Synopsis
Secret agent Harry Tasker appears to lead a quiet suburban life, but his work involves tracking terrorists and stopping nuclear threats. When he suspects his neglected wife Helen is having an affair, Harry uses his professional resources to investigate. A dangerous operation soon brings Helen into the action, forcing the couple to confront deception, marriage, and international terrorism together.
Factoids & Trivia
- True Lies was adapted from the 1991 French action comedy La Totale! and expanded its domestic spy premise into a much larger Hollywood action spectacle.
- With an estimated production cost of $100 million to $120 million, it became the first film widely recognized as having a production budget above $100 million.
- The film was shot over approximately seven months, with locations including Newport, Rhode Island; Los Angeles; Miami; Toronto; and the Florida Keys.
- Rosecliff Mansion in Newport provided the setting for the early ballroom tango sequence. The closing dance was filmed at the Crystal Ballroom of Los Angeles' Millennium Biltmore Hotel.
- The tango presented a major challenge for Arnold Schwarzenegger, who reportedly trained for about six months. The sequence uses the same "Por Una Cabeza" song featured in Scent of a Woman.
- The famous ice-cube-tray joke originated from a real story Tom Arnold told during production about his divorce from Roseanne Barr. The anecdote was incorporated into the screenplay.
- Schwarzenegger narrowly avoided a serious fall while filming the horse sequence after the animal became frightened near a steep drop. A stunt performer caught him before he went over the edge.
- The film was the first major production for Digital Domain, the visual-effects company co-founded by James Cameron, Stan Winston, and Scott Ross.
- True Lies earned about $379 million worldwide and ranked as the third-highest-grossing film released in 1994.
- Jamie Lee Curtis won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy for her performance as Helen Tasker.