James Cameron's True Lies may have had an exorbitant budget, but the movie has forever cemented itself as one of the best examples of action-comedy that Hollywood has ever produced. The choice of both Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis in the lead roles is largely responsible for the brilliant comic timing, as well as the thrilling action sequences.
In fact, Curtis even received the Best Actress Golden Globe for the role in the film, not to mention the overall box office returns were, to say the least, spectacular. There are a lot of lovely moments in True Lies — from the romantic and risky to the terrifying — but there are only a few that stand out against all the rest.
The Men's Bathroom
One of the initial fight scenes takes place in a public bathroom, where Harry casually stands at a urinal, waiting for Mahmoud and Yusif to make their first move. However, right before he is shot, he quickly locks one of their arms, tossing him against the barrier.
Mahmoud is killed by Harry, so Yusif attacks him with full force, and they almost do a jog across the various stalls (even bothering a poor old man in the process.) Finally, the hero manages to shove the villain's head into a urinal, concluding the electrifying battle.
The Truth Agent
The terrorists inject Harry with some kind of truth agent (perhaps sodium amytal), which the captured Helen decides to use to her advantage. She questions him about his career as a spy, their fate at the hands of their captors, and whether he has cheated on her, and is very disappointed to learn that he "wanted to pork" Juno.
As interesting as this exchange is, the most powerful point takes place when Helen wonders if he still loves her "as much as [he] used to." He says, "No. Much more," a statement that signifies that all is well in their marriage.
The Final Waltz
After everything's said and done, the couple gets a mysterious call asking for "Boris and Doris," indicating that both Helen and Harry are involved in spy work after the success of the previous mission.
Once they reach the Embassy Party, they spend some time terrorizing the pitiful Simon and then decide to have a nice slow waltz together. As beautiful as it is, the scene is made a lot funnier when Gib states that he's "sick of being in the van" while those two have a ball.
The Entire Seven Mile Bridge Sequence
This was the battle for Helen, in a manner of speaking, because Harry discovers that his wife is trapped in a limo as Juno's hostage, together with the terrorists and their bomb-containing trucks. He requests that the Harrier jets destroy the vans, slyly hoping that the nukes wouldn't explode, as well.
A large segment of the bridge collapses when the missiles strike it, while another one takes out the last truck. Of course, it's only over when Harry manages to get Helen out of the limo, right before it crashes into the water.
Dana On The Tower Crane
Dana takes the nuclear key and climbs the building to the topmost floor, where she decides to hop on a crane for some reason. As she makes her way through, Malik follows her, demanding that she return the key to him.
She refuses, but right as the villain reaches her, her father swerves into the frame, insisting that she jump, saying, "Let go, baby ... Daddy's got you!" Thankfully, she heeds his words and falls onto his windshield, infuriating Malik.
Harry's Arrival In A Harrier
When Harry finds out that the terrorists have abducted Dana, he flies off in a Harrier all the way to Miami, entering like "a gargoyle from hell," according to the script, into the fields of view of the Crimson Jihadists.
The lookout is confused, but the second he readjusts his binoculars, Harry sets off his nose-cannon, blasting all of them into pieces across the entire floor. While this isn't the best scene, it's certainly the most intimidating.
"Battery, Aziz"
When Malik announces his plans to the whole world, he has a rather elaborate speech planned, waxing eloquent about the "oppressed" suffering under the American militaristic hegemony over the Persian Gulf, his cameraman notices that the battery on the recorder has dropped to an alarming level.
Instead of informing his boss, he decides to wait until the charge has fully run out, only then exclaiming "Battery, Aziz!" Malik is not happy with this, but audiences sure found it hilarious.
Helen's Dance For Harry
Harry has his team set up a scenario that fulfills his wife's desire for a more ... dangerous life. He gets her to dance for him, pretending to be some French criminal, almost goofing up when asking her to take off her nylons.
In the beginning, Helen doesn't have the faintest idea of how to react, but her inner spy takes control quickly enough. What she performs is nothing like Harry has ever seen his wife do before, not even through 16 years of wedded bliss. The dance is sultry, evocative, and, most importantly, authentic.
"You're Fired"
After a fierce but rushed fight atop the Harrier, Harry succeeds in pushing Malik to the tail with a smart maneuver, following which he nods to his daughter and tilts the jet, forcing the terrorist to fall and snag on one of the missiles.
The camera zooms to Harry's face as he utters the most awesome line in the movie. Once the missile is released, it flies the screaming Malik straight into a helicopter filled with his Jihadi pals, destroying the threat once and for all.
When Helen Accidentally Slips
Harking back to an earlier scene, when Helen is dancing for Harry, there is a brief point when she slips and falls on the floor, causing him to get up so he can help her. However, she returns to her feet almost instantaneously, in one long fluid movement, continuing the performance as if there had never been an error in the first place.
The moment is made all the more magnificent when considering the fact that Jamie Lee Curtis was never supposed to have slipped — showing how these two veteran actors could keep their cool for the sake of the scene.