Top 10 Schwarzenegger Movies (#4)

True Lies
Character: Harry Tasker
Year: 1994

I defended Jim Belushi in my Red Heat write up (well, not so much defended, as expressed my indifference) so I suppose I should do the same for Tom Arnold as well.  Because I kind of like Tom Arnold.  Yet, he seems like one of those names that society has predetermined that you're not supposed to like and as soon as you bring him up in conversation, there seems to be a negative sigma that automatically comes along with him.  And I'm trying to figure out why.

Is it the Roseanne thing?  Or just his personality in general?  I suppose that he has been in a lot of sub par movies, but still, the automatic hatred people have towards him seems to far exceed anything that he could have possibly done to deserve it.  My only real exposure to him has been the few times that he's been a guest on the Adam Carolla Show, and he's come off as a genuine and funny guy, with a lot of smart and interesting things to say.

Of course, my other exposure to him is True Lies.  And he's very good in it.  Dare I say, maybe even a scene-stealer (and it isn't easy to take the spotlight away from Arnie).  They got the tone of this movie just right.  The action to comedy to over-the-top to entertainment ratios of this film are perfect.  Both Arnold's (Tom and Schwarzenegger) knock it out of the park.

Speaking of which, this list isn't about Tom, it's about the other Arnold, so it's probably best if I take a few minutes to talk about… Bill Paxton.  See what I did there?  We call that the old bait 'n switch.  But seriously, this is the second of three Arnold movies that Bill Paxton will appear in on this list, and it's easily his biggest and best role out of the three.  And once more, his part is pitch perfect to go along with the rest of the movie.

Anyways, even though I've gushed enough (albeit not very much about the one Arnold that this list suggests that I should), I'd be remiss if I didn't give James Cameron his well-deserved credit as well.  Although, I suppose I could save that for later, since the rest of this list is going to see his name come up on more than one occasion.  Which is kind of strange when you consider that he's not even a name that comes to mind when discussing my favourite directors.  Maybe it's the stigma left in the wake of Titanic, or the underwhelming response I had when watching Avatar, that's taken him off that list.  But thinking about the rest of his resume - particularly the movies of his that appear on this list - I might have to reconsider his place within the confines of my cold, dead, Cameron-underrating heart.