True Lies

by Dewey Gram, Duane Dell'Amico

When Harry Tasker, Omega Sector's top field agent for nuclear containment, takes on the Crimson Jihad, Helen, his wife of fifteen years, learns that he is not the boring computer salesman she had thought

Genres: Fiction

240 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 15, 1994

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just don't understand why novelizations aren't more of a thing these days, or they are all aimed at kids. A lot of the Disney films have novelizations attached to them, but Suicide Squad is the only one I can think of recently, that has had a novelizations attached to it. (So not interested.) There may be more (and if you can suggest any, I'd appreciate it), but they are few and far between.

I recently re-watched this, while grumbling about no blu ray release, and when reading the trivia on IMDb afterwards, discovered reference to this. Which I simply had to have. And from the first line, I loved this.

It sticks pretty closely to what the original script must have looked like, but there are some additional scenes that clearly got cut from the final film. (Dana can apparently sing.) Theres also some background given to Harry's Dad and Helen's Mum (did they even get a mention in the film?), some background to the bad guy, Aziz, and a bit more fleshing out of Harry's sidekicks and Juno. The writer did a good job of describing just how stunning the character was. I would have liked to have seen some more of Simon, simply because Bill Paxton made what could have easily been a forgettable character, brilliant.

The great thing I love about novelizations is the little insignificant details that wouldn't necessarily appear or be noticeable on film, but the book fleshes out marvellously. For example, we all knew that Faisil was urinating outside the truck at the beginning, but the book goes that one step further. It describes him as writing his fiancee's name, using his left hand to disguise his handwriting!! (I suddenly want to be a guy.)

There are a couple of lines of dialogue that were (thankfully) cut from the final film, as they just wouldn't sound right coming from the stars mouths. But that may be because I know the film so well.

We know quite well the reference to "I married Rambo" that Helen says during the film, but the book also references the Hulk and a guy with "plate like pecs" - no Arnie in mind there!

There are still a couple of novelizations on my TBR shelf and some on my wish list, and some more that will probably only ever exist in my imagination. I definitely think these should be more in existence, and not go out of print (hello Rocky!) If you enjoyed the film and the first paragraph makes you laugh, keep reading. This is a must have.

[Susana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este libro lo he vuelto a leer y es que me ha vuelto a sorprender y sobretodo a entretener.
Es un libro de espías,que aunque no me gustan, este me gusta mucho, porque aunque el protagonista principal parece tener una vida muy aburrida y monótona, es todo una tapadera.
La protagonista me encanta. Me gusta mucho lo antagonista que es junto a su marido " aburrido". También tiene una trama muy buena la protagonista que después se juntan al final del libro. Es un libro muy entretenido y ante todo muy fácil de leer. Lo recomiendo mucho.
25/09/2023.

[Liam Coyne · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an Arnold fan watching this Movie was a must, but when I discovered there was a Movie Novel I immediately went through the roof. The story was an Action Packed Adventure like the Movie, so I would definitely recommend this to any Arnold Fan or any Action Fan

[Dawn Filler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the movie so I was happy to read a book based on the film. I could vividly picture the scenes and characters. A quick fun read!

[C.A. Bryers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Guilty/not-so-guilty secret? I've listened to this audiobook probably close to twenty times. Never read dozens of literary masterpieces like A TALE OF TWO CITIES.

It helps that I adore the movie version of TRUE LIES and have seen it a ton, but hearing the late, great Bill Paxton read it is like good comfort food for me, but also a thrill. I love the author's way of describing action--a punch to the stomach becomes "[Harry's] fist was halfway through his liver," and the scared old guy in the bathroom stall looked "like he just crapped a pineapple." It's so straight-to-the-point and simple, paints an immediate image, and makes for a fun read.

I also love the couple of scenes that were in the novelization that weren't in the released film, like Harry's impromptu meeting with Juno Skinner where temptation starts to get the better of him. On top of that, it's one of the old CinemaSounds audiobooks, so it's chock full of sound effects that further immerse the listener.

I love, love, LOVE this book.

[Shelah M · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was as entertaining as the movie! Loved it!