Arnold Schwarzenegger’s True Lies is an action movie classic that perfectly fits his talents, but it marked a significant turning point for the Hollywood superstar. Following their success together in the Terminator franchise, Schwarzenegger and James Cameron teamed up again for a very different project with True Lies. Based on the 1991 French comedy La Totale!, True Lies features Schwarzenegger as a secret agent who hides his covert work from his wife, Helen (Jamie Lee Curtis), only for his home and work lives to collide.

True Lies blends together comedy and action in a terrific way, with Cameron clearly seeing how effectively Schwarzenegger handles both aspects. His character of Harry Tasker gets to go into James Bond spy mode at times, as well as embracing the Commando-like action hero persona Schwarzenegger built. However, he is also genuinely hilarious in the lead role, especially in playing off Curtis and her well-honed comedic skills. However, looking back on True Lies, a sad truth becomes apparent in how it relates to Schwarzenegger’s career.

True Lies Was Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Last Great Action Movie

Schwarzenegger’s Reign As Hollywood’s Top Action Hero Was Coming To An End

Schwarzenegger was arguably the biggest star in Hollywood in the mid-1990s, with True Lies only cementing that reputation further. It was another big win for the actor, scoring a solid 70% on Rotten Tomatoes and earning nearly $380 million worldwide, making it Schwarzenegger’s fourth highest-grossing movie to date (via Box Office Mojo). However, it also marked the last time Schwarzenegger starred in a genuinely great action movie, leading to a drastic change in the genre.

Schwarzenegger had cemented himself as the biggest action movie star in Hollywood with Commando, Predator, The Running Man, and the Terminator movies. When True Lies came along, there was no sign of Schwarzenegger’s success in the genre diminishing. In fact, only two years earlier, Schwarzenegger starred in Terminator 2: Judgment Day, which is often regarded as one of the best action movies of all time. However, True Lies was followed by a series of disappointments.

Eraser was a solid follow-up to True Lies, but not nearly on the same level. End of Days, The 6th Day, and Collateral Damage were all forgettable, and the Terminator sequels never matched the first two movies. Schwarzenegger stepped away from movies for his political career, effectively ending his reign in action movies. However, the genre losing its biggest star also changed action movies overall.

Schwarzenegger’s action movies came from the era of practical effects and big stunts, with True Lies continuing that tradition. With the last action hero of that era gone and a new generation of action movie stars, like Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel, coming in, the genre began to embrace large-scale CGI action more.

The Recent Arnold Schwarzenegger Action Movie That Came Closest To Living Up To His Classics

Schwarzenegger’s Return To Action Movies Hasn’t Produced Any True Classics

Though Arnold Schwarzenegger stepped away from movies when he was the governor of California, he did return to movies once he had finished in that position. Even as an older actor, Schwarzenegger went back to starring in action movies, but none of them were on the same level as True Lies and his earlier movies. The Last Stand was a fun return to the genre for him, but too small-scale. Escape Plan was an entertaining reunion with Sylvester Stallone, but it was clear both action legends were past their prime.

Schwarzenegger’s best recent action movie was actually a supporting role in The Expendables 2. Schwarzenegger appeared in the first three movies in The Expendables franchise as Trench Mauser, but they were all brief appearances. What makes his role in The Expendables 3 so much fun is that he finally gets to get in on the action with Stallone and fellow action legend Bruce Willis. The image of the three of them in an action sequence together in a movie that feels like a throwback to older action movies is the closest Schwarzenegger has felt to that True Lies era.

Sources: Rotten Tomatoes, Box Office Mojo