Fun story about this movie: I have a friend that used to work in the film industry, lighting/Fx/etc, and he worked on this movie. He was very young at the time. On the day they were doing the shoots blowing up the bridges, all of the crew were specifically told no personal cameras on set or you would be fired. So what does my friend do...borrows his brother's 35mm and takes it with him. Had to take a small boat to a small island in the Florida Keys for where the shoot was happening. My friend gets on the boat, and he's messing with the camera. He doesn't know how to work it as it isn't his. Guy sits next to him, asks him if he's having trouble and if he can help. Guy helps him with the camera, and also tells him where on the island to stand to get the best shots. My friend asks him his name, guy tells him his first name. My friend asks what he's working on for the film...oh, I'm the Director. James freaking Camerson helped him with his camera and told him the best locations to stand. He has a nice photo album of his pictures from this movie. (And my friend did not get fired).
Cool! (Am I dating myself? I don't know what the current term is.) Considering that the Key Highway is still there, can you tell us how they shot those scenes?
@@margretrosenberg420 a channel called Paul E.T. recently made a video about in-camera/non-cgi action shots, where he focussed specifically on that scene. Fantastic breakdown of how this was done. here is the video link: th-cam.com/video/PcFbgZFRRT4/w-d-xo.html (but the short answer to your question: the explosion was a "miniature" and the old disused highway already had a gap in it from where a swing bridge was removed)
@@margretrosenberg420 Weird. I had a long reply about this yesterday that either got deleted or didn't go through. Most of the scenes with the limo and helicopter are done on mockups of the old bridge, and the explosions were done with miniatures. My friend told me this morning that because the Keys are protected wildlife areas, any explosions (they still did do some), they had to pick up EVERY SINGLE PIECE of debris that went into the water...even if it was like dime sized. They had divers spending hours making sure they cleaned up everything, or else they faced heavy fines. The old bridge, on the limo scenes, you can see the metal railings in the the scenes, where as the current Seven Mile Bridge has the standard concrete K-rails (long concrete barrier walls).
@@randomhockeyguy9149 I've sometimes had TH-cam comments disappear, as well. I don't know whether TH-cam is at fault or I am.- I think that sometimes, at the end of a very long comment, I actually forget to click on the Post button. Very annoying. Regarding protected wildlife in the Keys, I'm very concerned about whether Key Deer have any chance of surviving rising sea levels with global warming. It would be a pity to lose them. I've always had hopes of visiting the Keys someday, and had hoped to be able to see them (from a safe - for them - distance, of course).
What I love is that it was filmed on her birthday and she said she wanted to be able to say she did it herself, which is exactly the motivation of her character.
The main bad guy in this film you may have recognized from your James Bond series. He was the leader of the Mujahideen that Bond freed from a soviet prison in The Living Daylights (and he then helps Bond out)
It's the story from the french movie ''La totale'' 1991, here the american version, from Claude Zidi, very famous realisator in France, with well known french actors ! a fun movie as well
True Lies trivia When Harry tells Gib that Helen is having an affair, Gib tells a story about his wife taking everything when she left him, even the ice cube trays from the freezer. This is a direct reference to Tom Arnold's divorce from Roseanne Barr that was happening at the same time - she was reported to have taken his ice cube trays when she left him as well. Arnold told the story to James Cameron on the set while saying: "What kind of sick bitch takes the ice cube trays out of the freezer?" Cameron thought the line was hilarious, and incorporated it into the film. Arnold Schwarzenegger's biggest challenge for the movie was not doing all the physical stunts, but dancing a tango. He had to take dancing lessons to realistically perform the dance. He rehearsed the scene for about six months, as he wanted to make sure he was as good at the tango as Al Pacino was in Scent of a Woman (1992). The set of bra and matching panties worn by Helen Tasker during the striptease scene were Jamie Lee Curtis's own. Curtis rehearsed the scene extensively with director James Cameron, and it was there that the fall she makes in the middle of the dance was conceived (it didn't happen spontaneously during the actual shooting, as is often claimed). Arnold Schwarzenegger was not told of this beforehand, and this is hinted at when Harry briefly sits up in alarm, realizes that he is breaking character, and then relaxes. They did another take with the same gag, but Harry's reaction didn't look as spontaneous. Tom Arnold didn't expect to get a role in the movie, and went to the audition mostly for the chance to meet director James Cameron. He did some scenes with Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Cameron immediately noticed the chemistry between the two actors. Afterwards, Arnold jokingly said about Schwarzenegger: "He's not that big, I think I can take him", which highly amused Cameron and sealed the deal. Initially, 20th Century Fox objected (Arnold's reputation at the time wasn't positive, mostly due to his public antics with then-wife Roseanne Barr), but when Cameron threatened to take the movie somewhere else if Arnold couldn't be cast, they relented. When Arnold later learned about this, he was grateful to Cameron for taking a chance on him. He became a good friend of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Cameron afterwards. Arnold Schwarzenegger wasn't supposed to drop the tape recorder. James Cameron liked it, and kept it in. Arnold Schwarzenegger had a near-fatal accident on set during the horse riding scene, when his horse got startled and ran out of control. Schwarzenegger managed to slide off the horse, but did this near a 30-foot drop-off. His personal stunt man saw what happened and was able to grab him before he went over the ledge. Tia Carrere named this as her favorite role of all time "because I got to be a villain." James Cameron can be heard as the helicopter pilot who says, "Yeah she's got her head in his lap, Yahoo!" The US Government supplied three Marine Harriers and their pilots for a fee of $100,736 ($2,410 per hour). To film the scenes on the old Seven Mile Bridge in the Keys, like the arrival and take-off of the Harrier jet, the production crew closed down the traffic on new Seven Mile Bridge at intervals for several minutes at a time. Whenever this happened, women were sent among the stopped cars giving drivers Pepsis and bumper stickers that read "I was stopped on the 7 Mile Bridge by Omega Sector." According to the Guinness Book of World Records, this is the first movie to have a production budget of $100,000,000, and this made it the most expensive movie at the time, breaking the record of James Cameron's previous movie Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991). It would lose this record the next year to Waterworld (1995). When asked during an interview whether his wife was bothered by him sitting there watching Jamie Lee Curtis strip, Arnold Schwarzenegger said that she asked him about it and he assured her "Honey, I hated every hour of it!" Tom Arnold said he has the same chemistry with Arnold Schwarzenegger off-screen as he does on. They became good friends during production. In an interview, James Cameron said that the idea for the film was suggested to him by Arnold Schwarzenegger, whose brother-in-law Robert Shriver had shown him a French film called La totale ! (1991). Schwarzenegger wanted to do a film like that because he thought the super secret agent character was interesting. Cameron was surprised because he had never seen Schwarzenegger suggest a project based solely on his interest in a character. After watching the film, Cameron loved the idea of presenting a secret agent with nearly unlimited professional resources as a family man, basically asking the question "who would James Bond be if he got home and had to answer to his wife?" and decided to make the movie. The soundstage where they shot the Harrier scale model was the largest 180 degree green-screen background ever built. James Cameron originally hired a team of writers to help him come up with the film's jokes. However, after being mostly unsatisfied with their work, Cameron let them go and decided to try his own hand at comedy. He rewrote the script from scratch and kept only two jokes