True Lies

Arnie's back! And this time he's brought the US Secret Service, and his wife!

He's under the excellent helm of Hames Cameron again, and the man who directed him in both the Terminator films has a proven record of making absolutely stunning action movies. True Lies is a pure fantasy spy film, in the mold of James Bond, with Schwarzenegger playing Harry Tasker, the United States' best secret agent... so secret, in fact, that he's had to conceal his identity from his wife Helen (Jamie Lee Curtis) for 15 years.

The bad guys of the film, headed by an evil looking Art Malik, have acquired some nuclear warheads from the now defunct Soviet Union, and are intent on blackmailing the US for pots of cash. Of course, only one man can stop them...

In many ways, this film is less about the terrorists than it is about the relationship between Tasker and his wife, who gradually start to appreciate how little they know about each other. Helen Tasker only realising that her husband is a spy after she becomes embroiled in the terrorists' plans.

Of course, you're not looking for a subtle plot in an Arnie film, and the fast moving storyline with numerous set pieces makes you forget to look for one. True Lies is the sort of film that you would expect to obtain from taking one first class director and throwing lots of money at him. In this case, over 100 million dollars. Amazingly, it seems to work though, Schwarzenegger is genuinely funny, in a tough macho kind of way of course, and he partners well with Rosanne's Tom Arnold. Look out also for an excellently sleazy Bill Paxton.

Apart from one slightly suspect scene, where Harry Tasker gets his wife to strip for him in a posh hotel, (Hey! That's my fav bit! - Ed.) True Lies is pure school-boy entertainment. A welcome return to form for Arnold Scwarzenegger.

Chris Hughes.