Harry Tasker is a secret agent whose wife thinks he sells computers. When he suspects her of cheating, he uses his agency to spy on her, just as terrorists with nuclear warheads arrive in Florida. Watch how Cameron stacks comedy, romance and huge action in one film.
At a glance
True Lies is a 1994 action, comedy and thriller film directed by James Cameron. This breakdown covers 5 techniques (3 narrative, 1 editing and 1 cinematography), each with the scene where you can see it. If you like how it is made, Back to the Future Part III uses several of the same techniques.
Letting the audience know something a character doesn't. You watch them act without that knowledge, which creates suspense, dread or dark comedy.
How this film uses it
You know Harry is a secret agent, and Helen thinks he sells computers. Every dull dinner and missed evening plays differently because you know the truth. The gap makes ordinary scenes funny.
Where to see it
Harry's cover story: Harry is a secret agent posing as a computer salesman, and Helen has no idea.
Mixing several genres in 1 film, such as crime, romance, horror and absurd comedy. The clash between them keeps you from settling into a single way of watching.
How this film uses it
The film moves between spy thriller, domestic comedy, romance and a disaster plot about nuclear weapons. The tonal swings keep you from settling into one kind of movie. Each part borrows energy from the others.
Where to see it
The tango: Harry and Helen dance a tango at a party while working a mission.
Dropping a character into a world whose social rules they don't understand. The comedy, and some insight too, comes from the constant mismatch between them and everyone around them.
How this film uses it
Helen has lived an ordinary life and is suddenly dragged into Harry's world of spies and guns. She does not understand its rules, and the mismatch is funny. It also shows how much she has been shut out of his life.
Where to see it
The staged mission: Harry arranges a fake spy mission around Helen, and both end up captured.
Building an action sequence as a chain where each solution creates a new problem. The layout of the space stays clear, so the escalation follows its own logic.
How this film uses it
The bridge sequence is a chain of problems, and each solution creates a new one. The layout stays clear, so you always know where the heroes and the danger are. The escalation follows its own logic.
Where to see it
The bridge: Marine Harrier jets destroy part of a bridge to stop the convoy, and Harry pulls Helen from a limousine just before it falls.
Placing the camera like a hidden watcher, looking through peepholes, around corners and from concealed spots. You become part of the spying, which makes watching feel morally uneasy.
How this film uses it
Harry uses agency surveillance to watch his wife. The audience watches along with him, which makes it hard to side with him. The comedy works because the spying is wrong.
Where to see it
Harry spies on Helen: suspecting an affair, Harry has the agency watch his wife.
Questions
Side by side
Keep watching
Same director
Same era