from the team of writers (one of which being Arnold Schwarzenegger's famous "You're fired!" line). The striptease scene drew some criticism for its perceived misogynistic content. Director James Cameron later said that Jamie Lee Curtis had heavy input in how the scene was played out. The original idea was for Helen to go completely nude, but in the dark so that only her silhouette would be seen. It was actually Curtis's own suggestion to do it in full light while keeping her underwear on. She demonstrated it to Cameron beforehand, who remarked that he was reminded there what is so cool about his job. He also noted that most of the criticism of the scene came from men, while most of the female reviewers praised it as an empowering and even liberating scene for Helen. Jamie Lee Curtis called the film "without question, the greatest experience of my professional life so far." In January 2018, Eliza Dushku (Dana Tasker) revealed that when she was a twelve-year-old child actress making this movie, she was sexually molested by the film's thirty-six-year-old stunt coordinator, Joel Kramer. Dushku detailed how Kramer "groomed" her for several months to gain her friendship and her parents' trust, contrived to spend an evening alone with her, and then molested her. Dushku also said that after an adult friend confronted him on the set about the abuse, she was injured during a stunt. Dushku alleges that this was "no small coincidence.... To be clear, over the course of those months rehearsing and filming True Lies, it was Joel Kramer who was responsible for my safety on a film that at the time broke new ground for action films. On a daily basis he rigged wires and harnesses on my 12 year old body. My life was literally in his hands: he hung me in the open air, from a tower crane, atop an office tower, 25+ stories high. Whereas he was supposed to be my protector, he was my abuser." After her statement, Dushku's co-stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Arnold and James Cameron all tweeted their respect and admiration for her bravery. Eliza Dushku broke some ribs during the filming of her Harrier jet stunt scenes. It was later revealed by Dushku that this likely wasn't entirely an accident (see other trivia). The appearance and traits of Spencer Trilby (Charlton Heston) is based on Nick Fury, a Marvel Comics character. Like Fury, Trilby has an eyepatch, and the same mannerisms; as well as heading a peacekeeping organization. At one point, Cameron wanted to be a comic book penciller, and does a lot of his own concept art. He even designed the entire T-800 endoskeleton. Jamie Lee Curtis said that in his contract Arnold Schwarzenegger gets top billing then the title then it would have said starring Jamie Lee Curtis but when James Cameron finished editing the film and he saw that the film was really "a domestic epic, it's a film about a marriage." So James Cameron phoned Arnold Schwarzenegger and asked him if it would be ok to put Jamie Lee Curtis's name before the title, to which Arnold Schwarzenegger immediately agreed. In the world of show business, as Jamie Lee Curtis said, "The credit is such a coveted, negotiable, commodity" that for Arnold Schwarzenegger to give her billing before the title "was a real mensch move on his part." Many problems plagued the shooting of the opening sequence: the mansion scene was filmed on an extremely cold night and the mansion itself was not heated; all of the women wore dresses with nothing underneath and a costume change room was set up outside in the cold; kerosene lamps were used to heat the tents; one of the extra's blouses caught fire. For their suffering through the harsh cold that night, the extras were paid an additional $50. Harry's horse was really played by four different horses because they had different skills. Arnold Schwarzenegger said that this was the "film I was meant for." Jamie Lee Curtis won a Golden Globe for her perfor mance as Helen if you would like more trivia here is a link m.imdb.com/title/tt0111503/trivia/?ref_=tt_ql_trv
Even if Roseanne did take the ice cube trays, she had to fork over 50 mil in the divorce settlement since there was no prenup. Tom could afford plenty of ice cube trays after that.
Hi! There is no reaction of "Cold Mountain" anywhere on youtube.. Its an amazing movie with jude law and i really think you would enjoy it a lot! Anyways, great reaction Shaun, have a good one
I've always thought that Eraser (1996) makes for a good double feature w/ this film. Not nearly as epic, but it has Arnold playing another secret service type of character.
Amazing reaction and so happy that you enjoyed it so much. It was such joy to see how much you liked it as it brought a smile and laugh as well. It was a time ago since I saw this last and it is cartoony but that is part of its charm. Both main leads and the crew does great work. The baddy does look like the one from both "Runaway" as well as "Wanted: Dead or Alive", but not sure if it is the same. Can never go wrong with practical effects., Top Watch!
I liked this movie, thought it was funny when she said I married Rambo. One of my favorites you should react to is The Final Countdown. (1980) The U.S.S. Nimitz goes back to December 6th, 1941. It's filmed on Nimitz.
They were NOT using miniatures in the bridge scene. That portion of the Key Bridge was due to be demolished, and they let Cameron blow it up for the film.
If you haven't seen the 1995 cult Thriller: 'Strange Days', add it to your James Cameron watch list! He cowrote most of the screenplay and had an uncredited hand with a small portion of the Direction alongside the amazing Kathryn Bigelow! Definitely worth a look if you love His style, it's all over that Film... 💖
Shan, here's Jaime Lee Curtis' recent tweet about the helicopter stunt: Since I will never write a book and today is the 28th anniversary of TRUE LIES being released I thought I would share this picture. This was three days before my 35th birthday. We were doing the sequence where Helen is in the runaway limousine and Harry is flying above her in the helicopter. Obviously I did a bunch of it on the road but so did my stunt double, Donna Keegan. The stunt itself of course was one of the most spectacular ever done and Donna deserves all of that credit but we did need a shot of me post being pulled out of the limousine over the burning wreckage. In order to get the shot we had to wire me to the helicopter at base camp and then fly for 20 minutes over the water to get to the 7 mile bridge where the wreckage took place. In the photograph is Joel Kramer who doubled Arnold on the skid and that's James Cameron hanging out of the passenger seat with the camera. Chuck Tamburo was the pilot and the only requirement I had for the sequence was that somebody have wire cutters in the helicopter in case they had to ditch over water so that I could be separated from it. I saw manatees and it was late afternoon and it was a glorious ride on a wire all thanks to James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
I love this movie. Its so overblown just pure action rush. I have to say perhaps my fave Stallone Reference in Arnold films is in the Last Action Hero :)
Every Cameron movie I have seen has been great and I have re-watched them all many times. Even Alita Battle Angel, though he didn't technically direct it, was amazing.
Glad you enjoyed it. To answer some of your questions on the SPFX, which by the way I did on set Special Effects for 15 years - for the most part, all the explosions etc were real and practical. The only exception were the Hellfire missiles and the bridge exploding. the missile smoke trails and impacts were CGI and the bridge exploding with vans flying was a 1/4 scale miniature. But the shots with the van tipping over the edge of the chasm and the limo going into the gap were real. The old highway was partially demolished at the time and Cameron wanted as much practical as possible. Likewise all the explosions and the flame thrower on the island were practical. They were real Harrier Jump Jets..... but the one Harry flies is a wooden mock up, on a crane. That is how it's nosegear crushed the cop car (the mock up still weighed almost 2 tons). And around the building - they had the mock up on a complete hydraulic motion rig up on the roof, and used the tower crane to hold it up for the hovering scenes. All told, 90% of the special effects were practical. And no Jamie Lee did not do the final stunt where the limo drops away as she is holding Harry's hand. She did a scene where she is standing in the limo and grabs the hand hanging from the helicopter, but nowhere near the gap in the bridge for the close up, then a medium wide shot is of a stunt woman doing the car falling away as they holds on. So the reason it (the FX) looks so good and realistic, is for the most part - it is!
