By Drew Dietsch
| Published
The real lies had huge expectations when it opened in the summer of 1994. It was followed by James Cameron in Terminator 2: Judgment DayA record box office and critical success. He reinstated Cameron with the superstar of the action Arnold Schwarzenegger, and he had the additional appeal of Jamie Lee Curtis as a female leader. He promised to be an action comedy of epic proportions, and it was the first film to have a budget reported of more than $ 100 million.
The public helped to do The real lies A national blow, but it was the international box office that transformed it roughly. Critics were mixed with positive for the most part, but thanks to a solid video presence and cable, the film remained for many years.
However, The real lies has somewhat slipped into conversation over the past decade. Has the film fell into disgrace with a modern audience? Doesn’t he resist the test of time? What still works and that not?
Let’s see if The real lies is also exciting and engaging as over twenty-five years ago.
If you classify The real lies Purely on his action show, he is sure to say that he resists more than. Cameron was able to use his colossal weight to require extravagant action decorations which are always undoubtedly impressive.
From the snowy shooting to open up to the legitimately amazing hunting sequence on the highway abroad in the Florida Keys, The real lies invade a ridiculous and exhilarating action. If you want to see Arnie shoot a giant flame flow in a heap of minions or ride a horse at the top of Westin BonaventureThis film will satisfy this pure cartoon pleasure.
And it’s indeed pleasant. The ridiculous lengths that Cameron goes for a tactile action deserve to be congratulated. No piece of set is tiny or disposable. If Cameron will make an action scene, he will do everything. In addition, in 1994, a large part of the action was carried out on the camera or with as many practical effects as possible. As a action cinema, The real lies always deserves great praise.
But what about casting?
Arnold Schwarzenegger Plus Jamie Lee Curtis
The real lies is clearly loaded with star power at each turn. Arnold was up to his popularity at the box office and he stretches his comic muscles in a way that he had not really done before. Is it completely successful? Well, we will get there a little later, but Arnold is not at all the problem. He does what he is supposed to do and engages in comedy.
Jamie Lee Curtis is the real star with regard to the humor of The real lies. Her role as a harmful and dissatisfied housewife is a bit of a bad joyful direction for when she turns into a sensual spy. Curtis clicks immediately with the material and plays every moment with the greatest sincerity and the non-forced sex appeal. And there is an appropriate chemistry between his Arnold. When the film allows them to sit with each other and to bounce a dialogue in both directions, their dynamic works and offer some of the best moments in the film (The Truth Serum Bit is the big star between them).
However, the secret weapon of The real lies East Bill Paxton As a shady crook trying to sleep with Curtis. The film turns into a total winner every second that he is on the screen. Its scumbag charm and its possible cowardice are perfect for the kind of farce that Cameron is looking for in his script. It is actually a shame that it is not more in the film because the film wins a serious comic vapor when it is authorized to dirty its fatty charisma on the entire lens. If The real lies Has an exceptional performance, it’s Paxton by a country mile.
But, the casting is not all winners. Tia Carrera is decent but overshadowed as a main villain. The worst member of the ensemble is Tom Arnold as a secret agent partner at Schwarzenegger. If the particular personality of Tom Arnold is your cup of tea, you could get a kick from his male alpha masculine with be stomach in a besieged pot. In 2020, he read as unpleasant and a note. His presence always manages to bring the film back to something less pleasant.
Unfortunately, it was not only this only actor who injured The real lies Over the years.
Too long and clumsy edition
There are a number of things to consider when they speak The real lies in a modern context. Before reaching more difficult aspects, let’s focus on cinema alone because The real lies has a construction problem.
On the one hand, The real lies is too long for the story he wants to tell. Based on the 1991 French film The total!This version has its right share of action but focuses much more on the comic farce at the center of history.
In Cameron’s film, there are two films at war: the farce and a great action plot involving terrorists. For a large part of the middle of Cameron’s film, the film completely abandons its terrorist intrigue. It is a bizarre structuring choice that has been mainly added to the remake, while The total! Better mixed the story of espionage with the plot involving the married couple. For this reason, a large part of the comedy does not strike as the film wants.
There are also clumsy publishing choices of Cameron in The real lies. The film lacks a lot of big transitions from one scene to another, and it harms the feeling of flow and rhythm of the film. Without forgetting that there are many shots where the double blows carrying masks or makeup to look like Arnie can be seen, and Cameron does not cut or does not fit in a way that hides this problem better.
For such polished production as The real lies Is a large part of its theme park channels is far too visible. It is not surprising that the next thing Cameron has directed A stroll at the literal theme park.
Exaggerated villains do not hold
Now we have to get to very bad things. It should be noted that The real lies probably left part of the conversation because of how his bad guys are represented. The evil exaggerated by Arab terrorists in this film is often underlined as another of the worst representations of the peoples of the Middle East in the popular film. And this reading is not bad. The Malik art performance as a fanatic leader in the crimson jihad is a caricature so much that it is impossible to see it as a real person.
It is a cartoon which is reinforced by many racist stereotypes. Although it could be less obvious in 1994, this type of character is extremely difficult to defend all these years later.
Eliza Dushku was damaged
However, this turns pale compared to real damage The real lies Actress caused Eliza Dushku. Dushku was twelve years old when they were in production, and she alleged that she was sexually assaulted by the film coordinator of thirty-six years of the film, Joel Kramer. It’s very disturbing to watch the film now and see Dushku on the screen, thinking that this type of abuse may have taken place as the film was going.
Facing the problems of the real world and the way they relate to art is always a conversation, but that makes it think of the 1989 horror film Clown house by the writer / director Victor Salva. Salva abused the twelve year actor in this film, and he was withdrawn from video at home and streaming traffic by the studio. This is probably partly because it is a little piece of horror cinema. Do with The real lies It would be a more thorny situation because of its successful status.
Maybe it’s part of the reason The real lies has not been champion as much in recent years. He undeniably has problematic elements which will be forever attached to it. Does that mean that we cannot recognize things that work The real lies? No. It is always worth valued as a piece of popular entertainment and especially as a practical action film. But, it is not difficult to see why many people prefer to avoid it completely.
The real lies is a good film but not great. He has phenomenal decorations and a good casting, but it is difficult to plead completely for a film with things so inevitably bad. He always deserves to be seen in the context of Cameron’s filmography, and things that work on this subject work very well. If that’s all you need to be able to look at it, I wish you good luck and hope that you will have a good time. Me? I prefer to look Commando Again.
