61 replies to this topic

[Qwerty]

I love this film, it doesn't really remind me of any specific Bond, it just has some good elements from the series!

[Q-Zar]

True Lies was made as a homage to the Bond films.

But first of all it's the remake of a French movie "La Totale"

[DLibrasnow]

I love this film, it doesn't really remind me of any specific Bond, it just has some good elements from the series!

I would have loved a TRUE LIES franchise!

[Genrewriter]

The plot for Nightfire sort of reminds me of True Lies. Both begin with the infiltration of a party in a snowy area and there is a big showdown on an island.

[DLibrasnow]

I miss the snow and ski stuff in the 007 movies....They tried it in TWINE but the sequence had no excitement, pace or tension!

[Qwerty]

No, True Lies, I feel, would have gotten very tired if it had it's own franchise.

I actually think we've had quite a bit of snow action in the Bond films and that it's time to take a break, I really don't want to see any snow action in Bond 21.

[DLibrasnow]

No, True Lies, I feel, would have gotten very tired if it had it's own franchise.

I actually think we've had quite a bit of snow action in the Bond films and that it's time to take a break, I really don't want to see any snow action in Bond 21.

I don't count DIE ANOTHER DAY because there was no skiing action in that movie.

[Turn]

I've seen True Lies once and don't remember being very impressed with it. It was okay, but just didn't do it for me. Tom Arnold as a sidekick? That fight in the bathroom was a standout scene, but a lot of the plane stuff and the riding horses onto elevators and such was just too much. And did I mention Tom Arnold?

[00Nothing]

I love True Lies. It's the closest we have gotten to seeing a James Bond film done by James Cameron, something I would love to see done someday.

[DLibrasnow]

I love True Lies. It's the closest we have gotten to seeing a James Bond film done by James Cameron, something I would love to see done someday.

I think James Cameron did express an interest at one point.

[Turn]

I love True Lies. It's the closest we have gotten to seeing a James Bond film done by James Cameron, something I would love to see done someday.

I think James Cameron did express an interest at one point.

What is he doing these days? I thought I heard he had a new film coming out, but haven't heard anything recently.

[Genrewriter]

He did something called Ghosts of the Abyss. I think it was for IMAX or something.

[00Nothing]

Forget the Titanic stuff, I want to see him do a new film, like a new action film or a science fiction piece. The last I heard he was going to do a new sci-fi film and he claimed it would be full of special effects. I want to see a new film by him, he's one of my favourite filmmakers.

[DLibrasnow]

The part of True Lies I love is the whole part of Arnie using the CIA to spy on his cheating wife...Once we got down to the whole nuclear bomb plot it got kinda tired IMO

[Blofeld's Cat]

True Lies was made as a homage to the Bond films.

But first of all it's the remake of a French movie "La Totale"

Has anyone had the chance to see La Totale! yet? I belive True Lies is a very faithful remake of the original, but with the Hollywood makeover, as is always the case when Hollywood remakes foreign movie. In this case, apparently, the remake is every bit as good if not a touch better.

Somehow, I've got to check out this movie.

[Triton]

I'm glad that there wasn't a series of True Lies films.

I would agree that there are scenes in the film that are very Bond like, such as the Swiss Chateau sequence.

But I think that what made True Lies unique, or I presume La Totale unique, was that the film also presented Harry's domestic life. What if a secret agent had a wife, a child, and a mortgage? How would he keep his secret life secret and shield his family from the truth of what he did for a living?

I think that True Lies would have been just another formula action picture made by Hollywood if it hadn't dealt with Harry's domestic life.

I also enjoy the film as well because his wife (Jamie Lee Curtis) longs for a much more exciting and adverturous life than she has as a paralegal.

Once it's revealed that Harry is a spy, and his wife has joined him at the Omega Sector, I feel that there really isn't another story to tell. It would be just another straight forward action/adventure movie with married spies.

[Blofeld's Cat]

I'm glad that there wasn't a series of True Lies films.

