True Lies(1994)
20th Century Fox Jul 15, 1994 | Wide
A fearless, globe-trotting, terrorist-battling secret agent has his life turned upside down when he discovers his wife might be having an affair with a used-car salesman while terrorists smuggle nuclear war heads into the United States.
Releases
Original Release | Jul 15, 1994
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Box Office Results
Results
$25,869,770
$146,282,411
$232,600,000
$378,882,411
Current Showtimes
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- Tue Jun 2
- Wed Jun 3
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Director & Top Cast
Technical Specifications
Sound Mix: DTS,Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio: 2.39 : 1
Other Details
Country of Origin: United States
Language: English,French,Arabic,German
Summaries
Plot Summary
- Location: Lake Chapeau, SwitzerlandLate on a wintery night, security guards are screening cars for their official invitations for a black-tie event at a château. Other security guards armed with submachine guns and guard dogs patrol the grounds, and spotlights shine around. Underwater in a canal that passes through the yard, professional spy Harry Tasker (Arnold Schwarzenegger), wearing scuba diving gear, cuts through the gate with a torch. He breaks through the ice on the other side of the gate with a large knife and removes his headgear, then sets a leather bag on the ice and gets out.Harry hides behind the boathouse and removes a walkie-talkie from the bag and says, "Honey, I'm home" to his partners Albert "Gib" Gibson (Tom Arnold) and Faisil (Grant Heslov), parked in a surveillance van across the lake. Harry removes his scuba gear, revealing a tuxedo, and puts on his gun. He then puts on a radio earpiece, then his coat, and then places a radio-controlled explosive device on a barrel of benzene and puts on some cologne from a small bottle.Following advice from Gib, Harry sneaks into the mansion through the service door. After passing through the kitchen, a cook confronts him in French. Harry responds in French, acting all important and criticizing the feast displayed on the table. He grabs a glass of wine and walks into the ballroom. The orchestra plays "the Blue Danube" as Harry greets a sheik in Arabic. Gib asks Harry if he has seen Jamel Khaled yet, and Harry responds that he does. Another woman, Juno Skinner, (Tia Carrere) greets Khaled (Marshall Manesh), then watches Harry as he checks her out. Harry bumps into and greets a colonel, who doesn't know him. Harry ditches his drink and goes through the main foyer and to the second floor. He goes into the library then to the second-floor balcony. He climbs up the wall to the third floor, quietly breaks into the room there, hooks up a modem to a computer and transmits files to his partners in the van. Faisil begins decrypting the files.Harry comes out of a second story room and asks the security man in Arabic where the bathroom is, who informs him that it's downstairs. Back in the foyer, Harry pretends to examine some large sculptures on a desk, then sees some more security guards rushing upstairs. Juno walks up to Harry, and he remarks that the sculpture is magnificent. She tells Harry that she doesn't recognize him as one of Khaled's friends and has never met him before. Harry introduces himself as "Harry Renquist" and Juno introduces herself. Gib quickly does a background check revealing that Juno is an arts and antiquities dealer, specializing in Ancient Persian antiques. Harry remarks that the sculpture is Persian, and she says that it's sixth century B.C. He claims that he adores the period.Things go awry when a security guard discovers the break in the ice and alerts others on the radio of a breach. Security guards scramble outside, and Gib informs Harry. Harry sees the three security guards come downstairs, so he takes Juno to dance the tango, "Por Una Cabeza", which now plays in the ballroom. Gib informs Harry that he doesn't have time to tango. While dancing, Harry constantly looks around at security. Juno clearly enjoys the way Harry dances with her. Gib tells Harry to get out of there.Faisil finally decrypts the files and starts copying them. After the dance, Harry and Juno leave the ballroom, and she's impressed. Harry tells her that he has to leave because he has a plane to catch, and she gives him a business card from her dress top, telling him that her offices are in Rome. Gib makes a snide remark because Juno is smitten with Harry.Outside, Harry informs Gib that he's going to simply walk right out the front gate. A security guard confronts Harry and asks him in English for his invitation. Harry pulls out a small metal case, saying that it's his invitation, then remotely sets off an explosive charge at the boat house. Harry knocks out the security guard, then changes his plans and runs across the yard. Security sets two dogs on him, and he bumps their heads together. Several armed men on snowmobiles and skis chase after Harry, but he shoots them as he runs downhill to the backup rendezvous point. When Harry finally reaches the van, he shoots down two more armed men approaching on skis, and then gets in the van and they drive away.The team flies back to Washington, DC. Gib drives Harry home. Before Harry gets out, he ditches his Renquist ID, and Gib supplies