Top Gun Maverick was awesome, and Expendables 3 is watchable alone for Antonio Banderas, Wesley Snipes and Mel Gibson ! Not saying more to avoid spoilers. Also has some nice explosions, though, so it should be right up your alley !
Fun fact about "The Expendables": In Germany, movies are dubbed. For the longest time (until his death), Thomas Dannenberg voiced both Schwarzenegger and Stallone. Instead of recasting him for one of those parts, he got to dub them both in "The Expendables", differentiating them masterfully.
One of the funniest action comedy movies ever made! They were going to do a sequel to the movie, but was ultimately cancelled following the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks. There are talks of a spinoff TV series based on the movie.
Great reaction as always! The bridge they used at the end of the movie is the old bridge joining the Florida Keys, which are small islands south of Florida. They could blow up parts of it and it didn't matter. The bridge was no longer used, but there was and is many miles of it left.
Tied to the "I married Rambo" line... Cameron is the co-screenwriter (with Stallone) of Rambo II (1985). That could explain some similarities between that film and Aliens (1986).
This movie is as funny as hell. Curtis, Schwarzenegger, and Arnold work comic genius. Paxton's sleezeball character is LMFAO unbelievable. I even liked Heston's been-through-the-grinder character to add weight to balance the humor. "You're new on Harry's team, aren't you?" (reply) "So what makes you think that the slack I cut him in anyway translates to you?" The menacing delivery really makes it.
I married Rambo! No love - you married the Terminator 😂 Loved this movie ever since I first watched it ages ago ... thanks a million for the reaction ❤️
Juno Skinner was played by Tia Carrere. According to my late husband, Tia Carrere tends to appear mostly in movies where they need an actress who is really *good* at dancing the tango. I don't know whether my husband was correct about that; she's certainly talented in other ways. She makes a truly great villain in this movie.
Schwarzenegger playing an American spy with an Austrian accent is similar to Sean Connery as a Soviet submarine captain with a Scottish accent. You have to suspend your disbelief for the sake of the story.
This one, along with The Last Action Hero (by John McTiernan) is recognized both as the last stone on the 80s and 90s action flicks. The satire contained in both movies kind of reveals Hollywood's self-consciousness of the "One-army man" era. Somehow, everything that came after those was affected by it, avoiding stepping on the issues both movies critique, and hence we got movies like 'Heat' (from Michael Mann), 'The Jackal', 'Con Air', and the know franchises like 007 was declining, until we had the first installment of the Bourne franchise, which was kind of a set up to what would become the 2000s action movies style. (On the other hand, Steve Seagall never stopped doing this kind of flick... figure that) I always admire how aware Arnold is about what kind of movie he is doing. From all the action heroes of his time, he was always more perceptive about what would work and what wouldn't. And even nowadays he seems to be very aware of how comedic the whole thing sounds, so when he joined for 'The Expendables', he seemed to be just having fun while other movie stars (like Stalone) never seemed to understand that that era of action movies is over (he's always taking action too seriously). I'm a huge fan of Sly, but I give this to Arnold. His career is way too solid from Conan to True Lies... anyway, good one. It was enjoyable to see how entertained you were.
There was greenscreen work in this film, but very little CGI. This film is such a fun ride during every viewing. Everyone talks about the horse scene… or the hotel strip scene… or the harrier scene. But I still submit that her hanging on by hand to him via helicopter while the limo crashes beneath her was one of the greatest stunts ever filmed. That was all well timed practical effects using a wrist harness.
"Have you ever killed anyone?" "Yeah, but they were all bad." Fun Fact: The USMC supplied three Harriers and their pilots for a fee of $100,736 ($2,410 per hour). Art Imitates Life Fact: When Harry tells Gib that Helen is having an affair, Gib tells a story about his second wife taking everything when she left him, even the ice cube trays from the freezer. This is a direct reference to Tom Arnold's divorce from Roseanne Barr that was happening at the same time. Barr was reported to have taken his ice cube trays when she left him as well. Arnold told the story to James Cameron on the set and Cameron incorporated it into the film. Sexy Tease Fact: The set of bra and matching panties worn by Helen Tasker during the striptease scene were Jamie Lee Curtis's own. Curtis rehearsed the scene extensively with director James Cameron, and it was there that the fall she makes in the middle of the dance was conceived (it didn't happen spontaneously during the actual shooting, as is often claimed). Arnold Schwarzenegger was not told of this beforehand, and this is hinted at when Harry briefly sits up in alarm, realizes that he is breaking character, and then relaxes.
That looked like the most fun you had with a reaction for quite a while! It’s one of my favourite action films, it’s fast funny a literally action packed! There was word of a sequel but I’m not sure if that is still in the works.
Cameron's "Bond" movie, note the nod to _Goldfinger_ in the intro. The lead bad guy was played by the great Art Malik from _The Living Daylights._ Jamie Lee Curtis is the MVP. 👉 1996's _The Long Kiss Goodnight_ 💋 starring Geena Davis & Samuel L Jackson. Another must see '90s action/spy classic.
The horse in the glass elevator scene was filmed at the Westin Bonaventure in L.A., designed by architect John Portman. That hotel has also been featured in In the Line of Fire, Interstellar, Escape from L.A., and Strange Days. Other Portman buildings in other cities have also been popular filming locations over the years as well.
Hey Shan. Before I forget to mention. Jingle All The Way also stars Tom Arnold and Arnie. Maybe consider reviewing it just in time for the Holidays. Thanks!
Great reaction, as always. The reason it was written by James Cameron, but based on a script by others, is because this was heavily based on, though not directly adapted from, a French movie. As you guessed, they did use a lot of miniatures in this movie, including the section of bridge that gets blown up by missiles. That said, this was the most expensive movie ever made when it released -- topped 2 years later by Waterworld.
About the only cgi used in this (maybe), was the scene with the missiles. The Harriers were full-scale models that were suspended from a crane - no cgi. This was the pinnacle of Arnold's career, though Last Action hero, End of Days, and Eraser were also great. I believe this was also Charleton Heston's last acting role, as he was at the early stages of Alzheimer's, abd passed away not too long after. Aside from other Jamie Lee Curtis films mentioned, there's a couple she did early on: Blue Steel, and Perfect, that you may want to check out
Some suggestions: "Blind Date" - 80s comedy with Bruce Willis and Kim Basinger. Have you seen Bruce Willis in a comedy before? "Undercover Blues" - 90s action comedy . Stanley Tucci is hilarious. "Kingdom" - 2007 - action, Jamie Foxx. Takes place in Saudi Arabia.
I wanted to watch this one along on Patreon, but it was not available in my area at the time. I just knew you would love this one, so I will be watching along when I can. :) p.s. Tom Arnold was in his zone in this movie. He was such a great supporting character.
Arnold might have had an accent while speaking French but, as a native French speaker, I can tell you his French and his accent sounded better than 99% of American actors pretending to speak fluent French in a movie!
I hate to break it to you, but that last sequence with Harry hanging onto Helen in the helicopter scene, there were no stunt doubles for that. That was really Arnold Schwarzenegger holding onto Jamie Lee Curtis by one hand and she really was dangling on like that while screaming her head off 😂. James Cameron was also inside the helicopter with them shooting all that while they were flying over the water. She willingly did that scene with them.
I really appreciate you posting something that ISN'T horror related. Too much of it this month. Always love your reactions but having something like this month is just a bonus. I appreciate you sir!!!