I would agree that there are scenes in the film that are very Bond like, such as the Swiss Chateau sequence.

The whole chateau and escape screams Bond, and whenever I see the machine gun toting skiers I actualy snicker.

But I think that what made True Lies unique, or I presume La Totale unique, was that the film also presented Harry's domestic life. What if a secret agent had a wife, a child, and a mortgage?  How would he keep his secret life secret and shield his family from the truth of what he did for a living?

I agree, but the only thing they could've lost was the whole Simon sub-plot. I don't think it was necessary and it certainly didn't drive the terrorist plot forward. For me, the whole film goes on hiatus during this time. Anything relating to his wife wanting action in her dull life could've been handled in a few minutes.

[SPECTRE ASSASSIN]

It's funny how you never mentioned Arnold Schwarzenegger's name in your thread St. John Smythe.

But yes in some ways, True Lies does have some of the humor in Moore/Bond movies.

But Arnold and Roger are equally charming in their successive movies.

[SnakeEyes]

True Lies is super spy meets 2.4 children. It's a really great film about family and what a spy might have to do if he really had a life rather than just exist in the film times.

All neatly knitted together with a plot about nukes and arab terrorist which makes it a timeless story.

Sequel: Yeah sure.
Series: No thanks!

[DLibrasnow]

I watched TRUE LIES again last night....I wish Cameron had been given a shot to direct a 007 movie.

[Turn]

I watched TRUE LIES again last night....I wish Cameron had been given a shot to direct a 007 movie.

Section 36, paragraph 5 of the EON code: Thou shalt not hire an American director.

[SnakeEyes]

No; they just hire a load of idiots instead...

[Qwerty]

A series would just get too repetitive I feel for a film like this, and I think it would be harmful to the films. A sequel might be interesting though, must rewatch the first one again soon to see if it really would be neat to see a new one.

[DLibrasnow]

The Brosnan movies are too repetitive anyway!

[Qwerty]

No they're not, what scenes or plots make you say that DLibrasnow?

The Brosnan films are great entertainment, every one of them are good.

[SnakeEyes]

They all involve poor acting from Brosnan.
They have little to do with James Bond.
Crass dialouge chaned together (poorly) with dull over the top seen-it-all-before-thanks action scenes.

Where's the difference?

[Qwerty]

Well, this is just my opinion, but I think the Brosnan films are loads better than the many attacks they get on them, especially Die Another Day, which seems to be bashed the most. I think Brosnan gives some fine performances, certainly not much weaker or better than other Bond actors.

Dialogue? Well it depends on the screenwriter. I think when Feirstein worked on Tomorrow Never Dies and slightly on The World Is Not Enough, the dialogue worked well. Purvis and Wade aren't my favorites, but they're not that bad.

[Loomis]

Has anyone had the chance to see La Totale! yet?

It seems to be one of those lost films. I wonder whether the studio(s) behind TRUE LIES bought all distribution rights to the French original in order to, well, bury it? Presumably they didn't want it retitled as TRUE LIES and re-released on video to "compete" with the Arnie flick. Maybe they were terrified that people would consider it superior. At any rate, it appears from its IMDb page that it's dropped out of circulation entirely (there aren't even any external reviews).

[Blofeld's Cat]

It seems to be one of those lost films. I wonder whether the studio(s) behind TRUE LIES bought all distribution rights to the French original in order to, well, bury it? Presumably they didn't want it retitled as TRUE LIES and re-released on video to "compete" with the Arnie flick. Maybe they were terrified that people would consider it superior. At any rate, it appears from its IMDb page that it's dropped out of circulation entirely (there aren't even any external reviews).

Possibly, and from what I also read on IMDb True Lies is virtually the same as the original anyway, but with just a little extra Hollywood polish.

[DLibrasnow]

DIE ANOTHER DAY is such an easy target although I will say this for it - it is not the worst movie in the series, that goes to THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH!