. Arnold is in top form with this 007-like character, and despite occasional forays into the absurd, he maintains a likable sarcasm and an irresistible smirk.
The unsuspecting and flaky wife is played by Jamie Lee Curtis. She starts out as a nerdish secretary and takes a halting turn into a female Rambo, in between engaging in an embarrassing pseudo-striptease. Cameron is known for the strong female roles in his films, but he didn't really know where to go with this one.
Another top performance comes from Tom Arnold as one of Trasker's intelligence partners. He is the wacky comic relief here, and some of his lines are priceless. Also in the cast is Tia Carrere as a sexy bad girl and a wasted Charlton Heston as the one-eyed head honcho at Omega Sector.
Most misplaced in the cast is Bill Paxton, one of the director's stock actors, playing a used-car salesman who cons women (including Trasker's wife) into believing he's some sort of James Bond.
At this point, the entire terrorist plot is put on hold for about an hour, and the script slowly deteriorates into an absurd comedy routine that just doesn't fit. While entertaining, one begins to wonder what happened to the real bad guys, and it seems as if Arnold and Co. don't really care. During the hard-edged action sequences, a little absurdity never hurts, but it's out of control here.
Cameron is by far Hollywood's premier action director. His previous films, ``The Terminator,'' ``Aliens'' and ``T2'' have set the standard. Despite all the new directors and old pros out there, no one matches Cameron's ability to put you on the edge of your seat.
And that is exactly what he does. With a motorcycle and horseback chase sequence, knockout gun battles, exploding bridges and a nail-biting Harrier jet finale, ``True Lies'' does not stop until the end. The visual effects are Oscar material, and Arnold still looks great. It may get kind of stupid toward the end, but as far as action and adventure go, ``True'' Lies is the ultimate. MEMO: ``True Lies'' is rated R; those under 17 not admitted without parent or
guardian. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Brent Bowles is a 1994 graduate of Princess Anne.
by CNB