Not the last time Rambo intertwined with Arnie. Also a joke made in Last Action Hero were Arnold playing a movie character ends up in real world through a magical ticket. Highly recommend that one!
It's interesting you talk about the stereotypes. I remember seeing this in the cinema when this came out, and I remember thinking it was unusual that the terrorists were Middle Eastern. I hadn't really seen that before. Movie terrorists were usually European like the Germans in Die Hard, IRA in Patriot Games, or domestic US issue-motivated groups like PETA. This is the first movie I remember where the bad guys were Middle Eastern After 9/11 it became much more common.
Besides this, The Terminator and Terminator 2, Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Cameron and composer Brad Fidel reunited for the 3D theme park attraction T2: Battle Across Time. The fighter jets used in this are United States Marine Corps Harrier Jets, and the one Arnold "pilots" was rented by James Cameron for $100,000. Arnold Schwarzenegger preceded this with Last Action Hero, then followed this up with T2: Battle Across Time, Jingle All the Way and Eraser
A side note to the hotel scene: The room is actually much darker. That is why Helen doesn't recognize Harry. They make it lighter for the audience so that you can see better. Remember, this is a movie. Not everything is as it appears . . .
5:50 those glases actually existed already back then. But they was a bit bulkier than shown here. The glasses here is sort of "real". That is, its not made in post. They actually hade a tiny projector projecting the image on the glasses. Of cause, the prop glasses was absolutely useless due to focusing range. 9:50 If i remember correctly they used a zip line and a dummy, and just dropped it a few meter shy of the pool. The quality of Arnold movie did slide after this movie. But i would say Junior and Eraser is still quite good. I would probobly even say that Eraser is a under estimated movie. Jingle All the Way is a classic, while not the best movie, also not really bad. The 6th Day is also actually quite decent
Charleston Heston does the whole Nick Fury with an eyepatch, leader of a secret govt organization, role from the Marvel comics and movies. The helicopter pilot who states “She has her head on his lap, Yee Haw” is voiced by James Cameron.
Great reaction Shan. I loved this film when I saw it in the theater and laughed like a jackass. I consider this a very underrated and underappreciated action-comedy. All the cast were terrific in their parts. Glad you enjoyed it too.
I love this action/comedy. I knew you would have fun with this one. I'm glad it made you laugh so much. This movie wasn't going to win any awards in anything but I still consider this movie to be great in my opinion. It hit all the right cords for me. I never get tired watching it. Great review!
True Lies, it is so entertaining, like a movie should be, with a good script and great scenes! After T2 and Predator, True Lies is my favorite Arnold movie, man... i miss the 80's and 90's movie quality! James Cameron for me is one of all time best directors, i simply LOVE T2, Aliens, True Lies and The Abyss.
To answer your question about Expendables 3: It is still an okay-ish film but the main downpart on this one was that they made it PG-13 and filled the movie with new, young members for the team. That was a mistake, the viewers watched and loved Expendables 1+2 because of the older action stars. Ex3 still has it's moments and Wesley Snipes and Mel Gibson are a good adding to the cast but sadly it's not a good movie. Okay, but not good. Too bad you've already seen part 1 and 2, I would have loved to see it on the channel.
This is probably my favorite James Cameron film to be honest. Great movie, great chemistry between the actors, well written, directed, etc. As a love of both action and comedy its rare for one to turn out as well as this one did. Not saying his other movies aren't great or even better in a couple of cases, but for one to just rewatch anytime? True Lies for sure.
Hi Shan, I saw this film back in 1994 in the theater and it was great on the big screen. The explosions on the bridges were real. That's if you can find the features and commentary to the film that will explain the details. And as always I enjoy your reaction videos.
As you enjoy the pyrotechnics, there's a 1991 movie that seems to have been forgotten that I think you'll enjoy - 'Backdraft'. It's directed by Ron Howard
absolutely LOVE this movie.. it is funny yet somehow believable.. great acting by all.. and the comedic things when you least expect it.. great reaction
Fun story about this movie: I have a friend that used to work in the film industry, lighting/Fx/etc, and he worked on this movie. He was very young at the time. On the day they were doing the shoots blowing up the bridges, all of the crew were specifically told no personal cameras on set or you would be fired. So what does my friend do...borrows his brother's 35mm and takes it with him. Had to take a small boat to a small island in the Florida Keys for where the shoot was happening. My friend gets on the boat, and he's messing with the camera. He doesn't know how to work it as it isn't his. Guy sits next to him, asks him if he's having trouble and if he can help. Guy helps him with the camera, and also tells him where on the island to stand to get the best shots. My friend asks him his name, guy tells him his first name. My friend asks what he's working on for the film...oh, I'm the Director. James freaking Camerson helped him with his camera and told him the best locations to stand. He has a nice photo album of his pictures from this movie. (And my friend did not get fired).
Cool! (Am I dating myself? I don't know what the current term is.)
Considering that the Key Highway is still there, can you tell us how they shot those scenes?
@@margretrosenberg420 a channel called Paul E.T. recently made a video about in-camera/non-cgi action shots, where he focussed specifically on that scene. Fantastic breakdown of how this was done.
here is the video link:
th-cam.com/video/PcFbgZFRRT4/w-d-xo.html
(but the short answer to your question: the explosion was a "miniature" and the old disused highway already had a gap in it from where a swing bridge was removed)
@@hannesgroesslinger Thank you. I was unaware of the old highway. I plan to enjoy the video.
@@margretrosenberg420 Weird. I had a long reply about this yesterday that either got deleted or didn't go through. Most of the scenes with the limo and helicopter are done on mockups of the old bridge, and the explosions were done with miniatures. My friend told me this morning that because the Keys are protected wildlife areas, any explosions (they still did do some), they had to pick up EVERY SINGLE PIECE of debris that went into the water...even if it was like dime sized. They had divers spending hours making sure they cleaned up everything, or else they faced heavy fines. The old bridge, on the limo scenes, you can see the metal railings in the the scenes, where as the current Seven Mile Bridge has the standard concrete K-rails (long concrete barrier walls).
@@randomhockeyguy9149 I've sometimes had TH-cam comments disappear, as well. I don't know whether TH-cam is at fault or I am.- I think that sometimes, at the end of a very long comment, I actually forget to click on the Post button. Very annoying.
Regarding protected wildlife in the Keys, I'm very concerned about whether Key Deer have any chance of surviving rising sea levels with global warming. It would be a pity to lose them. I've always had hopes of visiting the Keys someday, and had hoped to be able to see them (from a safe - for them - distance, of course).
I forgot how amazing this film was. Surprising it's not talked about more.
3:25 - yes. True Lies is a remake of French (!!!) action/spy comedy La Totale! from 1991.
Exactly I'm french🇫🇷
Jamie Lee Curtis is magnificent in "A Fish Called Wanda" and "Drowning Mona"
Don't forget Fierce Creatures, a spiritual sequel to A Fish Called Wanda.
This was a remake of a French movie called "La Totale" with Thierry Lhermitte and Miou-Miou.
Jamie Lee really did the stunt of her leaving the limo by helicopter. She's one brave lady!
What I love is that it was filmed on her birthday and she said she wanted to be able to say she did it herself, which is exactly the motivation of her character.
Nope, there was a stunt double. There is a making of video that shows how they shot some of that scene.
@@larrybremer4930 the wide take is stunt double. The shot looking down is them repeating the stunt with Jamie Lee.
