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{{Short description|1994 action comedy film by James Cameron}}
{{About|the film}}
{{Use American English|date=December 2022}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2022}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = True Lies
| image          = True Lies poster.png
| alt            = <!-- See WP:ALT -->
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[James Cameron]]
| producer       = {{Plain list|
* James Cameron
* Stephanie Austin
}}
| screenplay     = James Cameron
| based_on       = {{Based on|''[[La Totale!]]''<br>(1991 film)|[[Claude Zidi]]<br />Simon Michaël<br />Didier Kaminka}}<br>{{based on|''Émilie''<ref name="telestar">{{Cite web |last=Coulaud |first=Francis |date=2018-08-14 |title=La totale : la vilaine affaire de plagiat qui a éclaboussé Claude Zidi... et James Cameron ! |url=https://www.telestar.fr/culture/la-totale-la-vilaine-affaire-de-plagiat-qui-a-eclabousse-claude-zidi-et-james-cameron-370294 |access-date=2025-04-07 |website=Télé Star |language=fr-FR}}</ref><ref name="gizmodo">{{Cite web |last=Davis |first=Lauren |date=2013-07-07 |title=A History of Plagiarism Claims Against James Cameron |url=https://gizmodo.com/a-history-of-plagiarism-claims-against-james-cameron-690974718 |access-date=2025-04-08 |website=Gizmodo |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="emile">{{Cite web |last=James |first=Alison |date=2004-07-01 |title=Court: 'Lies' a true copy |url=https://variety.com/2004/film/news/court-lies-a-true-copy-1117907270/ |access-date=2025-04-08 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref> <br>(1981 screenplay)|Lucien Lambert}}
| starring       = {{Plain list|
* [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]]
* [[Jamie Lee Curtis]]
* [[Tom Arnold (actor)|Tom Arnold]]
* [[Bill Paxton]]
* [[Art Malik]]
* [[Tia Carrere]]
}}
| music          = {{Plain list|
* [[Brad Fiedel]]
}}
| cinematography = [[Russell Carpenter]]
| editing        = {{Plain list|
* [[Conrad Buff IV]]
* [[Mark Goldblatt]]
* [[Richard A. Harris]]
}}
| studio         = [[Lightstorm Entertainment]]
| distributor    = {{Plain list|
* [[20th Century Fox]] (United States, Canada, France and Italy)
* [[Universal Pictures]] (through [[United International Pictures]], international)
}}
| released       = {{Film date|1994|07|12|[[Regency Village Theatre]]|1994|07|15|United States}}
| runtime        = 141 minutes<!--Theatrical runtime: 140:34--><ref>{{cite web|title=''TRUE LIES'' (15)|url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/true-lies-1970-5|work=[[United International Pictures]]|publisher=[[British Board of Film Classification]]|date=August 9, 1994|access-date=October 1, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004234742/http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/true-lies-1970-5|archive-date=October 4, 2013}}</ref>
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = $100<ref name="Powerhouse">{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-07-18-ca-17141-story.html|title=Powerhouses Fuel Sales at Box Office : Movies: 'True Lies,' 'Forrest Gump' and 'The Lion King' are on target to break a record for non-holiday weekend ticket sales.|date=July 18, 1994|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US|url-status=live|archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20100726023014/http://articles.latimes.com/1994-07-18/entertainment/ca-17141_1_true-lies|archive-date=July 26, 2010|access-date=October 24, 2019}}</ref><ref name="Kempley (1994)"/>–120<ref name=EGM61/> million
| gross          = $378.9 million<ref name="BoxOfficeMojo">{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=truelies.htm |title=''True Lies'' (1994) |website=Box Office Mojo |access-date=February 27, 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130226111646/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=truelies.htm |archive-date=February 26, 2013 }}</ref>
}}

'''''True Lies''''' is a 1994 American [[action comedy film]] written and directed by [[James Cameron]]. It stars [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]] as Harry Tasker, a [[United States|U.S.]] government agent, who struggles to balance his double life as a spy with his familial duties, and [[Jamie Lee Curtis]] as his unknowing wife. [[Tom Arnold (actor)|Tom Arnold]], [[Bill Paxton]], [[Art Malik]], [[Tia Carrere]], [[Eliza Dushku]], and [[Charlton Heston]] star in supporting roles. The screenplay is based on the 1991 French [[comedy film]] ''[[La Totale!]].''<ref name="EGM61">{{cite magazine |date=August 1994 |title=Schwarzenegger Heats Up the Summer with Action-Packed True Lies |magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]] |publisher=Sendai Publishing |page=169 |issue=61}}</ref>

The film was the first [[Lightstorm Entertainment]] project to be distributed under Cameron's multimillion-dollar production deal with [[20th Century Fox]], as well as the first major production for the visual effects company [[Digital Domain]], which was co-founded by Cameron. It was also [[List of most expensive films|the first film to cost $100 million]].

''True Lies'' received mostly positive reviews from critics, and ultimately grossed $378 million worldwide at the box office, becoming the [[1994 in film|third-highest-grossing film of 1994]].<ref name="TVReboot">{{cite web|first=David|last=Canfield|date=September 15, 2017|url=https://ew.com/tv/2017/09/15/fox-reboot-james-cameron-true-lies/|title=Fox to reboot James Cameron's True Lies for TV|website=[[Entertainment Weekly]]}}</ref> For her performance, Curtis won the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy]] and the [[Saturn Award for Best Actress]], while Cameron won the [[Saturn Award for Best Director]]. It was also nominated at the [[Academy Award for Best Visual Effects|Academy Awards]] and [[BAFTA Award for Best Special Visual Effects|BAFTAs]] in the Best Visual Effects category, and also for seven [[Saturn Awards]]. A [[True Lies (TV series)|streaming television series adaptation]] premiered in 2023.

A 2004 ruling by the [[Court of Appeal of Paris]] found that ''True Lies'' and ''La Totale!'' were plagiarized from an unproduced 1981 screenplay, ''Émilie'', by Lucien Lambert.<ref name="telestar" /><ref name="emile" />

==Plot==
Harry Tasker, to the knowledge of his wife Helen and his daughter Dana, is a mild-mannered computer hardware salesman often away on business trips. In reality he works for Omega Sector, a top-secret [[United States|U.S.]] [[counterterrorism]] agency. Harry, aided by his teammates Albert "Gib" Gibson and Faisil, infiltrates a party in [[Switzerland]] hosted by billionaire Jamal Khaled. At the party, Harry approaches Khaled's art dealer Juno Skinner, who is also a paid agent of "Crimson [[Jihad]]", a terrorist organization led by Salim Abu Aziz.

Posing as a potential art buyer, Harry visits Juno, leading the terrorists to attempt to kill him. Harry fights them off but loses Aziz in a pursuit. As a result, Harry misses the birthday party that Helen and Dana planned for him. The next day, Harry goes to Helen's office to reconcile with her, but instead overhears her secretly arranging to meet someone called Simon. 

Suspecting Helen is having an affair, Harry uses Omega Sector resources to learn that Simon is a used car salesman, who pretends to be a spy to seduce women. In disguise, Harry and other Omega agents arrest Helen and Simon. After terrifying Simon into keeping away from Helen, Harry and Gib interrogate her while hiding their identities. They learn she is suffering a [[midlife crisis]] and is desperately seeking adventure. They arrange for Helen to participate in a staged spy mission, where she is to seduce a mysterious figure (who is actually Harry) and plant a [[Covert listening device|bug]] in his hotel room. As the fake mission proceeds, Aziz's men burst in and capture Helen and Harry. 

The couple are taken to an island in the [[Florida Keys]], where Helen learns of Harry's double life. Harry learns Juno had managed to smuggle four [[Multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle|MIRV]] [[nuclear warhead]]s by hiding them in fake antique statues. Aziz sends a message threatening to detonate warheads in major cities unless the U.S. government removes their forces from the [[Arab states of the Persian Gulf|Persian Gulf]]. He starts a timer to detonate one warhead on an uninhabited island as a demonstration. 