him his real billfold and some items to support a supposed trip to Geneva, including a passport, ticket stub, a hotel bill, two postcards, house keys, and a souvenir Swiss village snow globe for Harry's daughter Dana. Harry tells Gib to pick him up tomorrow at eight o'clock. Gib finally gives Harry his wedding ring, and then drives away. Harry carries the snow globe, a suitcase, and luggage up the steps to his house, and then picks up a newspaper before he opens the front door. He quietly enters his bedroom then climbs into bed. His wife Helen (Jamie Lee Curtis) groggily asks him how his flight was, and then they sleep.The next day, Harry gives the snow globe to his daughter Dana (Eliza Dushku) and tells her that she's late for school, and not to forget to feed her dog Gizmo. After Harry leaves, she tells Gizmo that the snow globe is lame and throws it away.While Harry and Helen get ready for work, they talk about his trip, which he had previously told her was a salesman convention. He continues the pretense, saying that his team was the hit of the show. Helen tells him that the plumber called, and it will cost $600. He says its OK and asks what she told the plumber. She jokes that she slept with the plumber and he will deduct $100. Harry tells her that it's good thinking and kisses her goodbye.Gib strolls in through the unlocked front door, and after looking around, sets a pack of cigarettes on the fireplace mantle. The pack is actually a CCD video camera, which he aims at his own jacket on a chair. Dana's boyfriend rides up on his motorcycle. Gib gives a pair of sunglasses to Harry, which is actually the remote receiving unit for the video camera. In the glasses, Harry sees Dana swiping money from his jacket, but she runs outside quickly before Harry can talk to her, and she rides off with her boyfriend to school.On the way to work, Gib, married three times, tells Harry discouraging assumptions about Dana. He suggests that she's probably having sex with her boyfriend. Harry says that Dana wouldn't do that. Gib continues, saying that she could be stealing the money for an abortion or drugs. As they walk through an X-Ray tunnel at work, Gib, says that he moved back in with his ex-wife to have a better chance of getting the house during the settlement. They pass through two security checkpoints, including a palm, retina, and voice scanner. They finally take an elevator to their agency, the Omega Sector, "The last line of defense".The head of Omega Sector, the eyepatch-wearing Spencer Trilby (Charlton Heston), rebukes Harry, calling the mission in Switzerland a total disaster. Harry tries to defend himself, and Gib and Faisil pitch in. Faisil produces evidence of $100 million Jamel Khaled transferred from a bank known as a terrorist front. He also says that 4 MIRV warheads (nuclear weapons) were smuggled out of Kazakhstan. Harry says that they think Khaled's group bought the nukes and will try to bring them to the United States. The mostly unimpressed Spencer tells them to produce hard evidence before terrorists try to detonate a nuke outside the White House.While Helen is at work, she talks to her coworker Allison (Katsy Chappell) about Harry's supposedly boring life as a sales representative. Helen says that when she can't sleep she asks him about his supposed job and it puts her quickly to sleep.Gib and Faisil show Harry proof of a $2 million disbursement from Khaled to Juno Skinner. Although Khaled gets his antiquities from her, the transaction is suspicious because the money came from another ledger; this is too much money for sex, even for someone as attractive as her. Harry tells them to do a complete work-up on her. The team decides to send Harry to her local offices in Washington D.C.At Juno's offices, Harry resumes the Harry Renquist alias, now claiming to be the representative for a corporate art consulting company in San Francisco. Juno immediately recognizes Harry and is surprised to see him so soon. He pretends that he's buying something for some clients. As they walk through a large bay containing recent arrived antiques from the Middle East, he tells her that he learned she can read ancient Sanskrit without sounding out the words. He also claims that other art dealers and archaeologists don't like her very much. She replies that it's because she uses her diplomatic contacts to export items from countries that would rather not sell. The entire time, Harry is observed from across the room by Juno's employer Salim Abu Aziz (Art Malik). Juno tells Harry that most of their items come from ancient Persia, which is buried deep under sand in Iran, Iraq, and Syria -- making them hard to obtain. As a result, she has had to become an expert in international diplomacy.Back at Harry's suite at the Marquis Hotel, where they set up a fake office, Gib tells Harry that Juno could be moving money, guns, or other dangerous items. Faisil tells Harry that as soon as he left Juno's office, the team received several calls to the phones, checking out Harry's alias name. Harry tells them to step up surveillance of Juno and put on two more guys.Aziz comes into Juno's office and slaps her, calling her a derogatory name in Arabic. He switches to English, calling her a stupid undisciplined bitch. She tolerates this insult, since Aziz is paying her a lot of money to smuggle