@@larrybremer4930 Correct. There's one shot of this stunt where you can tell it's clearly not JLC.
The main bad guy in this film you may have recognized from your James Bond series. He was the leader of the Mujahideen that Bond freed from a soviet prison in The Living Daylights (and he then helps Bond out)
Art Malik. He's also a bad guy in the touching film City of Joy (1992) starring Patrick Swayze and Pauline Collins.
It's the story from the french movie ''La totale'' 1991, here the american version, from Claude Zidi, very famous realisator in France, with well known french actors ! a fun movie as well
undeserved obscurity: "The War Lord" is a 1965 American drama historical film directed by Franklin J. Schaffner and starring Charlton Heston
True Lies trivia
When Harry tells Gib that Helen is having an affair, Gib tells a story about his wife taking everything when she left him, even the ice cube trays from the freezer. This is a direct reference to Tom Arnold's divorce from Roseanne Barr that was happening at the same time - she was reported to have taken his ice cube trays when she left him as well. Arnold told the story to James Cameron on the set while saying: "What kind of sick bitch takes the ice cube trays out of the freezer?" Cameron thought the line was hilarious, and incorporated it into the film.
Arnold Schwarzenegger's biggest challenge for the movie was not doing all the physical stunts, but dancing a tango. He had to take dancing lessons to realistically perform the dance. He rehearsed the scene for about six months, as he wanted to make sure he was as good at the tango as Al Pacino was in Scent of a Woman (1992).
The set of bra and matching panties worn by Helen Tasker during the striptease scene were Jamie Lee Curtis's own. Curtis rehearsed the scene extensively with director James Cameron, and it was there that the fall she makes in the middle of the dance was conceived (it didn't happen spontaneously during the actual shooting, as is often claimed). Arnold Schwarzenegger was not told of this beforehand, and this is hinted at when Harry briefly sits up in alarm, realizes that he is breaking character, and then relaxes. They did another take with the same gag, but Harry's reaction didn't look as spontaneous.
Tom Arnold didn't expect to get a role in the movie, and went to the audition mostly for the chance to meet director James Cameron. He did some scenes with Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Cameron immediately noticed the chemistry between the two actors. Afterwards, Arnold jokingly said about Schwarzenegger: "He's not that big, I think I can take him", which highly amused Cameron and sealed the deal. Initially, 20th Century Fox objected (Arnold's reputation at the time wasn't positive, mostly due to his public antics with then-wife Roseanne Barr), but when Cameron threatened to take the movie somewhere else if Arnold couldn't be cast, they relented. When Arnold later learned about this, he was grateful to Cameron for taking a chance on him. He became a good friend of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Cameron afterwards.
Arnold Schwarzenegger wasn't supposed to drop the tape recorder. James Cameron liked it, and kept it in.
Arnold Schwarzenegger had a near-fatal accident on set during the horse riding scene, when his horse got startled and ran out of control. Schwarzenegger managed to slide off the horse, but did this near a 30-foot drop-off. His personal stunt man saw what happened and was able to grab him before he went over the ledge.
Tia Carrere named this as her favorite role of all time "because I got to be a villain."
James Cameron can be heard as the helicopter pilot who says, "Yeah she's got her head in his lap, Yahoo!"
The US Government supplied three Marine Harriers and their pilots for a fee of $100,736 ($2,410 per hour).
To film the scenes on the old Seven Mile Bridge in the Keys, like the arrival and take-off of the Harrier jet, the production crew closed down the traffic on new Seven Mile Bridge at intervals for several minutes at a time. Whenever this happened, women were sent among the stopped cars giving drivers Pepsis and bumper stickers that read "I was stopped on the 7 Mile Bridge by Omega Sector."
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, this is the first movie to have a production budget of $100,000,000, and this made it the most expensive movie at the time, breaking the record of James Cameron's previous movie Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991). It would lose this record the next year to Waterworld (1995).
When asked during an interview whether his wife was bothered by him sitting there watching Jamie Lee Curtis strip, Arnold Schwarzenegger said that she asked him about it and he assured her "Honey, I hated every hour of it!"
Tom Arnold said he has the same chemistry with Arnold Schwarzenegger off-screen as he does on. They became good friends during production.
In an interview, James Cameron said that the idea for the film was suggested to him by Arnold Schwarzenegger, whose brother-in-law Robert Shriver had shown him a French film called La totale ! (1991). Schwarzenegger wanted to do a film like that because he thought the super secret agent character was interesting. Cameron was surprised because he had never seen Schwarzenegger suggest a project based solely on his interest in a character. After watching the film, Cameron loved the idea of presenting a secret agent with nearly unlimited professional resources as a family man, basically asking the question "who would James Bond be if he got home and had to answer to his wife?" and decided to make the movie.
The soundstage where they shot the Harrier scale model was the largest 180 degree green-screen background ever built.
James Cameron originally hired a team of writers to help him come up with the film's jokes. However, after being mostly unsatisfied with their work, Cameron let them go and decided to try his own hand at comedy. He rewrote the script from scratch and kept only two jokes from the team of writers (one of which being Arnold Schwarzenegger's famous "You're fired!" line).
The striptease scene drew some criticism for its perceived misogynistic content. Director James Cameron later said that Jamie Lee Curtis had heavy input in how the scene was played out. The original idea was for Helen to go completely nude, but in the dark so that only her silhouette would be seen. It was actually Curtis's own suggestion to do it in full light while keeping her underwear on. She demonstrated it to Cameron beforehand, who remarked that he was reminded there what is so cool about his job. He also noted that most of the criticism of the scene came from men, while most of the female reviewers praised it as an empowering and even liberating scene for Helen.
Jamie Lee Curtis called the film "without question, the greatest experience of my professional life so far."
In January 2018, Eliza Dushku (Dana Tasker) revealed that when she was a twelve-year-old child actress making this movie, she was sexually molested by the film's thirty-six-year-old stunt coordinator, Joel Kramer. Dushku detailed how Kramer "groomed" her for several months to gain her friendship and her parents' trust, contrived to spend an evening alone with her, and then molested her. Dushku also said that after an adult friend confronted him on the set about the abuse, she was injured during a stunt. Dushku alleges that this was "no small coincidence.... To be clear, over the course of those months rehearsing and filming True Lies, it was Joel Kramer who was responsible for my safety on a film that at the time broke new ground for action films. On a daily basis he rigged wires and harnesses on my 12 year old body. My life was literally in his hands: he hung me in the open air, from a tower crane, atop an office tower, 25+ stories high. Whereas he was supposed to be my protector, he was my abuser." After her statement, Dushku's co-stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Arnold and James Cameron all tweeted their respect and admiration for her bravery.
Eliza Dushku broke some ribs during the filming of her Harrier jet stunt scenes. It was later revealed by Dushku that this likely wasn't entirely an accident (see other trivia).
The appearance and traits of Spencer Trilby (Charlton Heston) is based on Nick Fury, a Marvel Comics character. Like Fury, Trilby has an eyepatch, and the same mannerisms; as well as heading a peacekeeping organization. At one point, Cameron wanted to be a comic book penciller, and does a lot of his own concept art. He even designed the entire T-800 endoskeleton.