Harry breaks out of his restraints and kills his would-be torturers. The couple learn that one warhead is set to explode in 90 minutes while the others are loaded onto vehicles to be taken into the mainland via the [[Overseas Highway]], bypassing U.S. [[Customs]]. In the ensuing melee, Harry and Helen kill many of the terrorists, but their main convoy drive off with two warheads, while Aziz carries one on a helicopter. Helen is caught by Juno and taken in a limousine following the convoy. 

Gib and other Omega agents pick up Harry. Two [[United States Marine Corps|Marine]] [[Harrier jump jet]]s destroy part of the [[Seven Mile Bridge]], intercepting the convoy. Hanging from a helicopter, Harry rescues Helen from the limo before it falls off the bridge, killing Juno. The warhead left on the island detonates without killing anyone.

Harry discovers that Aziz and his men are holding Dana hostage in a [[Miami]] skyscraper and are threatening to detonate their last warhead. Harry commandeers one of the jets to rescue her. Faisil gets into the building by posing as a news cameraman. Dana steals the missile control key and flees to the roof, while Faisil kills several of Aziz's men. Aziz pursues Dana onto a tower crane, and then Harry arrives. Harry rescues Dana, and after a struggle with Aziz, he has him ensnared on the end of one of the plane's missiles, which Harry fires at a terrorist helicopter, killing Aziz and the remnants of Crimson Jihad. Harry, Helen and Dana are safely reunited.

A year later, Harry and Helen are working together as Omega agents. While on a mission at a formal party, they encounter Simon, working as a waiter and pretending to be a spy. Simon runs away in fear after they reveal themselves and threaten to kill him to avoid jeopardizing their covers. Harry and Helen dance the [[tango]], while Gib pleads for them to take their work seriously.

==Cast==
{{castlist|
<!-- opening title cards -->
* [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]] as Harry Tasker
* [[Jamie Lee Curtis]] as Helen Tasker
<!-- film title -->
* [[Tia Carrere]] as Juno Skinner
* [[Tom Arnold (actor)|Tom Arnold]] as Albert "Gib" Gibson
* [[Bill Paxton]] as Simon
* [[Art Malik]] as Salim Abu Aziz
* [[Eliza Dushku]] as Dana Tasker
* [[Grant Heslov]] as Faisil
<!-- and -->
* [[Charlton Heston]] as Spencer Trilby
<!-- end opening title cards -->
* [[Marshall Manesh]] as Jamal Khaled
* [[Ofer Samra]] as Yusif
* [[John Bruno (special effects)|John Bruno]] as High-Rise Custodian
}}

==Production==
Arnold Schwarzenegger stated that while filming a scene with a horse, a camera boom hit the horse and "it went crazy, spinning and rearing" near a drop of {{convert|90|feet}}. Schwarzenegger quickly slid off the horse and a stuntman caught him; he concluded, "[this is] why I will always love stunt people".<ref name="ama20140121">{{cite web | url=https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1vshw2/iamarnold_ama_20/cevdgrv?context=1 | title=IamArnold. AMA 2.0. | publisher=Reddit | access-date=21 January 2014 | author=Schwarzenegger, Arnold | date=21 January 2014 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141225200944/http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1vshw2/iamarnold_ama_20/cevdgrv?context=1 | archive-date=25 December 2014}}</ref> Art Malik said he was drawn to the script's "[[pantomime]] quality" and the chance to work with director James Cameron.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Fordy |first=Tom |date=July 15, 2019 |title=Comic Muslim terrorists and a Jamie Lee Curtis striptease: was True Lies the last wholly un-PC action film? |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/true-lies-turns-25-arnold-schwarzeneggers-bond-send-up-last/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220724084008/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/true-lies-turns-25-arnold-schwarzeneggers-bond-send-up-last/#selection-1531.468-1531.711 |archive-date=July 24, 2022 |access-date=July 25, 2022 |website=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]}}</ref> Costing $100<ref name="Powerhouse" /><ref name="Kempley (1994)">Kempley, R., 1994. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/trueliesrkempley_a0a475.htm ‘True Lies’ (R)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111211203251/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/trueliesrkempley_a0a475.htm |date=2011-12-11 }}. ''[[The Washington Post]]'', [internet] July 15. Accessed July 24, 2010.</ref>–120<ref name=EGM61/><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/1994/07/29/5-true-lies-about-james-cameron/|title=5 True Lies about James Cameron|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|last=Thompson|first=Anne|date=29 July 1994|access-date=15 March 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180316023205/http://ew.com/article/1994/07/29/5-true-lies-about-james-cameron/|archive-date=16 March 2018}}</ref> million to produce, ''True Lies'' was the first film with a production budget of over $100 million.<ref>{{cite web |title=First film with a $100 million budget |publisher=[[Guinness World Records]] |url=http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/first-film-with-a-$100-million-budget |access-date=February 2, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170204003044/http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/first-film-with-a-$100-million-budget |archive-date=February 4, 2017}}</ref> It was filmed over a seven-month schedule.<ref name=EGM61/>

Of the many locations that were used in the film, the [[Rosecliff]] Mansion was used for the ballroom tango scenes in the beginning of the film and the exterior of the Swiss chalet that Harry Tasker infiltrates is [[Ochre Court]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newport-discovery-guide.com/movies-filmed-in-newport-ri.html|title=Movies Filmed in Newport RI - Hollywood loves the "City by the Sea"!|work=newport-discovery-guide.com|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091207064949/http://www.newport-discovery-guide.com/movies-filmed-in-newport-ri.html|archive-date=2009-12-07}}</ref> The ballroom dancing scene that closes the film, as well as the scenes in the lobby of the fictional Hotel Marquis in Washington, take place in the Crystal Ballroom of the [[Millennium Biltmore Hotel]] in downtown Los Angeles.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.millenniumhotels.com/usa/millenniumbiltmorelosangeles/90anniversary/biltmore-filming-history.html|title=Filming in Los Angeles - Millennium Biltmore Hotel Los Angeles Filming History - Filming in LA|work=millenniumhotels.com|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130724131027/http://www.millenniumhotels.com/usa/millenniumbiltmorelosangeles/90anniversary/biltmore-filming-history.html|archive-date=2013-07-24}}</ref> The outdoor structures used by Aziz's smuggling ring as a base of operations were a series of custom made Alaska Structures fabric buildings, leased to the production crew during filming.<ref>{{cite web|title=Alaska Structures Leases Fabric Buildings for Movie and TV Sets|url=https://alaskastructures.com/news/fabric-building-leases-for-movies-tv-sets/|website=Alaska Structures|date=18 January 2018|access-date=29 January 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180130013815/https://alaskastructures.com/news/fabric-building-leases-for-movies-tv-sets/|archive-date=30 January 2018}}</ref>

It was during the production of ''True Lies'' in 1993 when Cameron would also first meet his future ''[[Titanic (1997 film)|Titanic]]'' and [[Avatar (franchise)|''Avatar'' film series]] co-producer [[Jon Landau (film producer)|Jon Landau]], who Cameron stated in July 2024 was "the studio 'suit' assigned to oversee ''True Lies''."<ref name=cameronacknowledges>{{cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/jon-landau-dead-hollywood-tributes-1235940368/|title=James Cameron, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet and More Remember Jon Landau: "He Gave Everyone a Sense of Purpose and Belonging"|first=Carly|last=Thomas|publisher=The Hollywood Reporter|date=July 8, 2024|accessdate=July 8, 2024}}</ref> In the time following the production of ''True Lies'', Landau would leave Fox to join Cameron's production company [[Lightstorm Entertainment|Lightstorm]].<ref name=cameronacknowledges />

