 | Regarded by some genre fans as one of the best action movies of the 1990s, this is certainly one of Arnie's most memorable, and reunited him with James Cameron, who had previously directed him in the first two Terminator movies and would go on to make the DiCaprio/Winslet Titanic movie. Some SOLOists may regard this as an odd recommendation, but I find the sense of life shown in the movie quite irresistible, particularly the plot device of a bored middle class working wife discovering excitement and adventure.
Arnie plays Harry Tasker, a courageous agent for the Omega Sector, a highly secretive agency of the US government. For years he has led a double life, his wife Helen (Curtis) and daughter Dana (Eliza Dushku, pre her role in Buffy TheVampire Slayer) both believing him to be a salesman. As the movie opens, Harry and his fellow agents stumble on to the trail of an Arab terrorist faction Crimson Jihad, but their efforts at uncovering the terrorists' plans are complicated when Harry starts to think that Helen is having an affair with the mysterious Simon (Bill Paxton). Following some blatant misappropriation of government resources, Harry realises to his relief that there is no affair and discovers Simon to be nothing more than a used car salesman masquerading as a secret agent. But the incident does awaken Harry to the fact that Helen is bored with her life and needs some excitement, and so he sets Helen up on a fake mission to bug a hotel room. The occupant of the room is in fact Harry himself, who plans to finally reveal all to his long-suffering wife. But the terrorists storm the hotel room and take Harry and Helen hostage, expecting Harry to verify to the media that they are in possession of nuclear weapons. Much chaos and hilarity ensue, as husband and wife join forces to attempt an escape and combat the terrorist menace.
The movie brilliantly combines explosive action scenes, touching moments as Harry realises he may be on the verge of loosing his wife, and frequent comedic twists such as Harry removing a diving suit early in the movie to reveal a tuxedo underneath (a take-off on the opening of Goldfinger), Harry apologising to the occupant of a toilet cubicle after a gunfight breaks out in a men's room, and of course the entire concept of an agent diverting government resources to find out whether his wife is having an affair.
Oh and there's an absolutely priceless cameo appearance by Charlton Heston as Harry boss at Omega Sector too!
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