Jamie Lee Curtis said that in his contract Arnold Schwarzenegger gets top billing then the title then it would have said starring Jamie Lee Curtis but when James Cameron finished editing the film and he saw that the film was really "a domestic epic, it's a film about a marriage." So James Cameron phoned Arnold Schwarzenegger and asked him if it would be ok to put Jamie Lee Curtis's name before the title, to which Arnold Schwarzenegger immediately agreed. In the world of show business, as Jamie Lee Curtis said, "The credit is such a coveted, negotiable, commodity" that for Arnold Schwarzenegger to give her billing before the title "was a real mensch move on his part."
Many problems plagued the shooting of the opening sequence: the mansion scene was filmed on an extremely cold night and the mansion itself was not heated; all of the women wore dresses with nothing underneath and a costume change room was set up outside in the cold; kerosene lamps were used to heat the tents; one of the extra's blouses caught fire. For their suffering through the harsh cold that night, the extras were paid an additional $50.
Harry's horse was really played by four different horses because they had different skills.
Arnold Schwarzenegger said that this was the "film I was meant for."
Jamie Lee Curtis won a Golden Globe for her perfor mance as Helen
if you would like more trivia here is a link m.imdb.com/title/tt0111503/trivia/?ref_=tt_ql_trv
Even if Roseanne did take the ice cube trays, she had to fork over 50 mil in the divorce settlement since there was no prenup. Tom could afford plenty of ice cube trays after that.
Hi! There is no reaction of "Cold Mountain" anywhere on youtube.. Its an amazing movie with jude law and i really think you would enjoy it a lot! Anyways, great reaction Shaun, have a good one
I've always thought that Eraser (1996) makes for a good double feature w/ this film. Not nearly as epic, but it has Arnold playing another secret service type of character.
Agreed! I always enjoyed that movie greatly!
Eraser is pretty good but the CG croc in that movie almost ruins the whole movie lol
@@fleetadmiralj - Oh my gosh, I’d forgotten about that! Lol! Oh well, it’s all forgiven.
Forgettable but fun. Probably my first introduction to EM rail guns as a concept.
@@ChronosTachyon There's no forgetting Arnold shooting an alligator and saying "you're luggage".
Its a crime there's still no 4k disc for this action comedy magnificence.
You said it. I guess James Cameron is too busy farting around with his Avatar sequel to spend time overseeing the remaster of True Lies. 😕
There's no Blu-ray either. Hell, there's no anamorphic DVD available domestically. I had to import one from Japan.
Amazing reaction and so happy that you enjoyed it so much. It was such joy to see how much you liked it as it brought a smile and laugh as well. It was a time ago since I saw this last and it is cartoony but that is part of its charm. Both main leads and the crew does great work. The baddy does look like the one from both "Runaway" as well as "Wanted: Dead or Alive", but not sure if it is the same. Can never go wrong with practical effects., Top Watch!
I liked this movie, thought it was funny when she said I married Rambo.
One of my favorites you should react to is The Final Countdown. (1980) The U.S.S. Nimitz goes back to December 6th, 1941. It's filmed on Nimitz.
Try a comedy with jamie lee curtis next: a fish called wanda!
Fierce Creatures to me is the worst of the two movies, but funnier!
Yes yes yes A Fish Called Wanda - fantastic comedy!
Drowning Mona is severely underrated.
They were NOT using miniatures in the bridge scene. That portion of the Key Bridge was due to be demolished, and they let Cameron blow it up for the film.
Did you recognize that bad guy is played by Art Malik rebel leader from Bond movie Living Daylights
Apparently Lee Curtis did that stunt on the bridge with the Cadillac on her birthday
The last 30 minutes of this film are holy fuck awesome.
*bored, cooking breakfest
*checks what's online
*sees his favourite reactor Shan uploaded an excellent movie
"LET'S F**KING GOOO!!"
Jamie Lee Curtis--winner of the award for sexiest dance in a supporting role :)
TRUE LIES!!!! A truly great action comedy
And remake french movie
"La Totale" 1991 by Claude Zidi.
ROBIN HOOD Prince Of Thieves: 1991
By Kevin Reynolds
Starring: Kevin Costner, Morgan Freeman
Christian Slater and Alan Rickman
That was the old 7 mile bridge that was actually demolished for the movie
If you haven't seen the 1995 cult Thriller: 'Strange Days', add it to your James Cameron watch list! He cowrote most of the screenplay and had an uncredited hand with a small portion of the Direction alongside the amazing Kathryn Bigelow! Definitely worth a look if you love His style, it's all over that Film...
💖
All the times I've watched this movie & reactions to it, & I never noticed Juno's reaction to Helen hitting Harry. That's hilarious.🤣
Jamie Lee Curtis was the actual stunt woman, when you said, "Props to the stunt team".
Fact.
Shan, here's Jaime Lee Curtis' recent tweet about the helicopter stunt: Since I will never write a book and today is the 28th anniversary of TRUE LIES being released I thought I would share this picture. This was three days before my 35th birthday. We were doing the sequence where Helen is in the runaway limousine and Harry is flying above her in the helicopter. Obviously I did a bunch of it on the road but so did my stunt double, Donna Keegan. The stunt itself of course was one of the most spectacular ever done and Donna deserves all of that credit but we did need a shot of me post being pulled out of the limousine over the burning wreckage. In order to get the shot we had to wire me to the helicopter at base camp and then fly for 20 minutes over the water to get to the 7 mile bridge where the wreckage took place. In the photograph is Joel Kramer who doubled Arnold on the skid and that's James Cameron hanging out of the passenger seat with the camera. Chuck Tamburo was the pilot and the only requirement I had for the sequence was that somebody have wire cutters in the helicopter in case they had to ditch over water so that I could be separated from it. I saw manatees and it was late afternoon and it was a glorious ride on a wire all thanks to James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
That Art Dealer Lady has a very good role in Wayne's World. If you have not seen it I highly recommend it.
Tia Carrere. She was also a lead character in the TV series Relic Hunter.
She also did playboy.
Thank you again Shan for all your excellent work.!! You abolutely need to see and review the french movie La Totale directe by Claude Zidi
And of course the Abyss from James Cameron if you haven't seen yet. This movie is abolutely amazing !
I love this movie. Its so overblown just pure action rush. I have to say perhaps my fave Stallone Reference in Arnold films is in the Last Action Hero :)
One of my favorite action movies. The comedy is surprisingly good too
It IS a Comedy!
One of my favorite films too.GREAT movie.
Every Cameron movie I have seen has been great and I have re-watched them all many times. Even Alita Battle Angel, though he didn't technically direct it, was amazing.
Heh, when you said the earlier explosion was the best you'd seen I just grinned like a child, thinking of what was coming up next.
Glad you enjoyed it. To answer some of your questions on the SPFX, which by the way I did on set Special Effects for 15 years - for the most part, all the explosions etc were real and practical. The only exception were the Hellfire missiles and the bridge exploding. the missile smoke trails and impacts were CGI and the bridge exploding with vans flying was a 1/4 scale miniature. But the shots with the van tipping over the edge of the chasm and the limo going into the gap were real. The old highway was partially demolished at the time and Cameron wanted as much practical as possible. Likewise all the explosions and the flame thrower on the island were practical. They were real Harrier Jump Jets..... but the one Harry flies is a wooden mock up, on a crane. That is how it's nosegear crushed the cop car (the mock up still weighed almost 2 tons). And around the building - they had the mock up on a complete hydraulic motion rig up on the roof, and used the tower crane to hold it up for the hovering scenes.