his nuclear warheads into the United States. He tells her that surveillance teams are watching them and probably tapped the phones. He criticizes her for "flirting like a whore" with Harry, and slaps her again. He tells her to find out where Harry is.Helen calls Harry at his office at "Tektel Systems", the front organization for the Omega Sector. The telephone operator transfers the call to his hotel suite. Helen tells Harry that she and Dana are preparing him a birthday party and hope he will be home by 8:00 at night. Harry assures her that he will be home in time.Gib drives Harry home in an SUV and informs him that someone is tailing them. Harry calls Faisil, who is in the van, and tells him to meet him at the Georgetown Park mall in three minutes. When Gib parks, Harry gets out and crosses the street, using his cigarette camera to watch the two henchmen who got out and are now following him. Aziz stays behind in the tailing car. Gib calls Helen and tells her that Harry will be late because he forgot something at the office. Sitting in front of Harry's birthday cake, Dana tells Helen, "See."Harry walks into the mall, then goes straight for a men's room, setting up his camera on the sink, then pretends to use a urinal. An old man is sitting in one of the toilet stalls. The first henchman enters the bathroom and combs his hair. Outside, a bus pulls up between Gib and the trailing car. When the bus leaves, Aziz is gone, and Gib informs Harry. The second henchman enters the bathroom and draws a suppressed pistol, but Harry sees him and dodges the thug's shot. Harry knocks the pistol out of the thug's hand, but the first henchman draws his machine pistol. Harry draws his pistol and shoots him, causing his weapon to fire wildly all around the bathroom before he falls dead. The second henchman knocks Harry's pistol down. Harry kicks the henchman's pistol away before the thug can grab it. After a fierce fight, Harry rips a hand dryer off the wall and strikes it across the henchman's face, then pushes him into a urinal, knocking him out. Harry handcuffs him.At that point, Aziz enters, submachine gun in hand. He opens fire on Harry, but Harry turns the henchman he just overpowered into a human shield who absorbs the bullets, then ducks for cover in the other side of the bathroom. Aziz sprays the stalls on that side and walks across the bathroom, kicking open each stall as he searches for Harry. Harry jumps out of the last stall before Aziz reaches it and retrieves his weapon. As Aziz runs out of the bathroom he fires at Harry. While Harry chases after Aziz, Aziz reloads and runs into the mall.Aziz jumps through a glass window of one of the mall shops, and he shoots at Gib, who has finally caught up. Despite Gib only having the slim cover of a lamppost, none of Aziz's bullets hit him. Harry jumps through the window and chases after Aziz down the street. Aziz flees by yanking a rider off a passing motorcycle, while Harry commandeers a mounted policeman's horse to give chase. Gib and Faisil catch up in the SUV and van and block Aziz's path, but he rides into a Marriott hotel with Harry close behind. They reach the parking garage and Gib and Faisil catch up again. Aziz rides into one of the glass elevators and takes a woman hostage. Harry takes another glass elevator and follows Aziz to the top floor balcony. Aziz rides through the glass barrier and jumps off the balcony, down into a swimming pool on the roof of an adjacent building across the street. Harry tries to follow him, but the horse balks and Harry flies off and dangles by the reins, losing his gun in the process. He gets the horse to back up and then scolds the horse as if it were a cop.When Gib drops Harry off, Helen is asleep at the table. The cake is still there, and balloons are all around. When Harry comes in, waking Helen, he apologizes to her. She's upset but accepts his apology.Harry accesses the database at work and identifies Aziz. The team informs Spencer that Aziz is a fanatical major terrorist, wanted for a large number of car bombings, and also responsible for bombing a café a year ago and a passenger plane prior to that. He is nicknamed the "Sand Spider", and has formed his own splinter faction called the "Crimson Jihad". Harry assures Spencer that they will get Aziz.Harry stops by Helen's job to check if she's available for lunch, to try to smooth over their relationship. Just as Harry is about to reach her cubicle, Helen's coworker Allison tells her that her mystery man is on the phone. Helen takes the call from "Simon" while Harry stands back at another cubicle and listens. Helen agrees to meet Simon right now and rushes out, with Allison giving her approval of presumed sex from the "stud". Harry leaves the building in a daze and walks into traffic. Gib pulls Harry out of the street, thinking that he is sick. Harry tells Gib that Helen is having an affair. Gib is relieved and happy, telling Harry that the same thing happened with his second wife. He tells Harry that Helen still loves Harry but just wants to bang the guy for a while. Harry gets upset, but Gib tells him that it's because Harry is never home. Gib gets Harry back in the SUV and tells him to concentrate on work, catching terrorists and beating them up to feel better.At home, Harry angrily eats dinner with his family. He tells