=== Joel Kramer sexual misconduct allegation ===
In 2018, [[Eliza Dushku]] alleged that while filming ''True Lies'' at the age of twelve, she was [[sexually molested]] by the film's stunt coordinator, Joel Kramer. According to Dushku, soon after that, an adult friend of hers confronted Kramer on set, and that same day, Dushku was injured during a stunt and several of her ribs were broken, while Kramer was responsible for her safety.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dushku |first=Eliza |author-link=Eliza Dushku |date=January 13, 2018 |title=Facebook post |url=https://www.facebook.com/OfficialElizaDushku/posts/1769957739689557 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180113174023/https://www.facebook.com/OfficialElizaDushku/posts/1769957739689557 |archive-date=January 13, 2018 |access-date=January 13, 2018 |website=Official Eliza Dushku on [[Facebook]]}}</ref> Dushku's co-stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Arnold, and director James Cameron all voiced support and admiration for Dushku's bravery.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Abrams |first1=Natalie |last2=Snierson |first2=Dan |date=January 13, 2018 |title=James Cameron addresses Eliza Dushku's claim 'True Lies' stunt coordinator molested her |url=https://ew.com/tv/2018/01/13/james-cameron-eliza-dushku-true-lies/ |access-date=July 24, 2022 |website=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rahman |first=Abid |date=January 15, 2018 |title=Arnold Schwarzenegger "Shocked and Saddened" by Eliza Dushku's 'True Lies' Assault Claims |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/arnold-schwarzenegger-shocked-saddened-by-eliza-dushkus-true-lies-assault-1074888/ |access-date=July 24, 2022 |website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Stedman |first=Alex |date=January 14, 2018 |title=Jamie Lee Curtis: Eliza Dushku's 'True Lies' Assault Allegation 'Has Awakened Us to a New, Horrific Reality' |url=https://variety.com/2018/film/news/jamie-lee-curtis-eliza-dushku-true-lies-assault-1202664265/ |access-date=July 24, 2022 |website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |language=en-US}}</ref> Kramer has denied the accusation of sexual misconduct.<ref>{{cite news |last=Mumford |first=Gwilym |date=January 15, 2018 |title=Eliza Dushku claims True Lies crew member sexually assaulted her aged 12 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/jan/15/eliza-dushku-accuses-true-lies-crew-member-of-sexually-assaulting-her-aged-12 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180116002748/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/jan/15/eliza-dushku-accuses-true-lies-crew-member-of-sexually-assaulting-her-aged-12 |archive-date=January 16, 2018 |access-date=January 16, 2018 |work=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref>

==Music==
This was the first film to use the 1994 [[20th Century Fox]] logo and fanfare adapted and conducted by [[Bruce Broughton]].<ref>{{Citation|title=E! Channel on the new 20th Century Fox Fanfare - June, 1994!|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xm2VKrlClPg|language=en|access-date=2021-04-20|archive-date=2021-04-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420014838/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xm2VKrlClPg|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Soundtrack===
{{Infobox album
| name       = True Lies
| type       = film
| artist     = [[Brad Fiedel]] and various artists
| cover      =
| alt        =
| released   = July 19, 1994
| recorded   =
| venue      =
| studio     =
| genre      =
| length     = 70:35
| label      = Lightstorm/Epic Soundtrax
| producer   =
| prev_title =
| prev_year  =
| next_title =
| next_year  =
}}

{{track listing
| headline = Track list
| all_music = Brad Fiedel, except where noted
| writer_credits = yes
| total_length =  70:35
| extra_column = Performer(s)
| title1 = [[Sunshine of Your Love]]
| writer1 = [[Jack Bruce]], [[Eric Clapton]]
| extra1 = [[Living Colour]]
| length1 =  5:17
| title2 = [[Darkness, Darkness]]
| writer2 = [[Jesse Colin Young]]
| extra2 = [[Screaming Trees]]
| length2 =  4:08
| title3 = [[Bring the Family|Alone in the Dark]]
| writer3 = [[John Hiatt]]
| extra3 = John Hiatt
| length3 =  4:46
| title4 = Entity
| writer4 = Christian Leibfried, Geoff Haba, Bryan Tulao, David Robert Gould
| extra4 = [[Jesse Tobias|Mother Tongue]]
| length4 =  4:21
| title5 = Sunshine of Your Love (The Adrian Sherwood & Skip McDonald Remix)
| writer5 = Bruce, Clapton
| extra5 = Living Colour
| length5 =  5:49
| title6 = Main Title/Harry Makes His Entrance
| length6 =  2:40
| title7 = Escape from the Chateau
| length7 =  2:41
| title8 = Harry's Sweet Home
| length8 =  1:06
| title9 = Harry Rides Again
| length9 =  7:05
| title10 = Spying on Helen
| length10 =  4:16
| title11 = Juno's Place
| length11 =  1:29
| title12 = Caught in the Act
| length12 =  1:29
| title13 = Shadow Lover
| length13 =  1:20
| title14 = Island Suite
| length14 =  6:55
| title15 = Causeway/Helicopter Rescue
| length15 =  7:56
| title16 = Nuclear Kiss
| length16 =  0:51
| title17 = Harry Saves the Day
| length17 =  8:26
}}
Songs appearing in the film not included on the soundtrack album:
* "I Never Thought I'd See the Day" – [[Sade (band)|Sade]]
* "[[More Than a Woman (Bee Gees song)|More Than a Woman]]" – [[Bee Gees]]
* "[[The Blue Danube]]" – The [[Philadelphia Orchestra]]
* "[[Por una Cabeza]]" – Argentinean tango, performed by [http://www.billschimmel.com/tango/index2.htm The Tango Project]

==Reception==
===Box office===
''True Lies'' was a box-office success. Opening in 2,368 theaters in the [[United States]] and Canada, it ranked [[List of 1994 box office number-one films in the United States|number one at the US box office]] in its opening weekend, grossing $25,869,770 and beating ''[[Forrest Gump]]''.<ref name="Powerhouse" /> Once ''Forrest Gump'' returned to the top of the box office the following week, ''True Lies'' dropped into second place, grossing $20.7 million.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115236930/forrest-gump-returns-bump-to-beat/ |title='Forrest Gump' returns bump to beat 'True Lies' at theaters |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230311210308/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115236930/forrest-gump-returns-bump-to-beat/ |date=July 28, 1994 |access-date=March 11, 2022 |archive-date=March 11, 2023 |page=53 |publisher=[[Star Tribune]] |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |url-status=live}} {{Open access}}</ref> It set a record opening weekend in South Korea with a gross of $995,023.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Daily Variety]]|date=August 16, 1994|page=3|title='Lies' true to form in S. Korea}}</ref> It also had a record opening weekend in Japan for distributor [[Nippon Herald Films|Nippon Herald]] with a gross of $3 million and was [[List of 1994 box office number-one films in Japan|number one at the Japanese box office]] for twelve straight weeks.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Screen International]]|date=16 September 1994|page=27|title=Arnie strikes back}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|page=14|date=12 December 1994|title=International Box Office}}</ref> ''True Lies'' was the second major American film to be released in China since ''[[The Fugitive (1993 film)|The Fugitive]]'' and generated a total of {{CN¥|103 million|link=yes}}, becoming the country's highest-grossing Hollywood film.<ref name="topgrossing">{{cite web|first=Zhang|last=Rui|title=Top grossing Chinese films all through years |url=http://www.china.org.cn/arts/2016-02/19/content_37827515.htm|website=[[China.org.cn]]|publisher=[[China Internet Information Center]]|access-date=2 March 2020|date=19 February 2016}}</ref><ref name="CFI">{{cite news|last=Papish|first=Jonathan|title=China's All-time Highest Grossing Imports|url=http://chinafilminsider.com/chinas-time-highest-grossing-imports/|access-date=2 March 2020|work=China Film Insider|date=8 February 2017}}</ref> The film also became the highest-grossing film of all time in the Philippines.<ref>{{cite news|last=Red|first=Isah V.|title=Hooray for Hollywood|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=7WUVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=0goEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4541%2C2440522|access-date=July 3, 2023|work=[[Manila Standard]]|publisher=Kamahalan Publishing Corp.|date=July 15, 1996|page=32B}}</ref> ''True Lies'' went on to gross $146,282,411 in the United States and Canada and $232,600,000 in the rest of world, totaling $378,882,411 worldwide,<ref name="BoxOfficeMojo"/> making it the [[1994 in film#Highest-grossing films|third-highest-grossing film of 1994]], behind ''[[The Lion King]]'' and ''Forrest Gump''.<ref name="TVReboot" /><ref>[https://www.boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?yr=1994&p=.htm 1994 Domestic Grosses] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717164659/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?yr=1994&p=.htm |date=2011-07-17 }}. boxofficemojo.com</ref>

