History YMMV / TrueLies

** Gib jokes to Harry that Dana is using the money she stole to pay for drugs. Creator/ElizaDushku would later struggle with drug addiction.
*** Additionally, the fact that Eliza Dushku was sexually abused by a crew member makes the already ''very'' sleazy dialogue where Gib talks about how kids are growing up faster these days, asks Harry if he thinks Dana is still a virgin, and suggests she could be paying for an abortion '''much''' more cringe-inducing.

* SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct: Creator/TomArnold surprised a lot of people, including film critics, with his performance, especially since beforehand he was pretty much known for being married to Creator/RoseanneBarr. The dramatic scene where he tells Harry that he shouldn't be surprised that Helen might be cheating (because Harry's job keeps him away from home so much) is very well done. There's a lot of anguish on his face, which gives you a hint that his jokes about his own failed marriages are a defense mechanism he's using to [[SadClown mask a great deal of pain]]. Then there's the fact that his performance leads you to believe that he is actually badass enough to be Arnold Schwarzenegger's partner.

* OneSceneWonder: TortureTechnician Samir, especially given the way he gets killed.

* ValuesDissonance: During its [[https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1994/07/22/true-lies-or-stereotype/3279c7b4-2550-41d5-b666-900953d58190/ release]] and in the [[https://www.joblo.com/the-unpopular-opinion-true-lies/ years after]], the film has come under fire for featuring arguably racist portrayals of Middle Eastern people and its sexist treatment of female characters. And while Cameron has usually been praised for how he handles {{Action Girl}}s, [[https://thereveal.substack.com/p/the-case-of-the-disappearing-blockbuster Helen's portrayal]] is commonly seen as the most exploitative role of that kind that he's had in one of his movies.

* EndingFatigue: We have the awesome chase scene on the Florida Keys Highway with the amazing last second save of Helen, they kiss, roll cred.....Wait, the bad guys have somehow kidnapped the daughter and we have an awesome final battle, roll cred......Wait, it's a year later and we have a little epilogue, roll cred......wait Helen's now a spy and they're at an awesome party like the one at the beginning roll cred......Wait, it's Creator/BillPaxton! Let's make fun of him again. The Tango!.........Roll Credits, whew!

** The last act of the film involves Dana being captured and put in danger multiple times. It's even more uncomfortable to watch now that you know Creator/ElizaDushku confessed to being abused by the stunt co-ordinator who threatened to kill her by deliberately messing up a stunt and even did so to injure her as a warning. The fear she has in the finale is entirely genuine.

* RetroactiveRecognition: There's a reason [[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer Faith]] and [[{{Series/Dollhouse}} Echo]] are such badass {{Action Girl}}s: they're Ahnold's daughter. Anyone wanting to know what a younger Faith might be like...Dana nails it cold.

* EvilIsSexy: Juno Skinner - a glamorous FemmeFatale who wears tight dresses and flips her beautiful long hair around.

* AcceptableEthnicTargets: Just about every Arab villain is depicted as a bumbling, cowardly, cartoonishly evil character, whose sole purpose is to die in some horrific over the top fashion. Suffice it to say, Creator/JamesCameron was ''not'' sympathetic to their cause. The film did receive some criticism for portraying the terrorists as "stereotypically" Muslim. This was 7 years before 9/11.

* HesJustHiding: Not everyone is convinced that [[spoiler:Juno bit it when her car went off the road and into the ocean]], especially given that a door and sunroof were both open, providing an easy means of escape.

* SignatureScene: Either Harry rescuing Helen by helicopter before the limo she's inside of plummets off the bridge, or the kiss with the nuclear explosion as a backdrop (which received a spoof on ''WesternAnimation/TheCritic'').
** An argument can be made for the striptease scene.
** Harry's PreMortemOneLiner is considered one of the best of its kind.

*** Additionally, the fact that Eliza Dushku was sexually abused by a crew member makes the already ''very'' sleazy joke where Gib talks about how kids are growing up faster these days, asks Harry if he thinks Dana is still a virgin, and suggests she could be paying for an abortion '''much''' more cringe-inducing.

* OvershadowedByControversy: In 2018, Creator/ElizaDushku accused the film's stunt coordinator Joel Kramer of sexually abusing her, and then threatening to kill her by sabotaging a stunt if she told anyone. And remember, she was 12 years old at the time. Creator/JamesCameron was quick to say if he'd had any idea about it, he would have had [[PapaWolf "no mercy"]] in dealing out just desserts. Jamie Lee Curtis, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Tom Arnold all echoed similar statements.