Helen that he went to her office to have lunch with her, but she makes up an excuse about taking documents to the district courthouse. Her words drone away at the end. He pretends to accept her excuse, with a veiled furious smirk.At work, Gib tells Harry that Spencer has given them permission to wiretap all of Juno's shipping agents and clients. Faisil has also made a list of possible contacts of Crimson Jihad in the United States. Harry stops walking and stares into space. Harry tells Gib to put wiretaps on his home phone and Helen's phone at her work, but Gib objects; Harry pushes Gib and insists. Later, Harry reads the transcript of Helen's latest phone conversation with Simon. She has agreed to meet him for lunch tomorrow "at the same place", and he finished the conversation with "I need you." Harry angrily wads up the paper.At home after work, Harry asks Helen to go with him to lunch tomorrow. She lies, saying that she's going shopping with Allison. Harry secretly takes Helen's purse and tosses it through the bathroom window to Gib waiting outside in the pouring rain. Harry walks Dana's dog to the surveillance van and retrieves the purse from Gib, who has sewn various monitoring devices into the lining of the purse.The next day, Harry and Gib tail Helen in the SUV as she drives to her appointment with Simon in Chinatown. They listen to her conversation with him inside a Chinese restaurant. Simon (Bill Paxton) tells her that he may have to leave suddenly. He tells her that she's the only one he can trust, and says that he just got back from covert operations, which was worse than his mission in Cairo. Gib and Harry begin to think Simon is a spook (a spy) who is using Helen to get to Harry, but then they determine he is a fraud when Simon shows Helen a newspaper article about Harry's shootout with Aziz and tries to take credit for it.Simon is actually a used car salesman. After meeting with Helen, he drives back to his dealership in a 1959 Corvette convertible, which is for sale for $17,599. Harry goes into the lot, pretending to be interested in the Corvette. As they go for a test drive in the Corvette, Simon is sure that Harry is interested in picking up women. He tells Harry that he still has to have an "angle". When they stop to eat, Simon tells Harry that he targets bored housewives, and creates a fantasy of adventure and danger for them. Harry says that he couldn't lie like that. Harry asks about their husbands, and Simon replies, "If they took care of business, I'd be out of business." On the way back to the dealership, Harry asks Simon whom he's working on right now. Simon describes Helen, an "uptight conservative" legal secretary, married to a boring jerk, who has an incredible body and breasts that "make you want to stand up and beg for buttermilk. Ass like a 10-year-old boy." Harry envisions hitting Simon in the face but doesn't. Harry asks if she's good in bed, but they reach the lot before he can answer. Harry guns the engine, spinning the car into the lot, and parking perfectly. Simon asks Harry if he wants to buy the car, so Harry tells Simon to hold it for him for a day.At night, Gib shows Harry the day's transcript of Helen's wiretaps. Harry suddenly pulls the SUV over and they get out. He demands to see the missing page then punches and breaks the SUV window. Gib reluctantly gives it to him. As Harry reads the paper, the camera shows Simon talking on the phone with Helen. They agree to meet on K Street under the Key Bridge at 8:00. When they hang up, Simon shoots BBs at a silhouette target with an air pistol. The GPS in Helen's purse shows that it's still at the house, and it's almost 8:00, so Harry and Gib race to get to the bridge in time. Harry calls other agents off priority surveillance to intercept Helen and Simon, and Gib objects the misuse of Omega Sector resources. Harry replies that if Gib tells on him, Harry will tell on Gib. He informs Gib that he knows Gib blew a 6-week operation because he was busy getting oral sex, so Gib agrees to participate. Simon picks up Helen with the Corvette, and then as he drives, he tells her to put her head down until they get out of the city. An Omega Sector agent reports that Helen has her head in his lap. As Simon goes over the bridge, a helicopter follows them and confirms it. Gib suggests that Helen could be sleepy.Simon parks the car at a run down trailer park and tells her that his trailer is a safe house. He tells her that his other places are "too hot" right now. Inside his trailer, Simon asks Helen to pose as his wife for an "operation" in Paris because others are looking for a man traveling alone. Meanwhile outside, the Omega Sector agents get dressed in night gear. Simon tells Helen that she's the only one he can trust because there's a double agent in his outfit. Helen agrees to go, and Simon compliments her on how brave she is. He sits on the couch next to her and tells her that they have to appear that they are intimate with each other. He takes off her glasses and starts kissing her, causing her great discomfort. Helen finally kicks him away and tells him that she can't do it. Suddenly the lights go out and the Omega Sector agents cut open the end of the trailer, shining the helicopter's spotlight inside. Simon trips and falls on Helen. Harry, wearing a balaclava, sees Simon on