===Critical reception===
On the [[review aggregator]] website [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film holds an approval rating of 72% based on 57 reviews, and an average score of 6.60/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "If it doesn't reach the heights of director James Cameron's and star Arnold Schwarzenegger's previous collaborations, ''True Lies'' still packs enough action and humor into its sometimes absurd plot to entertain".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/true_lies/ |title=''True Lies'' (1994) |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |publisher=[[Fandango Media|Fandango]] |access-date=April 22, 2024 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171127042507/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/true_lies/ |archive-date=November 27, 2017}}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the film has a [[weighted average]] score of 63 out of 100 based on reviews from 17 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".<ref>{{cite web |title=''True Lies'' Reviews |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/true-lies |work=[[Metacritic]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |access-date=February 21, 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180102130034/http://www.metacritic.com/movie/true-lies |archive-date=January 2, 2018}}</ref> Audiences polled by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.<ref name="CinemaScore">{{cite web |url=https://m.cinemascore.com |title=CinemaScore |work=cinemascore.com |access-date=2021-06-29 |archive-date=2019-12-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191210223808/https://m.cinemascore.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Roger Ebert]] of the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' gave the film three stars out of four, writing, "It's stuff like that we go to Arnold Schwarzenegger movies for, and ''True Lies'' has a lot of it: laugh-out-loud moments when the violence is so cartoonish we don't take it seriously, and yet are amazed at its inventiveness and audacity." He wrote that he found the plot "perfunctory", but praised the film's stunts and special effects.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ebert |first=Roger |author-link=Roger Ebert |date=July 15, 1994 |title=True Lies movie review & film summary (1994) |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/true-lies-1994 |access-date=September 25, 2021 |website=RogerEbert.com}}</ref>

The film received criticism for its portrayal of [[Ethnic groups in the Middle East|Middle Easterners]] and its treatment of female characters.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Treadwell |first=Carol |date=August 29, 1994 |title=It's Not True That 'Lies' Helps Women |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-08-29-ca-32550-story.html |access-date=July 25, 2022 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> John Simon of the ''[[National Review]]'' criticized the plot line of the hero character (Schwarzenegger) using his agency's resources to stalk and frighten his wife as cruel and misogynistic.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Simon |first=John |author-link=John Simon (critic) |date=August 29, 1994 |title=True Lies. - movie review |url=http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1282/is_n16_v46/ai_15779214 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050412153440/http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1282/is_n16_v46/ai_15779214 |archive-date=April 12, 2005 |access-date= |website=[[National Review]]}}</ref> In a negative review, [[Kenneth Turan]] of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' wrote:

{{cquote|Taken individually, the cruder and childish things about this film, its determination to use caricatured unshaven Arabs as terrorists, the pleasure it takes in continually mortifying a weasely used-car salesman (Bill Paxton) in the most personal ways, might be overlooked, but added together they leave a sour taste.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-07-14-ca-15258-story.html |title="True Lies" is able to effectively kid itself" |last=Turan |first=Kenneth |date=July 14, 1994 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |access-date=26 June 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160815095041/http://articles.latimes.com/1994-07-14/entertainment/ca-15258_1_true-lies |archive-date=15 August 2016}}</ref>
}}

Some [[Arabs]] and [[Muslims]] perceived the film as conveying strong [[anti-Arab]] or [[Islamophobia|anti-Muslim]] prejudice,<ref>{{Cite news |date=July 22, 1994 |title=Muslims Protest Schwarzenegger's 'True Lies' |work=[[New York Daily News]] |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/1994/07/22/muslims-protest-schwarzeneggers-true-lies/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208082536/http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1994-07-22/news/9407220489_1_arabs-true-lies-hooper |archive-date=December 8, 2015 |via=[[Orlando Sentinel]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=July 16, 1994 |title=Arab-Americans Protest 'True Lies' |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=http://www.nytimes.com/1994/07/16/movies/arab-americans-protest-true-lies.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170419182530/http://www.nytimes.com/1994/07/16/movies/arab-americans-protest-true-lies.html |archive-date=April 19, 2017}}</ref> with some Arab-American advocacy groups calling for its banning in Arab countries.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1320&dat=19940926&id=C5EpAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ieoDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5005,6916395&hl=en |title="Muslim leader wants 'True Lies' banned" Monday, September 26, 1994. ''The Gainesville Sun,'' page 3. |access-date=December 4, 2015 |archive-date=December 9, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151209005544/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1320&dat=19940926&id=C5EpAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ieoDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5005,6916395&hl=en |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last1=Hajari |first1=Nisid |last2=Broeske |first2=Pat H. |last3=Thompson |first3=Anne |date=August 5, 1994 |title=Racism and sexism in ''True Lies''? |url=https://ew.com/article/1994/08/05/racism-and-sexism-true-lies/ |access-date=July 24, 2022 |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |language=en}}</ref>

In a 2022 retrospective review, Polish writer Jacek Szafranowicz called the film "a masterpiece of cinematic fun", noting that the collaboration between the director and its main star "deserves a golden medal".<ref>{{Cite web |date=14 February 2022 |title=Prawdziwe kłamstwa |url=https://www.ponapisach.pl/2022/02/prawdziwe-klamstwa.html |website=Po Napisach |language=pl}}</ref> Commenting on the state of [[Blockbuster (entertainment)|blockbuster]] films, Scott Tobias of ''[[The Guardian]]'' and ''[[The A.V. Club]]'' wrote, "''True Lies'' is the strange case of a film that's alternately retrograde, forward-looking, and thoroughly of its time. For better or worse, it's a marker of how the Hollywood action blockbuster had advanced in 1994, as well as a commentary (intended or not) on the troubled state of American masculinity, marital relationships, and lingering racial attitudes."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tobias |first=Scott |date=July 20, 2022 |title=The case of the disappearing blockbuster: James Cameron's 'True Lies' |url=https://thereveal.substack.com/p/the-case-of-the-disappearing-blockbuster |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220720151254/https://thereveal.substack.com/p/the-case-of-the-disappearing-blockbuster |archive-date=July 20, 2022 |access-date=July 24, 2022 |website=The Reveal}}</ref>

