True Lies

SmokeScreeners Rating:  

Year of Release: 1994

MPAA Rating: R

Director: James Cameron

Distributor: 20th Century Fox

In this film 7 smoking incidents occured, 4 of which were inside and 3 of which were outside.

The film was reviewed by Dr. Barry Hummel of QDREF on 3/15/2009.

Dr. Hummel posted the following additional comments: "True Lies is a fun-filled action picture that makes you wonder what the great James Cameron could do if he was ever given the keys to the James Bond franchise.  Unfortunately, like the Bond films, the super-spy played by Arnold Schwarzenegger was seen using tobacco in a couple of key scenes.

The first occurs early in the film, when Schwarzenegger uses a silver cigarette case to detonate explosives to create a diversion:

Later, Schwarzenegger's partner (played by Tom Arnold) tests a piece of equipment on Schwarzenegger's unsuspecting daughter.  Note the clever product placement for Lucky Strike cigarettes:  

But, the highlight of smoking scenes occurs while Schwarzenegger and Arnold are being tailed by several terrorists.  Schwarzenegger whips out the Lucky Strike pack to keep an eye on the terrorists, puffing away as he enters a mall. 

Meanwhile, the head terrorist (Art Malik) clouds up his car with tobacco smoke:

In all of these scenes, attention is drawn to the tobacco because it has become an integral part of each of these scenes.  I suspect a director as creative as James Cameron could have come up with an alternative, instead of taking the easy way out.

By the way, I would like to thank 2oth Century Fox for not acknowledging my right to use clips from this film for educational purposes under current Fair Use Laws, forcing me to remove the clips from YouTube and using still frames from the film."