his wife, and enraged, drags him outside and handcuffs him. After a struggle, Helen is handcuffed as well. The two then have hoods thrown over their heads and are loaded into the back of a van.At an interrogation room with a two-way mirror, Harry and Gib use a voice distorter to mask their voices while they question Helen. Harry asks Helen about her ties with "the international terrorist Carlos the Jackal", but she claims innocence, saying that she just met Simon "or whoever you say he is" two weeks ago and barely knows him. Harry asks Helen how she met Simon.In a flashback, Simon approaches Helen in the Chinese restaurant and leave his briefcase with her, telling her it's for national security, before he leaves quickly. She takes the briefcase to work and picks the locks, finding a passport, maps of other countries, and the air pistol we saw earlier; then she frantically closes it.Back in the interrogation room, Harry asks Helen why she continued seeing Simon, so she says that he needed her help. Gib asks her inappropriate questions about cheating on Harry, but she says that she didn't. When Harry asks Helen about her husband, she says that Harry is a sales representative for a computer company, and is a good man. Harry asks her why she went to Carlos's hideout, and she says that he wanted her to go to Paris with him on a mission and pose as his wife. She says that she agreed because she needed to feel alive, and to do something outrageous; it felt good to be needed and trusted and special. Harry asks her if she slept with Simon, and she says no and starts crying.Harry asks her again and she gets extremely upset, slamming the stool against the mirror and cracking it. The last question Harry asks her is if she still loves him. She says yes, that she always did and always will love him. Harry tells Gib that he's giving Helen an assignment because she wants adventure. He gives her a choice to work for them and they will drop the charges against her; otherwise she will go to a federal prison. Helen agrees (of course). Harry says that a man code named "Boris" will contact her with the assignment; Helen's code name is "Doris". They drop her off at her car and she's still extremely upset.Harry and Gib take Simon, who is wearing only his underwear, to the top of a dam, holding him by the floodgates. Harry accuses him of being the terrorist Carlos, but he says that his name is Simon. Harry and Gib take off their ski masks. Simon recognizes Harry and tries again to sell the Corvette to him. Gib tells Carlos that his terrorist career is well documented, but Simon insists that he only sells used cars. Simon also insists that he's not a terrorist or a spy, but is a coward. Harry points his gun at Simon's face, and Simon fearfully tells them again that he's not a spy, that he lies to sleep around with women, but does not score much. He then pisses himself out of fear, proving that he's not a spy. Harry and Gib drive away and leave Simon at the dam, lost and bewildered.The next day Harry asks Helen about last night. Helen trembles then lies to Harry that she had a flat tire, and the tow truck driver took a long time to arrive. The phone rings and Helen answers it. It's Gib on the phone, using a voice distorter and calling her "Doris". He tells her to go to the Hotel Marquis in exactly one hour, and pick up an envelope marked "Doris" at the front desk. He tells her to wear something sexy. Harry's coworker Jean-Claude (Jean-Claude Parachini) records an audiotape of instructions. Gib criticizes Harry for using Omega Sector funds for the suite.Helen arrives at the hotel wearing a frilly evening gown and picks up the envelope, which contains a phone number and an electronic bug. She calls the phone number and Gib (voice distorted) tells her to go to the suite and pose as a prostitute named Michelle. He tells her that a suspected arms dealer is waiting for her in the room. Gib tells her that the man only likes to watch; she should tell him that his regular girl Carla is sick. Gib tells her that if the man likes her he will give her instructions. He finally tells her to plant the bug near the telephone by the plant before she leaves, otherwise the deal is off.Gib hangs up and Helen walks to the suite, passing a mirror. She rips off the sleeves from her dress, and then rips the bottom and top of her dress off, exposing cleavage. She adds more lipstick and mascara, and then wets her hair using water from a vase. Satisfied that she looks like a prostitute, she puts the bug in her bra and enters the suite. When she opens the door, she quickly puts her wedding ring on the other hand. Harry sits in the shadows at the far side of the bedroom. He greets her using the tape recording from Jean-Claude, and continues to speak through the tape player. He tells her to have some champagne, and then tells her to come to the bedroom. She informs him that her name is Michelle, and Carla thought he might like her. Harry tells her that he will do the talking.Harry orders her by tape recorder to remove her dress, making her turn around and do it "doucement" and very slowly, and then orders her to dance sexily for him. As she dances in her bra and panties, she becomes more uninhibited, dancing almost like a professional stripper. The song "Alone in the Dark" by John Hiatt plays while she dances. Harry