===Accolades===
==== Year-end lists ====
* 4th&nbsp;– David Stupich, ''[[The Milwaukee Journal]]''<ref>{{cite news|last=Stupich|first=David|date=January 19, 1995|title=Even with gore, 'Pulp Fiction' was film experience of the year|newspaper=The Milwaukee Journal|page=3}}</ref>
* Top 3 Runner-ups (not ranked)&nbsp;– Sandi Davis, ''[[The Oklahoman]]''<ref>{{cite web|last=Davis|first=Sandi|date=January 1, 1995|url=https://oklahoman.com/article/2488350/oklahoman-movie-critics-rank-their-favorites-for-the-year-forrest-gump-the-very-best-sandi-declares|title=Oklahoman Movie Critics Rank Their Favorites for the Year "Forrest Gump" The Very Best, Sandi Declares|work=The Oklahoman|access-date=July 20, 2020|archive-date=July 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200720065431/https://oklahoman.com/article/2488350/oklahoman-movie-critics-rank-their-favorites-for-the-year-forrest-gump-the-very-best-sandi-declares|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Top 10 (listed alphabetically, not ranked)&nbsp;– Mike Clark, ''[[USA Today]]''<ref>{{cite news|last=Clark|first=Mike|date=December 28, 1994 |title=Scoring with true life, 'True Lies' and 'Fiction.'|newspaper=USA Today|page=5D|edition=Final}}</ref>
* Top 10 (listed alphabetically, not ranked)&nbsp;– Jimmy Fowler, ''[[Dallas Observer]]''<ref>{{cite news |last=Zoller Seitz |first=Matt |author-link=Matt Zoller Seitz |date=January 12, 1995 |title=Personal best From a year full of startling and memorable movies, here are our favorites |work=[[Dallas Observer]]}}</ref>
* Honorable mention&nbsp;– [[Michael MacCambridge]], ''[[Austin American-Statesman]]''<ref>{{cite news|last=MacCambridge|first=Michael|date=December 22, 1994|title=it's a LOVE-HATE thing|newspaper=[[Austin American-Statesman]]|page=38|edition=Final}}</ref>
* Honorable mention&nbsp;– Dan Craft, ''[[The Pantagraph]]''<ref>{{cite news|last=Craft|first=Dan|date=December 30, 1994 |title=Success, Failure and a Lot of In-between; Movies '94|newspaper=[[The Pantagraph]]|page=B1}}</ref>
* 5th worst&nbsp;– Glenn Lovell, ''[[San Jose Mercury News]]''<ref>{{cite news|last=Lovell|first=Glenn|date=December 25, 1994 |title=The Past Picture Show the Good, the Bad and the Ugly &ndash; a Year Worth's of Movie Memories|newspaper=[[San Jose Mercury News]]|page=3|edition=Morning Final}}</ref>
* Top 10 worst (listed alphabetically, not ranked)&nbsp;– Mike Mayo, ''[[The Roanoke Times]]''<ref>{{cite news|last=Mayo|first=Mike|date=December 30, 1994|title=The Hits and Misses at the Movies in '94|newspaper=The Roanoke Times|page=1|edition=Metro}}</ref>
* Top 10 worst (listed alphabetically, not ranked)&nbsp;– William Arnold, ''[[Seattle Post-Intelligencer]]''<ref>{{cite news|last=Arnold|first=William|date=December 30, 1994|title='94 Movies: Best and Worst|newspaper=Seattle Post-Intelligencer|page=20|edition=Final}}</ref>

====Awards and nominations====
{| class="wikitable" 
|-
! Award 
! Category 
! Recipient
! Result
! {{Tooltip|Ref.|Reference(s)}}
|-
| [[67th Academy Awards|Academy Awards]]
| [[Academy Award for Best Visual Effects|Best Visual Effects]]
| [[John Bruno (special effects)|John Bruno]], [[Thomas L. Fisher]], [[Jacques Stroweis]] and [[Patrick McClung]]
| {{nom}}
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{Cite web |title=The 67th Academy Awards {{!}} 1995 |url=https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1995 |access-date=2022-07-25 |website=Oscars.org {{!}} Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences |date=October 5, 2014 |language=en}}</ref>
|-
| [[American Cinema Editors|American Cinema Editors Awards]]
| [[American Cinema Editors Award for Best Edited Feature Film – Dramatic|Best Edited Feature Film]]
| [[Conrad Buff IV]], [[Mark Goldblatt]] and [[Richard A. Harris]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[American Comedy Awards#1995 awards|American Comedy Awards]]
| [[American Comedy Awards|Funniest Lead Actress in a Motion Picture]]
| [[Jamie Lee Curtis]]
| {{won}}
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{cite web|url=https://mubi.com/awards-and-festivals/acas?year=1995|title=American Comedy Awards 1995 |website=Mubi.com|access-date=June 17, 2020}}</ref>
|-
| [[48th British Academy Film Awards|British Academy Film Awards]]
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Special Visual Effects|Best Special Visual Effects]]
| John Bruno, Thomas L. Fisher, Jacques Stroweis, Pat McClung and Jamie Dixon
| {{nom}}
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{Cite web |title=Film in 1995 {{!}} BAFTA Awards |url=https://awards.bafta.org/award/1995/film |access-date=2022-07-25 |website=awards.bafta.org}}</ref>
|-
| [[Cinema Audio Society Awards]]
| [[Cinema Audio Society Award for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Motion Picture – Live Action|Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Feature Films]]
| [[Lee Orloff]], [[Michael Minkler]] and [[Bob Beemer]]
| {{nom}}
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 22, 2018 |title=Production Sound Mixer Lee Orloff, CAS Honored With The CAS Career Achievement Award |url=https://cinemaaudiosociety.org/production-sound-mixer-lee-orloff-cas-to-be-honored-with-the-cas-career-achievement-award/ |access-date=July 25, 2022 |website=Cinema Audio Society |language=en-US}}</ref>
|-
| [[52nd Golden Globe Awards|Golden Globe Awards]]
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical|Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical]]
| Jamie Lee Curtis
| {{won}}
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref name=":1">[http://movies.msn.com/celebrities/celebrity-awards-and-nominations/jamie-lee-curtis/ Jamie Lee Curtis – Awards & Nominations – MSN Movies] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101017064118/http://movies.msn.com/celebrities/celebrity-awards-and-nominations/jamie-lee-curtis/ |date=2010-10-17 }}. Movies.msn.com. Retrieved on 2011-07-14.</ref>
|-
| [[Japan Academy Film Prize]]
| [[Japan Academy Prize for Outstanding Foreign Language Film|Outstanding Foreign Language Film]]
| ''True Lies''
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="5"| [[1995 MTV Movie Awards|MTV Movie Awards]]
| [[MTV Movie Award for Best Actor in a Movie|Best Female Performance]]
| Jamie Lee Curtis
| {{nom}}
| rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{Cite web |title=MTV Movie Awards {{!}} 1995 |url=http://www.mtv.com/ontv/movieawards/1995/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080423094818/http://www.mtv.com/ontv/movieawards/1995/ |archive-date=April 23, 2008 |access-date=July 25, 2022 |website=[[MTV]]}}</ref>
|-
| [[MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance|Best Comedic Performance]]
| [[Tom Arnold (actor)|Tom Arnold]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss|Best Kiss]]
| [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]] and Jamie Lee Curtis
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[MTV Movie Award for Best Dance Sequence|Best Dance Sequence]]
| Arnold Schwarzenegger and [[Tia Carrere]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[MTV Movie Award for Best Action Sequence|Best Action Sequence]]
| Bridge Explosion/Limo Rescue
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="7"| [[21st Saturn Awards|Saturn Awards]]
| [[Saturn Award for Best Action/Adventure/Thriller Film|Best Action/Adventure/Thriller Film]]
| ''True Lies''
| {{nom}}
| rowspan="7" style="text-align:center;" |<ref>{{Cite web |last=Colangelo |first=B. J. |date=November 2, 2021 |title=Everything We Know About The True Lies TV Show So Far |url=https://www.slashfilm.com/649586/everything-we-know-about-the-true-lies-tv-show-so-far/ |access-date=July 25, 2022 |website=SlashFilm.com |language=en-US}}</ref>
|-
| [[Saturn Award for Best Director|Best Direction]]
| [[James Cameron]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Saturn Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]]
| Arnold Schwarzenegger
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Saturn Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
| Jamie Lee Curtis
| {{won}}{{efn|Tied with [[Sandra Bullock]] for ''[[Speed (1994 film)|Speed]]''.}}
|-
| [[Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor|Best Supporting Actor]]
| [[Bill Paxton]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]]
| Tia Carrere
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Saturn Award for Best Special Effects|Best Special Effects]]
| John Bruno ([[Digital Domain]])
| {{won}}
|-
| [[1st Screen Actors Guild Awards|Screen Actors Guild Awards]]
| [[Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role|Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role]]
| Jamie Lee Curtis
| {{nom}}
| style="text-align:center;" |<ref name=":1" />
|}

