How True Lies Perfectly Parodied James Bond

The Evolution of True Lies

Director James Cameron has revealed how he was forced to scrap a big James Bond-like action sequence from Arnold Schwarzenegger's spy movie True Lies. Based on the 1991 French spy comedy La Totale!, True Lies saw Cameron reunite with his Terminator star as he tackled the role of Harry Tasker, a covert U.S. agent who struggles to keep his double life a secret from his family. Co-starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Tom Arnold, 1994's True Lies is widely considered one of Schwarzenegger's most iconic movies.

Arnold Schwarzenegger as Harry Tasker and Jamie Lee Curtis as Helen Tasker on beach in True Lies

During a recent episode of Variety’s Directors on Directors, Cameron reflected on how changes borne from necessity can often end up working to the advantage of the final product. Speaking with Barbie director Greta Gerwig, Cameron recalled the time he scrapped an elaborate James Bond sequence from True Lies as he was afraid it would put him even further behind schedule. Instead, he managed to finish filming the altered scene in one night. Sometimes compromises lead to something that actually works. When we were making “True Lies,” we had this elaborate setpiece that was going to take place up in these snowy mountains. There was skiing and a crashed helicopter. [Arnold Schwarzenegger] winds up skiing a helicopter on its skids down the mountain — a big James Bond sequence. We shot one night in the mountains. I had this horrific image that we were going to be there for three weeks. We were already behind schedule. At that point, I knew we just wouldn’t hit our release date if we stayed there. I got the crew together in the hotel the next morning. I said, “We’re going to finish the scene tonight. The helicopter’s out, this is out, that’s out. He shoots two guys, jumps in the van, they drive away.” We finished it in one night.

How True Lies Perfectly Parodied James Bond

With a cinematic history spanning dozens of movies since 1962’s Dr. No, the James Bond franchise has evolved to become the benchmark against which all other spy movies are inevitably measured. Yet despite the Bond series' astounding longevity and continued popular appeal, the movies are notorious for featuring a 'secret' agent whose identity is far from a secret. Proudly introducing himself by his own name and known by almost every villain he encounters, Bond has never been a shining example of the clandestine nature of real-world espionage.

It was precisely this conceit that Cameron and Schwarzenegger were able to parody so effectively in True Lies, by attempting to convey one of Hollywood’s most prominent action heroes as an undercover agent. Attempting to pass himself off as a computer software salesman, Schwarzenegger’s own disguise is almost as ridiculous and ill-formed as Bond’s willingness to forgo adopting a secret identity altogether. Much like Bond, Schwarzenegger’s Harry Tasker is always the most conspicuous person in the room, and his role as a spy is immediately obvious to anyone paying attention, except for those closest to him.

Though it is unfortunate that Cameron was never able to provide Schwarzenegger with his own high-action James Bond sequence, his character still shared much in common with the classic British spy. While many other films would attempt to follow in True Lies' footsteps and poke fun at the tropes made famous by the James Bond franchise, Cameron and Schwarzenegger's movie still stands as one of the best and most popular spy comedies of all time.