is surprised so much that he drops the tape player but picks it back up. Harry tells her to lie on the bed and close her eyes. He puts the tape player down and approaches her, holding a long stem red rose. He sits on the bed and puts the rose to her nose, then runs it down her face and between her breasts. Finally he kisses her. She moans and grabs the phone and hits him in the head with it. When he falls to the floor, she puts on her dress, and then kicks him in the ribs calling him a pig and a bastard. Finally she sticks the bug on the lamp stand and starts to run out.Harry calls out to her and makes her stop, then starts to explain. Suddenly, several armed gunmen burst through the doors, shouting orders in Arabic and English. Harry tells Helen not to do anything. Still stuck in spy mode, Helen tells the men that she's the one they want. Harry tells her to be quiet and cooperate with the men, then tells the men to let the hooker (Helen) go. As the men take Harry and Helen out, Helen tells Harry to let her handle it.The men take Harry and Helen to a private jet. Juno gets out of a limousine and greets Harry. Helen tells Juno that she is Helen Tasker, and Harry is her husband, but he insists that she's a hooker that he met in a bar. On the jet Helen continues, saying that they have a daughter, and shows Juno a locket with Harry and Helen's pictures. The flight attendant then tranquilizes Helen and Harry. Right before he succumbs to the tranquilizer, Juno remarks that Helen really had no idea of Harry's secret life.Harry and Helen arrive at Aziz's terrorist camp in a helicopter. In a warehouse, Juno shows Harry and Helen four giant statues from ancient Persia. She calls the statues "the four horsemen", and says that they are priceless.The terrorists rip open one of the statues and remove a large case containing a Soviet nuclear warhead. With a cameraman is filming the event, Aziz asks Harry if he knows what the weapon is, and Harry jokes about it. Aziz holds a knife to Helen's neck, telling her that they brought Harry and Helen there so Harry can tell the world about the weapon, and that the world will know that the Crimson Jihad is a nuclear power. Helen wonders how Harry can do that, as she only has been left thinking he's a computer salesman. Harry reluctantly describes the weapon, a Soviet MIRV-6, and then tells Aziz in Arabic to release Helen and he will cooperate. Aziz orders his men to remove the warheads from the other statues. Harry admits to Helen that he's a spy, so she punches him, knocking him off his feet and calls him a bastard, a lying son of a bitch, and a pig. Juno is amused. Harry continues describing the weapon in front of the camera.The chauffeur rifles through Helen's purse. Harry says that he can verify that they are able to detonate all four warheads. Aziz then rants in front of the camera, saying, "You have killed our women and our children, bombed our cities from afar like cowards, and you dare to call us terrorists? Now, the oppressed have been given a mighty sword with which to strike back at their enemies." The camera displays a low battery warning as Aziz continues his diatribe by warning, "Unless you, America, pulls all military forces out of the Persian Gulf area immediately and forever, the Crimson Jihad will rain fire on one major U.S. city each week until our demands are met. First, we will detonate one weapon on this uninhabited island as a demonstration of our power..." The cameraman lowers the camera and informs Aziz that the battery died. Aziz angrily calls him a moron and orders him to find another one. The chauffeur finds a transmitter sewn into the lining of Helen's purse, but she says that it's not hers. Meanwhile, Gib and other Omega Sector men leave Miami in a jet, then Gib calls for two DEA helicopters. Faisil locates the purse on an island in the Florida Keys, past Marathon, before Aziz crushes the transmitter under his boot and the signal dies.The men take Harry and Helen to a small building where Samir (Charles Cragin), Aziz's interrogator, is preparing his instruments. He injects Harry with a vial of truth serum, then says that he will return after it takes effect. Harry asks Juno why she's helping these raving psychotics. She replies that they are paying her a lot of money; she doesn't care about their cause or Harry's. Harry calls her damaged goods. Juno asks if Harry if he told Helen about herself and Harry. He says there is no "us", and calls her a psychopathic bitch. Juno kisses him and leaves. Harry assures Helen that there was nothing between him and Juno.As the truth serum takes effect, Harry's sight and hearing become distorted, and he becomes groggy. Helen asks Harry what they gave him, and he tells her that it's likely sodium amytol or some other serum. She asks him if they are going to die, and he says yes, then describes possible ways the terrorists could kill them. She asks him how long he has been a spy, and he answers: 17 years. When she asks if he ever killed anyone, he replies, "Yeah, but they were all bad." Aziz finds a photo of Dana in Helen's wallet and decides she might be useful to his plans.Samir returns and prepares to torture Harry. Before he begins, he asks Harry if he has anything he'd like to admit to. Harry says that he will kill him very soon. Samir asks how, and then Harry