===Censorship===
On October 1, 1994, ''True Lies'' was banned from Indonesian movie theaters due to the film spawning controversy that focused on Muslim leaders insulting Islam and portraying themselves as religious extremists. According to the Council of Muslim Scholars, it led people to hate Arab terrorists defending the interests of some Islamic nations, but justified American terrorism. Earlier that year, officials had already banned ''[[Schindler's List]]'' from the country because it contained too much violence and nudity.<ref>{{cite web |date=September 30, 1994 |title=Indonesia Bans Schwarzenegger's 'True Lies' |url=https://apnews.com/article/bbe7f9debb3a9643fd17f6a02fc06ad7 |website=[[AP News]]}}</ref>

== Plagiarism lawsuit ==
''True Lies'' and its source material ''La Totale!'' were the subject of a 2000 plagiarism lawsuit launched by French screenwriter Lucien Lambert.<ref name="telestar" /><ref name="emile" /> Lambert sued Cameron and ''La Totale!'' writer-director [[Claude Zidi]], claiming the latter had knowingly plagiarized from his unproduced 1981 screenplay called ''Émilie,'' about a con artist who poses as a spy in order to seduce a woman''.<ref name="telestar" /><ref name="emile" />''

In 2001, the court ruled against Lambert, which he appealed.<ref name="telestar" /><ref name="emile" /> In June 2004, the [[Court of Appeal of Paris]] ruled in favor of Lambert, based on new evidence.<ref name="telestar" /><ref name="emile" /> Claude Zidi was ordered to pay Lambert US$15 million (his total profit percentage for the box office receipts of ''True Lies'').<ref name="telestar" /><ref name="emile" /> Cameron was not held liable for damages, as the Court ruled he had purchased the film rights to ''La Totale!'' in good faith.<ref name="telestar" /><ref name="emile" />

==Home media==
''True Lies'' was released on [[VHS]] on January 10, 1995, and on [[LaserDisc]] a month later on February 8. It was the second LaserDisc release to feature a [[Dolby Digital]] AC-3 track, after ''[[Clear and Present Danger (film)|Clear and Present Danger]]''.<ref>{{cite news |last=Christiansen |first=Richard |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107833153/art-of-noise/ |title=Art of noise |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220819143555/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107833153/art-of-noise/ |date=February 21, 1995 |access-date=August 19, 2022 |archive-date=August 19, 2022 |page=139 |work=Tribune Chief Critic |publisher=[[Chicago Tribune]] |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |url-status=live}} {{Open access}}</ref> On August 20, 1996, the film was released on a [[THX]] certified Widescreen Series VHS release, along with ''[[Speed (1994 film)|Speed]]'', ''[[The Abyss]]'' and ''[[The Last of the Mohicans (1992 film)|The Last of the Mohicans]]''.<ref>{{cite news |last=King |first=Susan |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107891272/letterbox-brings-wide-screen-home/ |title='Letterbox' Brings Wide Screen Home |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230311215357/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107891272/letterbox-brings-wide-screen-home/ |date=August 16, 1996 |access-date=March 11, 2023 |archive-date=March 11, 2023 |page=96 |work=Times Staff Writer |publisher=[[Los Angeles Times]] |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |url-status=live}} {{Open access}}</ref> It was then released on [[DVD]] on May 25, 1999. A high-definition version was released on [[D-VHS|D-Theater]] in 2003. In 2018, James Cameron stated that a new transfer for [[Blu-ray]] had been completed, but he hasn't found time to review it.<ref>[https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/true-lies-blu-ray-done-end-2018-says-james-cameron/ True Lies Blu-Ray Could Be Done By End Of 2018, Says James Cameron] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190207020609/https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/true-lies-blu-ray-done-end-2018-says-james-cameron/ |date=2019-02-07 }}. Empire. 30 November 2018.</ref>

[[Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment]] released the film for purchase digitally on December 12, 2023, followed by a release on Blu-ray and [[Ultra HD Blu-ray]] on March 12, 2024.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Archer |first=John |date=November 15, 2023 |title=Disney Reveals Full Details Of 'Aliens', 'The Abyss', 'True Lies' And 'Titanic' 4K Blu-Ray Releases |work=[[Forbes]] |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnarcher/2023/11/15/disney-reveals-full-details-of-aliens-the-abyss-true-lies-and-titanic-4k-blu-ray-releases/?sh=26de93527eb9 |access-date=November 16, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Taylor |first=Drew |date=2023-12-11 |title=Jamie Lee Curtis Recounts Terrifying 'True Lies' Stunt in Clip from New Doc {{!}} Exclusive |url=https://www.thewrap.com/jamie-lee-curtis-true-lies-bridge-stunt-fear-is-not-an-option/ |access-date=2024-02-07 |website=TheWrap |language=en-US}}</ref> This release, along with the 4K releases of Cameron's ''[[Aliens (film)|Aliens]]'' and ''[[The Abyss]]'', have received criticism for the quality of their A.I. upscaling.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/13/movies/ai-blu-ray-true-lies.html | title=A.I. Made These Movies Sharper. Critics Say It Ruined Them | work=The New York Times | date=April 13, 2024 | last1=Marsh | first1=Calum }}</ref><ref name="aftermath">{{cite web |last1=Person |first1=Chris |title=They Want You To Forget What A Film Looks Like |url=https://aftermath.site/true-lies-4k-uhd-blu-ray-james-cameron-peter-jackson-park-road-post |website=Aftermath |access-date=12 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240722014330/https://aftermath.site/true-lies-4k-uhd-blu-ray-james-cameron-peter-jackson-park-road-post |archive-date=22 July 2024 |date=20 December 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref>

==Legacy==
===Video games===
Shortly after the film's release, [[True Lies (video game)|video games based on the film of the same name]] were released for the [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System]], [[Sega Genesis]], [[Game Gear]] and [[Game Boy]] platforms.

