True Lies is a 1994 American action-comedy film written, co-edited and directed by James Cameron. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis and Tia Carrere.
Plot[]
Family man Harry Tasker leads a double life as a secret agent, performing covert missions for a black ops counter-terrorism task force known as "Omega Sector" led by Commander Spencer Trilby. His support team consists of Albert "Gib" Gibson and Faisal . However, Harry's wife, Helen, and his daughter, Dana, believe he is a computer salesman with Tektel Systems (the cover company for Omega Sector) doing a lot of "corporate" travel. Harry's latest mission in Switzerland reveals the existence of a Palestinian terrorism organization known as the Crimson Jihad, led by Salim Abu Aziz. Harry suspects that antiques dealer Juno Skinner has ties to Aziz. After visiting her, Harry is chased by Aziz's men through a shopping mall and a large hotel, missing the birthday party that Helen and Dana have arranged for him.
The next day, Harry plans to surprise Helen at her office to take her out to lunch, but overhears her talking over the phone to a man named Simon. He uses his connections in Omega Sector to learn that Simon is a used car salesman, pretending to be a secret agent to seduce women, including Helen. Harry and other Omega agents, don masks and kidnap Helen while she is at Simon's trailer while frightening Simon to keep him away from her. Harry, using a voice masking device, interrogates Helen and learns she sought adventure with Harry gone all the time. Harry arranges for Helen to participate in a staged mission, where she is to seduce an mysterious arms dealer in a hotel room (in reality, it's Harry hiding in the shadows with a pre-recorded voice) and plant a tracking bug on him. However, Aziz' men burst in and kidnap both of them, and take them to an island in the Florida Keys.
Aziz reveals he possesses tactical nuclear warheads hidden inside antique statues shipped by Juno and plans to detonate one to demonstrate his power to the United States, before ordering his men to torture the two. Harry, under a truth serum, reveals his double life to Helen, but then manages to break free and rescue Helen. They secretly watch as Aziz prepares to take one of the warheads into downtown Miami and sets another to go off on the island within the hour. Harry leaves Helen in a safe place as he starts to attack Aziz' men, but Helen is captured by Aziz and Juno and taken with the convoy on the Overseas Highway. Harry is rescued by Gibson and other agents in helicopters following the tracking bug that Helen was to set, and they pursue the convoy along the Seven Mile Bridge, with two U.S. Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier jets firing and destroying part of the bridge to stop the convoy. Harry manages to rescue Helen from Juno's limo before it falls over the destroyed section. The jets make it back to the mainland in time before the first bomb goes off, while Harry and Helen passionately kiss.
They quickly learn that Aziz and his men have taken control of a downtown Miami skyscraper and have kidnapped Dana, threatening to detonate the second bomb in downtown Miami. Harry takes one of the Harriers to reach the skyscraper quickly, leaving Helen standing on the road barefoot and worried. Faisal poses as part of a requested camera crew for Aziz to make his demands, providing enough distraction for Dana to steal the ignition key and flee the room. Aziz chases Dana onto an overhead crane while Harry arrives in the Harrier. He is able to rescue Dana while Aziz falls onto the plane, eventually becoming ensnared on the end of one of the AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles on the plane. Harry fires the missile through the now-empty skyscraper, destroying a helicopter with Aziz' reinforcements and killing Aziz. Harry, Helen, and Dana are safely reunited and taken away in secret to avoid being publicly recognised.
A year later, the Tasker's family integrity has been restored, and it is revealed that Helen now also works for Omega Sector. Harry and Helen are called to embark on a new mission together, where they encounter "Simon" again, who is a waiter serving champagne and telling a female attendee at the event that he is actually a secret agent on a mission. Using her new skills, Helen intimidates Simon into leaving, just before a tango begins with Harry and Helen taking their places to complete their mission.
Cast[]
- Arnold Schwarzenegger as Harry Tasker
- Jamie Lee Curtis as Helen Tasker
- Tom Arnold as Albert 'Gib' Gibson
- Bill Paxton as Simon
- Tia Carrere as Juno Skinner
- Art Malik as Salim Abu Aziz
- Eliza Dushku as Dana Tasker
- Grant Heslov as Faisal
- Charlton Heston as Spencer Trilby
- Marshall Manesh as Jamal Khaled
- James Allen as Colonel