provides a step-by-step description of how he will do it, amusing Samir, until Harry reveals that he's picked his handcuffs. Then, Harry kills Samir in the very way he just described: he grabs Samir, collars him as a human shield, then grabs a sharp instrument off the table and throws it, lodging in the eye of the henchman guarding the door, and lastly, breaks Samir's neck. A henchman comes to the door to investigate, and Harry stabs him with a butcher's hook and takes his pistol. He frees Helen and they leave the building. They hide behind a truck and observe Aziz and the terrorists in a pep rally, reciting slogans and shooting their weapons. Other terrorists find Samir and the guard and shoot at Harry and Helen as they run away. Harry comes out from hiding behind some crates and grabs an AKM assault rifle, striking and killing the men with it in close combat. He kills the last two men with their own knives. He shoots more men with another AKM. When one man grabs Helen, Harry shoots him with the pistol, shocking her. He grabs the guy's MAC-10.Aziz stops the rally and starts lecturing his men in Arabic. As Harry and Helen watch, Aziz arms the first warhead and sets it for 1 hour 30 minutes. Harry translates for Helen: "It is done. In 90 minutes a pillar of holy fire will light up the skies to show to the world that we speak the truth..." The terrorists cover the warhead with an American flag and seal the crate with concrete. "...We are set on our course. No force can stop us now. We're cool, we're bad-asses, blah blah blah blah." Harry stops translating for Helen. Helen asks why they are using trucks if they are on an island, and Harry tells her that they must be in the Florida Keys, and can use the Overseas Highway to get to the mainland.Harry tells Helen that they are the only ones who can stop the men. He gives her the MAC-10. As the men begin loading the warheads on the trucks, Harry sneaks up on two of the men and kills them quietly. He grabs an AKM then throws a grenade by some barrels of gasoline, exploding flaming gasoline on several terrorists. Harry shoots out the lights then shoots more men. He draws the pistol but another terrorist knocks it away and grabs him from behind, then calls the others. Harry tells Helen to shoot them, but when she tries the recoil knocks the MAC-10 out of her hands and it tumbles down the stairs. It continues firing as it tumbles, shooting several terrorists, including the one that was holding Harry, and then it runs out bullets and lands on a step. More men arrive and shoot at Harry, so Helen hides while Harry shoots a MAC-10 at them. Some of the men load the last warhead on a helicopter then it flies away. Harry grabs two more MAC-10s from dead guys and shoots at the men. He then finds a fueling truck and uses the nozzle as a flamethrower, igniting the gasoline with bullets. Aziz grabs a LAW rocket launcher and shoots at the truck, forcing Harry to dive into the water and swim to safety. The men cheer, thinking that Harry is dead, and Helen sits back forlorn.Juno and Aziz take Helen as a hostage. Harry finally comes up for air in time to see the terrorists take Helen away in a limousine. Aziz looks at the destruction, and then gets in the helicopter, sitting on the warhead. The trucks drive on the highway with the helicopter flying overhead. Gib and other Omega Sector agents arrive on the island in helicopters and pick up Harry; Harry briefs them in the air.Gib makes calls to evacuate people a safe distance from the island. Harry informs the White House and Gib calls for two Marine Corps Harrier jets. Meanwhile, Juno pours champagne while holding her Beretta pistol on Helen. The Harrier jets arrive and destroy the lead truck with machine gun fire. Men in the third truck attempt to shoot a Harrier with a Stinger missile, but aim it backwards. The missile's blast kills one of their men when he flies through the windshield and is run over. The Harrier jet avoids the missile. The jets shoot out the bridge with Maverick missiles, taking the second truck with it. The third truck stops at the edge of the bridge, balancing precariously over the drop. A pelican briefly lands on the dash, and the truck falls over the edge and explodes. While shouting instructions to the chauffeur, Juno gets distracted and Helen fights with her for the Beretta. One bullet hits the chauffeur in the head, killing him. As the car races out of control, the two women continue to fight for the gun. Helen knocks the gun away through the open sunroof. Finally Helen knocks Juno in the head with the champagne bottle. Harry stands on the helicopter skid and reaches for Helen, who is standing through the sunroof, and grabs her arm. Juno recovers just in time to see Harry pull Helen to safety, then sees the destroyed bridge ahead as the limousine plunges off the bridge into the water.The jets and the helicopters land on the highway at the end of the bridge. Gib uses a bullhorn and tells everyone to not look at the flash. Harry has a tender moment with Helen and puts the wedding ring on her correct finger. As the warhead detonates, sending up the classic mushroom cloud, Harry and Helen kiss. Gib calls Harry over and informs him that Aziz's helicopter landed on a high-rise building in Miami; they rendezvoused there with a dozen other faction members; they are