===Cancelled sequel===
In April 1997, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Tom Arnold met with Cameron and discussed the possibility of an eventual ''True Lies'' sequel, which would also bring back Curtis in her role. At the time, Cameron was busy working on ''[[Titanic (1997 film)|Titanic]]''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Fleming |first=Michael |title=Arnolds visit spurs 'Lies II' scuttlebutt |url=https://variety.com/1997/voices/columns/arnolds-visit-spurs-lies-ii-scuttlebutt-1117434466/ |work=Variety |date=April 21, 1997 |access-date=December 4, 2019 |archive-date=December 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204190836/https://variety.com/1997/voices/columns/arnolds-visit-spurs-lies-ii-scuttlebutt-1117434466/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=Eyes>{{cite web |last=Fleming |first=Michael |title=Cameron eyes 'True' scribe |url=https://variety.com/1999/film/news/cameron-eyes-true-scribe-1117750675/ |work=Variety |date=August 23, 1999 |access-date=December 4, 2019 |archive-date=December 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204190837/https://variety.com/1999/film/news/cameron-eyes-true-scribe-1117750675/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Following the release of ''Titanic'' in late 1997, Cameron was planning to begin work on a ''True Lies'' sequel early the following year. Schwarzenegger and Arnold were expected to reprise their roles.<ref>{{cite web |title=No lie: Tom Arnold knows what's next |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/99641830/ |work=Detroit Free Press |date=December 9, 1997 |access-date=December 4, 2019 |via=Newspapers.com |url-access=subscription |archive-date=December 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204191405/https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/99641830/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Cameron conducted a search for a writer to work on ''True Lies 2''. In August 1999, Cameron and [[20th Century Fox]] were negotiating to have [[Jeff Eastin]] write the script under Cameron's supervision.<ref name=Eyes/> At the time, the film was being planned for a mid-2001 release, with Cameron expected to direct it.<ref>{{cite web |title=Cameron maps out his twin Mars projects Fox miniseries, IMAX 3-D both coming to screens in 2001 |url=https://nl.newsbank.com |website=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel |access-date=December 4, 2019 |date=August 18, 1999 |url-access=subscription |via=NewsLibrary |quote=James Cameron's dual Mars projects will touch down as a Fox miniseries and in IMAX 3-D in the spring of 2001, just months before the planned release of "True Lies 2," which Cameron is now telling friends he will direct. |archive-date=June 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190604174101/http://nl.newsbank.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref> By the end of 1999, there was the possibility that filming would begin in the third quarter of 2000.<ref>{{cite web |title=Schwarzenegger ready to survey 'Damage' |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/229609246/ |work=[[Argus Leader]] |date=December 3, 1999 |access-date=December 4, 2019 |via=Newspapers.com |url-access=subscription |archive-date=December 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204190835/https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/229609246/ |url-status=live }}</ref> However, development of the script was ongoing as of June 2000. Cameron planned to produce ''True Lies 2'' with Fox, but was undecided at that time on whether he would also direct it, as he wanted to wait until the script was complete.<ref>{{cite web |last=Linder |first=Brian |title=Schwarzenegger on Terminator 3: "I'll Be Back...Soon." |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2000/06/20/schwarzenegger-on-terminator-3-ill-be-backsoon |work=IGN |date=June 20, 2000 |access-date=December 4, 2019 |archive-date=December 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204190837/https://www.ign.com/articles/2000/06/20/schwarzenegger-on-terminator-3-ill-be-backsoon |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first1=Michael |last1=Fleming |last2=Harris |first2=Dana |title=Arnold & Indy: They'll be back |url=https://variety.com/2000/film/news/arnold-indy-they-ll-be-back-1117782940/ |work=Variety |date=June 22, 2000 |access-date=December 4, 2019 |archive-date=December 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204192359/https://variety.com/2000/film/news/arnold-indy-they-ll-be-back-1117782940/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Harris |first=Dana |title=Cameron won't be back; Director developing 'True Lies 2' |url=https://variety.com/2000/film/news/cameron-won-t-be-back-1117783604/ |work=Variety |date=July 12, 2000 |access-date=December 4, 2019 |archive-date=September 27, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190927160209/https://variety.com/2000/film/news/cameron-won-t-be-back-1117783604/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Eastin worked with Cameron on the project for approximately a year and a half,<ref name=Collider>{{cite web |last=Radish |first=Christina |title=Jeff Eastin Talks White Collar Season 4, His New TV Series Graceland, and What Happened to His True Lies Sequel Script |url=https://collider.com/jeff-eastin-white-collar-graceland-interview/ |work=Collider |date=July 9, 2012 |access-date=December 4, 2019 |archive-date=December 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204190838/https://collider.com/jeff-eastin-white-collar-graceland-interview/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and Schwarzenegger and Arnold liked Eastin's script.<ref name=Lussier>{{cite web |last=Lussier |first=Germain |title=Tom Arnold Says 'True Lies 2' Could Be Arnold Schwarzenegger's Next Movie |url=https://www.slashfilm.com/tom-arnold-true-lies-2-arnold-schwarzeneggers-movie/ |work=/Film |date=March 18, 2011 |access-date=December 4, 2019 |archive-date=December 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204190841/https://www.slashfilm.com/tom-arnold-true-lies-2-arnold-schwarzeneggers-movie/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Winning |first=Joshua |title=True Lies 2 script is really great |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/true-lies-2-script-is-really-great/ |website=GamesRadar |access-date=December 4, 2019 |date=March 21, 2011 |archive-date=December 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204190835/https://www.gamesradar.com/true-lies-2-script-is-really-great/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

By March 2001, the script had been completed, and Curtis was confirmed to reprise her role alongside Schwarzenegger and Arnold.<ref>{{cite web |title=Arnold Talks True Lies 2 |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/03/14/arnold-talks-true-lies-2 |work=IGN |date=March 14, 2001 |access-date=December 4, 2019 |archive-date=December 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204190853/https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/03/14/arnold-talks-true-lies-2 |url-status=live }}</ref> Following the [[September 11 attacks]], Schwarzenegger said in January 2002, "We'll shoot it next year. We have a good script. There does need to be some changes because it deals with some terrorist act of some sort. But it's pretty much done."<ref>{{cite web |last=Linder |first=Brian |title=Arnold Tells the Truth About Lies 2 |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/01/31/arnold-tells-the-truth-about-lies-2 |work=IGN |date=January 31, 2002 |access-date=December 4, 2019 |archive-date=December 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204190837/https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/01/31/arnold-tells-the-truth-about-lies-2 |url-status=live }}</ref> Later in 2002, Cameron said the film would not be made following the September 11 attacks: "Terrorism is no longer something to take as lightly as we did in the first one. I just can't see it happening given the current world climate."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://jam.canoe.ca/Movies/Artists/A/Arnold_Tom/2003/03/04/756420.html |title=Sequel talk true or lies? |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120712020150/http://jam.canoe.ca/Movies/Artists/A/Arnold_Tom/2003/03/04/756420.html |archive-date=2012-07-12}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title='Titanic' director focuses on actual submerged wreckage |url=https://nl.newsbank.com |website=[[Burlington County Times]] |access-date=December 4, 2019 |date=February 27, 2003 |url-access=subscription |via=NewsLibrary |quote=To tell you the truth, I kind of lost my appetite for it ("True Lies 2") after Sept. 11 |archive-date=June 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190604174101/http://nl.newsbank.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In June 2003, Schwarzenegger said that after the attacks, "Cameron was worried because there's an airplane scene – a terrific airplane scene – that didn't have anything to do with the terrorism that we had in 9/11, but it was a great fight scene inside the plane while the plane goes down and this kind of thing. It was a very important moment in the movie, and he felt like he can't do that and therefore has to rewrite it ... These things take a long time."<ref>{{cite web |last=Horn |first=Steven |title=An Interview with Arnold Schwarzenegger |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2003/06/27/an-interview-with-arnold-schwarzenegger |work=IGN |date=June 27, 2003 |access-date=December 4, 2019}}</ref> The following month, Curtis said the film would never be made due to the September 11 attacks: "Terrorists aren't funny anymore. They never were, but, it was distant enough from our psyche that we could make it funny. It'll never be funny again. I just think that that is over, that kind of humor is over."<ref>{{cite web |last=Davidson |first=Paul |title=No True Lies Sequel, Says Curtis |url=https://filmforce.ign.com/articles/431/431321p1.html |work=IGN |date=July 30, 2003 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050205051236/https://filmforce.ign.com/articles/431/431321p1.html |archive-date=February 5, 2005}}</ref> Eastin cited [[First term of Arnold Schwarzenegger as Governor of California|Schwarzenegger's 2003 election]] as California governor as another reason that ''True Lies 2'' did not get made.<ref name=Collider/> However, Arnold remained optimistic that the film would be made.{{efn|Attributed to multiple references:<ref name=Davidson/><ref>{{cite web |last=Knowles |first=Harry |title=True Lies 2 to shoot in 14 months - not according to James Cameron |url=http://legacy.aintitcool.com/node/41919 |website=Aint It Cool News |access-date=December 4, 2019 |date=August 3, 2009 |archive-date=June 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210629195921/http://legacy.aintitcool.com/node/41919 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=Vulture/><ref name=Lussier/><ref>{{cite web |last=Schwartz |first=Terri |title=Eliza Dushku On 'True Lies 2': James Cameron 'Should Give Me A Call' |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/2439790/eliza-dushku-james-cameron-true-lies/ |website=MTV News |access-date=December 4, 2019 |date=July 27, 2011 |archive-date=June 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210629195901/https://cdn.cookielaw.org/scripttemplates/otSDKStub.js |url-status=dead }}</ref>}}

