As an action film, True Lies is scarcely more than a retread of Commando.

The tale begins and ends in a flurry of joke violence; Cameron has decided to spoof what he used to take seriously, and the result, though bright and deafening, feels oddly slack—he loosens the screws, and our interest drops away.

This is undoubtedly the popcorn muncher of the season.

Schwarzenegger handles this comedy with a deft touch, but he can still knock heads and glare his trademark glare, which is played for laughs here.