on the 20th floor; SWAT is there and the cops have cordoned off the area. He finally tells Harry that they are holding Dana hostage. Gib tries to calm Harry down, but Harry runs to one of the jets and commandeers it. Gib explains to the pilots that on order from the President they have to give total cooperation. Gib reminds Harry that he hasn't flown a Harrier jet in 10 years. Harry tells him that if he breaks it, they can take it out of his pay. After a rough liftoff, Harry finally flies off toward Miami.Aziz watches the TV news reports and sees himself on the tape that was released to the media. Dana sits on a stool close by. Upon request by the Crimson Jihad, a video crew comes upstairs. Aziz arms the warhead then walks away to speak to his men, but leaves the key in the warhead arming box. The cameraman is Faisil.While Harry flies toward Miami in the jet, Faisil films Aziz as he lectures the United States. Aziz looks at the warhead arming box and sees that the key is missing. Dana, holding the key, runs up the stairs to the roof. Aziz and some of his men chase after her. Faisil pulls out a pistol from a hidden compartment in the camera and shoots the other Crimson Jihad men there. Dana climbs up a crane and Aziz shoots at her with his AKMS but misses; he follows her up the crane. Harry reaches Miami and radios Faisil, who reports that the 21st floor is secure; about 12 faction members are on the 20th floor; no hostages are there; Dana is on the roof. Aziz follows Dana onto the boom of the crane. Aziz orders her to give her the key, but she swears that she will drop it. She calls him a wacko and puts the chain around her neck then screams for help. The Harrier jet comes up to the building and Harry shoots all the faction members on the 20th floor. Aziz shouts at his men to get into the helicopter and fly away. Dana slips and almost falls. Harry comes up with the Harrier and attempts to rescue Dana. Aziz shoots at the jet, causing Harry to swerve into the boom. Aziz's AKMS falls onto the jet, the strap catching on it. The men in the helicopter shoot the jet, shattering the cockpit glass, but when Harry shoots back they fly behind a building. Aziz grabs Dana's arm and she falls onto the nose of the jet. Aziz jumps down after her, landing on the wing. As Harry tries to reach Dana, Aziz pulls out a knife and climbs toward them. Harry and Aziz fight over the knife and the jet backs up into a building, missing a janitor there and throwing Aziz back and causing him to drop the knife. Harry flies the jet out of the building. As the terrorist helicopter flies nearby, Aziz recovers his AKMS. He orders Harry to take the jet down or he will kill Dana. Harry checks that Dana has a secure hold on the jet then banks it to the left, throwing Aziz off. Aziz's backpack catches on a Sidewinder missile, and he hangs by the straps. Harry sees the terrorists in the helicopter on the other side of the building, then tells Aziz, "You're fired". Harry shoots the missile, with Aziz screaming and still hanging on it, through the wreckage of the 20th floor, destroying the helicopter and killing the terrorists.Harry lands the jet on the street below the building then tells Dana that it's over. They are escorted away by federal agents into a car and it drives away.One year later, Harry and his family are happily having dinner and playing a game of "thumbs". The phone rings, and Helen answers. A distorted voice asks for Boris and Doris (the code names for Harry and Helen). Harry and Helen are next shown in a ballroom, working as a team. The orchestra plays "The Blue Danube". Harry and Helen greet various important people there, who don't know them. Gib, in the van, asks if they saw their contact yet, but Harry says that he didn't. Helen sees Simon several feet away, posing as a waiter and trying to impress a woman with his spy routine. Harry comes up to Simon and calls him Carlos. Simon drops the champagne bottle. Helen puts her lipstick case under Simon's chin as if it were a pistol and prepares to "do him", and Harry tells her to go for it. Simon wets his pants in fear and runs out of the room screaming. Helen applies her lipstick. Harry grabs a rose and they dance to the next song, the tango ("Por Una Cabeza"). Gib tells them to not get distracted, because they have work to do, then complains that they are ignoring him. The end credits start while Harry and Helen are still dancing, then Gib complains some more. The song ends.The final scene shows Gib and Faisil in the van; Gib is still complaining: "You know what, I'm sick of being in the van. You guys are gonna be in the van next time. I've been in the van for 15 years, Harry."
Storyline
- Harry Tasker ( Arnold Schwarzenegger ) leads a double life. At work he is a government agent with a license to do just about anything, while at home he pretends to be a dull computer salesman. He is on the trail of stolen nuclear weapons that are in the hands of fanatic terrorists when something more important comes up. Harry finds his wife is seeing another man ( Bill Paxton ) because she needs some adventure in her life. Harry decides to give it to her, juggling pursuit of terrorists on one hand and an adventure for his wife on the other while showing he can Tango all at once. — John Vogel
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