In 2005, Schwarzenegger said he had met with Cameron, Curtis, Paxton, and Dushku to discuss ''True Lies 2''. Schwarzenegger said that filming would begin once his role as California governor was concluded.<ref name=Davidson>{{cite web |last=Davidson |first=Paul |title=Arnold Insists on True Lies 2 |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2005/07/14/arnold-insists-on-true-lies-2 |work=[[IGN]] |date=July 14, 2005 |access-date=December 4, 2019 |archive-date=December 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204190856/https://www.ign.com/articles/2005/07/14/arnold-insists-on-true-lies-2 |url-status=live }}</ref> Cameron said in 2009 that there were no plans to make the film,<ref name=Vulture>{{cite web |last=Brown |first=Lane |title=James Cameron Has No Plans to Work With Tom Arnold |url=https://www.vulture.com/2009/08/james_cameron.html |work=[[Vulture.com|Vulture]] |date=August 3, 2009 |access-date=December 4, 2019 |archive-date=December 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204190839/https://www.vulture.com/2009/08/james_cameron.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="AFTL2">{{cite web|url=http://www.thearnoldfans.com/news/1519.htm |title=Cameron Doubtful for TL2 but Hopeful for Another! Tom Arnold Claims Another Project with "Lies" Team! |date=May 8, 2009 |website=TheArnoldFans.com |access-date=6 April 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100413093325/http://www.thearnoldfans.com/news/1519.htm |archive-date=13 April 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/why-true-lies-2-never-happened/ | title=Why True Lies 2 Never Happened | date=July 15, 2019 }}</ref> and Curtis, in 2019, reiterated her previous comments: "I don't think we could ever do another ''True Lies'' after 9/11."<ref>{{cite web |last=Schumann |first=Rebecka |title='True Lies' Can Never Have A Sequel, According To Jamie Lee Curtis |url=https://www.ibtimes.com/true-lies-can-never-have-sequel-according-jamie-lee-curtis-2784358 |work=[[International Business Times]] |date=April 10, 2019 |access-date=December 4, 2019 |archive-date=December 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204190838/https://www.ibtimes.com/true-lies-can-never-have-sequel-according-jamie-lee-curtis-2784358 |url-status=live }}</ref> Art Malik concurred, saying during the time of ''True Lies''<nowiki/>' filming, "there was an element of fanaticism brewing and anti-West feeling going on. But I don't think any of us took any of it as seriously as we had to after 9/11. I think one of the reasons for that is probably the reason ''True Lies 2'' was never made.”<ref name=":0" />

In the 2005 film ''[[The Kid & I]]'', Tom Arnold plays a fictional character based on himself. In that film, the character had starred in ''True Lies'' and is pursued by a fan and teams up with [[Henry Winkler]] and [[Linda Hamilton]] to make a sequel; Schwarzenegger and Curtis cameo as themselves.

===Television===
{{Main|True Lies (TV series)}}
On February 10, 2021, [[CBS]] announced a pilot order for the ''True Lies'' series adaptation. [[Matt Nix]] wrote the pilot and produce with Josh Levy via Flying Glass of Milk Productions. [[James Cameron]], director of the film, executive produced with Rae Sanchini through [[Lightstorm Entertainment]]. Mary Viola of [[Wonderland Sound and Vision]] also executive produced, with Corey Marsh of Wonderland co-executive producing. [[McG]] was set to direct the pilot and executive produce via Wonderland.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/true-lies-series-adaptation-cbs-pilot-1234905581/|title='True Lies' Series Adaptation Gets CBS Pilot Order|first=Joe|last=Otterson|date=February 10, 2021|website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|access-date=February 11, 2021|archive-date=February 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210211040037/https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/true-lies-series-adaptation-cbs-pilot-1234905581/|url-status=live}}</ref> In March 2021, CBS moved the pilot "off cycle" to give the series producers more time to film the pilot later in the year.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/true-lies-pilot-off-cycle-cbs-1234935022/ |title='True Lies' Pilot Moves Off Cycle at CBS |website=Variety |first=Elaine |last=Low |date=March 19, 2021 |access-date=March 20, 2021 |archive-date=March 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210320005954/https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/true-lies-pilot-off-cycle-cbs-1234935022/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

By May 2022, [[Anthony Hemingway]] replaced McG as the director of the pilot and subsequent episodes, via Anthony Hemingway Productions, to air by the 2022–23 broadcast season at CBS.<ref name="Ordered" /> [[Steve Howey (actor)|Steve Howey]] and [[Ginger Gonzaga]] were cast in the lead roles, while Erica Hernandez, [[Omar Miller]], Mike O'Gorman, Annabella Didion, and Lucas Jaye round out the supporting roles. On May 13, 2022, CBS officially picked up the series.<ref name="Ordered">{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/true-lies-series-cbs-1235266548/ |title='True Lies' Series Adaptation Ordered at CBS |website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |first=Joe |last=Otterson |date=May 13, 2022 |access-date=May 13, 2022}}</ref> The series was scheduled to premiere on February 23, 2023, however, it was delayed to March 1, 2023, and was ultimately canceled in May 2023.<ref>{{cite web |last1=White |first1=Peter |title=''True Lies'' & RuPaul's ''Lingo'' Land Premieres As CBS Unveils Midseason Schedule |url=https://deadline.com/2022/11/true-lies-rupaul-lingo-premieres-cbs-midseason-schedule-1235171752/ |website=[[Deadline Hollywood]] |publisher=[[Penske Media Corporation]] |date=November 14, 2022 |access-date=December 12, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2022/12/08/new-cbs-drama-true-lies-will-now-premiere-on-wednesday-march-1-428015/20221208cbs02/|title=New CBS Drama "True Lies" Will Now Premiere on Wednesday, March 1|website=The Futon Critic|date=December 9, 2022}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of American films of 1994]]
* [[Robert Hendy-Freegard]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|0111503}}

{{James Cameron}}
{{Subject bar|1990s|United States|Film|auto=1}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:True Lies}}
[[Category:1994 films]]
[[Category:1994 action comedy films]]
[[Category:1990s chase films]]
[[Category:1990s spy comedy films]]
[[Category:1990s English-language films]]
[[Category:1990s American films]]
[[Category:English-language action comedy films]]
[[Category:English-language action thriller films]]
[[Category:American action comedy films]]
[[Category:American chase films]]
[[Category:American remakes of French films]]
[[Category:American spy comedy films]]
[[Category:Films about child abduction in the United States]]
[[Category:Films about families]]
[[Category:Films about jihadism]]
[[Category:Films about kidnapping]]
[[Category:Films about nuclear war and weapons]]
[[Category:Films about terrorism in the United States]]
[[Category:Films set in Maryland]]
[[Category:Films set in Miami]]
[[Category:Films set in Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:Films set in Switzerland]]
[[Category:Films set in Florida]]
[[Category:Films shot in Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Films shot in Rhode Island]]
[[Category:Films adapted into television shows]]
[[Category:Censored films]]
[[Category:Religious controversies in film]]
[[Category:Films directed by James Cameron]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by James Cameron]]
[[Category:Films scored by Brad Fiedel]]
[[Category:20th Century Fox films]]
[[Category:Lightstorm Entertainment films]]
[[Category:Films produced by James Cameron]]
[[Category:Saturn Award–winning films]]
[[Category:Films featuring a Best Musical or Comedy Actress Golden Globe winning performance]]