All told, 90% of the special effects were practical. And no Jamie Lee did not do the final stunt where the limo drops away as she is holding Harry's hand. She did a scene where she is standing in the limo and grabs the hand hanging from the helicopter, but nowhere near the gap in the bridge for the close up, then a medium wide shot is of a stunt woman doing the car falling away as they holds on.
So the reason it (the FX) looks so good and realistic, is for the most part - it is!
Top Gun Maverick was awesome, and Expendables 3 is watchable alone for Antonio Banderas, Wesley Snipes and Mel Gibson !
Not saying more to avoid spoilers. Also has some nice explosions, though, so it should be right up your alley !
Actually Expendables 3 is better than Expendables 2. I was excited for Van Damme but after watching big disappointment.
Fun fact about "The Expendables": In Germany, movies are dubbed. For the longest time (until his death), Thomas Dannenberg voiced both Schwarzenegger and Stallone. Instead of recasting him for one of those parts, he got to dub them both in "The Expendables", differentiating them masterfully.
One of the funniest action comedy movies ever made!
They were going to do a sequel to the movie, but was ultimately cancelled following the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks. There are talks of a spinoff TV series based on the movie.
Great reaction as always! The bridge they used at the end of the movie is the old bridge joining the Florida Keys, which are small islands south of Florida. They could blow up parts of it and it didn't matter. The bridge was no longer used, but there was and is many miles of it left.
One of the best ever one liners when Art Malic is hanging of the missile your fired
Tied to the "I married Rambo" line...
Cameron is the co-screenwriter (with Stallone) of Rambo II (1985). That could explain some similarities between that film and Aliens (1986).
One of the most underrated action films of all time.
This movie is as funny as hell. Curtis, Schwarzenegger, and Arnold work comic genius. Paxton's sleezeball character is LMFAO unbelievable. I even liked Heston's been-through-the-grinder character to add weight to balance the humor. "You're new on Harry's team, aren't you?" (reply) "So what makes you think that the slack I cut him in anyway translates to you?" The menacing delivery really makes it.
I married Rambo!
No love - you married the Terminator 😂
Loved this movie ever since I first watched it ages ago ... thanks a million for the reaction ❤️
Juno Skinner was played by Tia Carrere. According to my late husband, Tia Carrere tends to appear mostly in movies where they need an actress who is really *good* at dancing the tango. I don't know whether my husband was correct about that; she's certainly talented in other ways. She makes a truly great villain in this movie.
I just realized at 15:04, it sounds a lot like the Halloween theme song 😂 What a way to inject humor into a film
Schwarzenegger playing an American spy with an Austrian accent is similar to Sean Connery as a Soviet submarine captain with a Scottish accent. You have to suspend your disbelief for the sake of the story.
the beginning,skindiving suit revealing a tuxedo is from GOLDFINGER 1964
This one, along with The Last Action Hero (by John McTiernan) is recognized both as the last stone on the 80s and 90s action flicks. The satire contained in both movies kind of reveals Hollywood's self-consciousness of the "One-army man" era. Somehow, everything that came after those was affected by it, avoiding stepping on the issues both movies critique, and hence we got movies like 'Heat' (from Michael Mann), 'The Jackal', 'Con Air', and the know franchises like 007 was declining, until we had the first installment of the Bourne franchise, which was kind of a set up to what would become the 2000s action movies style. (On the other hand, Steve Seagall never stopped doing this kind of flick... figure that)
I always admire how aware Arnold is about what kind of movie he is doing. From all the action heroes of his time, he was always more perceptive about what would work and what wouldn't. And even nowadays he seems to be very aware of how comedic the whole thing sounds, so when he joined for 'The Expendables', he seemed to be just having fun while other movie stars (like Stalone) never seemed to understand that that era of action movies is over (he's always taking action too seriously). I'm a huge fan of Sly, but I give this to Arnold. His career is way too solid from Conan to True Lies... anyway, good one. It was enjoyable to see how entertained you were.
This is my all-time favorite Cameron - Schwarzenegger project. So much fun and great action.
There was greenscreen work in this film, but very little CGI. This film is such a fun ride during every viewing. Everyone talks about the horse scene… or the hotel strip scene… or the harrier scene. But I still submit that her hanging on by hand to him via helicopter while the limo crashes beneath her was one of the greatest stunts ever filmed. That was all well timed practical effects using a wrist harness.
"Have you ever killed anyone?"
"Yeah, but they were all bad."
Fun Fact: The USMC supplied three Harriers and their pilots for a fee of $100,736 ($2,410 per hour).
Art Imitates Life Fact: When Harry tells Gib that Helen is having an affair, Gib tells a story about his second wife taking everything when she left him, even the ice cube trays from the freezer. This is a direct reference to Tom Arnold's divorce from Roseanne Barr that was happening at the same time. Barr was reported to have taken his ice cube trays when she left him as well. Arnold told the story to James Cameron on the set and Cameron incorporated it into the film.
Sexy Tease Fact: The set of bra and matching panties worn by Helen Tasker during the striptease scene were Jamie Lee Curtis's own. Curtis rehearsed the scene extensively with director James Cameron, and it was there that the fall she makes in the middle of the dance was conceived (it didn't happen spontaneously during the actual shooting, as is often claimed). Arnold Schwarzenegger was not told of this beforehand, and this is hinted at when Harry briefly sits up in alarm, realizes that he is breaking character, and then relaxes.
Quite possibly my favourite lines from the film.
This was one of my comfort movies when I was growing up. It’s just so entertaining and so quotable. So glad you enjoyed it.
I think him exiting the water in the diving suit and then wearing a tux underneath was a tip of the cap to 'Goldfinger'
That looked like the most fun you had with a reaction for quite a while! It’s one of my favourite action films, it’s fast funny a literally action packed! There was word of a sequel but I’m not sure if that is still in the works.
Based pfp
Cameron's "Bond" movie, note the nod to _Goldfinger_ in the intro. The lead bad guy was played by the great Art Malik from _The Living Daylights._ Jamie Lee Curtis is the MVP.
👉 1996's _The Long Kiss Goodnight_ 💋 starring Geena Davis & Samuel L Jackson. Another must see '90s action/spy classic.
The horse in the glass elevator scene was filmed at the Westin Bonaventure in L.A., designed by architect John Portman. That hotel has also been featured in In the Line of Fire, Interstellar, Escape from L.A., and Strange Days. Other Portman buildings in other cities have also been popular filming locations over the years as well.
I KNEW I saw this elevator in another movie but couldn't remember... sure enough, In The Line of Fire is the one! THANK YOU.
Also on a side note can't wait to see your reaction to the explosions in this one
Great reaction! check out A Fish Called Wanda for sure!
Cameron wrote "Strange Days" (1995), his wife (at the time) Kathryn Bigelow directed it. Great flick, does have a scene that is difficult to watch.
Hey Shan. Before I forget to mention. Jingle All The Way also stars Tom Arnold and Arnie. Maybe consider reviewing it just in time for the Holidays. Thanks!
Great reaction, as always.
The reason it was written by James Cameron, but based on a script by others, is because this was heavily based on, though not directly adapted from, a French movie.
As you guessed, they did use a lot of miniatures in this movie, including the section of bridge that gets blown up by missiles. That said, this was the most expensive movie ever made when it released -- topped 2 years later by Waterworld.
True Lies is the best 80s action movie of the 90s
Shan, your reaction and commentary are on the same level as the movie itself. Fun time with the movie and with you.
About the only cgi used in this (maybe), was the scene with the missiles. The Harriers were full-scale models that were suspended from a crane - no cgi.
This was the pinnacle of Arnold's career, though Last Action hero, End of Days, and Eraser were also great.
I believe this was also Charleton Heston's last acting role, as he was at the early stages of Alzheimer's, abd passed away not too long after.
Aside from other Jamie Lee Curtis films mentioned, there's a couple she did early on: Blue Steel, and Perfect, that you may want to check out
24:20 Someone else may have already said this, but in this scene there is a wire running down Arny's arm to a harness around JLC. Fantastic scene.
@Shan. I have always interpreted the main plot being Harry and Helen rediscovering their love and the terrorists as the McGuffin that brings it about.
Some suggestions:
"Blind Date" - 80s comedy with Bruce Willis and Kim Basinger. Have you seen Bruce Willis in a comedy before?
"Undercover Blues" - 90s action comedy . Stanley Tucci is hilarious.
"Kingdom" - 2007 - action, Jamie Foxx. Takes place in Saudi Arabia.
I wanted to watch this one along on Patreon, but it was not available in my area at the time. I just knew you would love this one, so I will be watching along when I can. :)
p.s. Tom Arnold was in his zone in this movie. He was such a great supporting character.
How appropriate that the Omega Man himself - Charlton freaking Heston - is in charge of the Omega Sector LOL
Arnold might have had an accent while speaking French but, as a native French speaker, I can tell you his French and his accent sounded better than 99% of American actors pretending to speak fluent French in a movie!
Plus speaking French with Austrian accent in Switzerland is nothing extraordinary
The perfect action comedy. And Arnolds performance just hilarious.😂 Great reaction
The opening scenes at Lake Chapeau ("chapeau" means "hat") are a fantastic parody of James Bond movies.
The practical effects/ stunts were on-par with with Terminator 2 for sure.
I think that was actually Curtis hanging from the helicopter in that scene!
For the scenes with the Harrier Jet, they used a 1:1 modell that was hanging with wires on a crane.
Since he mentioned it, I'd love to see Shan watch Expendables 3. Snipes, Gibson, and especially Banderas are all great fun in it.
My three favorite Cameron films are T2, Aliens and this one. Tom Arnold steals the show. R.I.P. Bill Paxton 😂👍
I hate to break it to you, but that last sequence with Harry hanging onto Helen in the helicopter scene, there were no stunt doubles for that. That was really Arnold Schwarzenegger holding onto Jamie Lee Curtis by one hand and she really was dangling on like that while screaming her head off 😂. James Cameron was also inside the helicopter with them shooting all that while they were flying over the water. She willingly did that scene with them.
I really appreciate you posting something that ISN'T horror related. Too much of it this month. Always love your reactions but having something like this month is just a bonus. I appreciate you sir!!!
Not the last time Rambo intertwined with Arnie. Also a joke made in Last Action Hero were Arnold playing a movie character ends up in real world through a magical ticket. Highly recommend that one!
It's interesting you talk about the stereotypes. I remember seeing this in the cinema when this came out, and I remember thinking it was unusual that the terrorists were Middle Eastern. I hadn't really seen that before. Movie terrorists were usually European like the Germans in Die Hard, IRA in Patriot Games, or domestic US issue-motivated groups like PETA. This is the first movie I remember where the bad guys were Middle Eastern After 9/11 it became much more common.
Awesome movie reaction Shan!!! Classic 90's action movie!!! The BEST time to be watching Movies...The End!!!
Besides this, The Terminator and Terminator 2, Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Cameron and composer Brad Fidel reunited for the 3D theme park attraction T2: Battle Across Time. The fighter jets used in this are United States Marine Corps Harrier Jets, and the one Arnold "pilots" was rented by James Cameron for $100,000. Arnold Schwarzenegger preceded this with Last Action Hero, then followed this up with T2: Battle Across Time, Jingle All the Way and Eraser
A side note to the hotel scene: The room is actually much darker. That is why Helen doesn't recognize Harry. They make it lighter for the audience so that you can see better. Remember, this is a movie. Not everything is as it appears . . .
5:50 those glases actually existed already back then. But they was a bit bulkier than shown here. The glasses here is sort of "real". That is, its not made in post. They actually hade a tiny projector projecting the image on the glasses. Of cause, the prop glasses was absolutely useless due to focusing range.
9:50 If i remember correctly they used a zip line and a dummy, and just dropped it a few meter shy of the pool.
The quality of Arnold movie did slide after this movie. But i would say Junior and Eraser is still quite good. I would probobly even say that Eraser is a under estimated movie. Jingle All the Way is a classic, while not the best movie, also not really bad. The 6th Day is also actually quite decent
You have to watch Commando, also with Arnold Schwarzenegger, You will enjoy this movie very much.
Charleston Heston does the whole Nick Fury with an eyepatch, leader of a secret govt organization, role from the Marvel comics and movies. The helicopter pilot who states “She has her head on his lap, Yee Haw” is voiced by James Cameron.
Great reaction Shan. I loved this film when I saw it in the theater and laughed like a jackass. I consider this a very underrated and underappreciated action-comedy. All the cast were terrific in their parts. Glad you enjoyed it too.
This is one of Arnold's best films,right behind T1 & T2 and one of my favorite all-time films.
I love this action/comedy. I knew you would have fun with this one. I'm glad it made you laugh so much. This movie wasn't going to win any awards in anything but I still consider this movie to be great in my opinion. It hit all the right cords for me. I never get tired watching it. Great review!
Is the remake french movie
"La Totale" 1991 by Claude Zidi
True Lies, it is so entertaining, like a movie should be, with a good script and great scenes! After T2 and Predator, True Lies is my favorite Arnold movie, man... i miss the 80's and 90's movie quality! James Cameron for me is one of all time best directors, i simply LOVE T2, Aliens, True Lies and The Abyss.
To answer your question about Expendables 3: It is still an okay-ish film but the main downpart on this one was that they made it PG-13 and filled the movie with new, young members for the team. That was a mistake, the viewers watched and loved Expendables 1+2 because of the older action stars. Ex3 still has it's moments and Wesley Snipes and Mel Gibson are a good adding to the cast but sadly it's not a good movie. Okay, but not good. Too bad you've already seen part 1 and 2, I would have loved to see it on the channel.
Jamie Lee does clean up good! Tom Arnold and Bill Paxton are great comic relief, One of my favorite Action.Comedy movies.
This is probably my favorite James Cameron film to be honest. Great movie, great chemistry between the actors, well written, directed, etc. As a love of both action and comedy its rare for one to turn out as well as this one did. Not saying his other movies aren't great or even better in a couple of cases, but for one to just rewatch anytime? True Lies for sure.
So much fun!! I’m so glad you reacted to this movie.
Hi Shan, I saw this film back in 1994 in the theater and it was great on the big screen. The explosions on the bridges were real. That's if you can find the features and commentary to the film that will explain the details. And as always I enjoy your reaction videos.
I like how in the horse riding scenes they use a score that is reminiscent of the Old West movies.
As you enjoy the pyrotechnics, there's a 1991 movie that seems to have been forgotten that I think you'll enjoy - 'Backdraft'. It's directed by Ron Howard
Oh excellent!!! Awesome. Commented before watching. Really can see you liking this
absolutely LOVE this movie.. it is funny yet somehow believable.. great acting by all.. and the comedic things when you least expect it.. great reaction