Eraser (1996) Warner Bros./Action RT: 115 minutes Rated R (language, strong violence) Director: Chuck Russell Screenplay: Tony Puryear and Walon Green Music: Alan Silvestri Cinematography: Adam Greenberg Release date: June 21, 1996 (US) Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Vanessa Williams, James Caan, James Coburn, Robert Pastorelli, James Cromwell, Danny Nucci, Andy Romano, Nick Chinlund, Michael Papajohn, Joe Viterelli, Mark Rolston, John Slattery, Robert Miranda, Roma Maffia, Tony Longo, Gerry Becker, John Snyder, Melora Walters, Olek Krupa, Cylk Cozart, K. Todd Freeman, Rocco Sisto, Ismael “East” Carlo, Patrick Kilpatrick, Camryn Manheim, Skipp Sudduth, Vic Polizos. Box Office: $101.2M (US)/$242.2M (World)
Rating: *** ½
As a teen, I always got giddy with excitement when a new Arnold Schwarzenegger movie came out. It’s a feeling that followed me into young adulthood. It wasn’t even lessened by the clunky but fun Last Action Hero. Eraser is the type of actioner he used to make in the 80s, but with high-tech 90s stuff thrown into the mix. It’s dumb, implausible and makes less sense if you stop and think about it (I advise against it), but it has a ton of action, a high body count and one-liners by Ah-nuld. In short, I like it!
Schwarzenegger plays John Kruger, a government operative from the Federal Witness Security Protection Program (WITSEC) whose specialty is “erasing” people. He makes federal witnesses disappear by faking their deaths and giving them brand new identities, effectively erasing them from existence. He’s assigned to protect Lee Cullen (Williams, Soul Food), a senior executive at a defense contracting firm who stumbles across a conspiracy involving some powerful high-level people to sell high-tech weapons that aren’t even supposed to exist to the highest bidder. She agrees to help the FBI obtain proof by copying files onto a computer disc. Unfortunately, they figure out what she’s up to and try to silence her permanently. After arriving in the nick of time to save her hide, Kruger promises to keep the understandably freaked-out Lee safe until the trial. This entails going on the run from the bad guys which include a mole in Kruger’s own department. BTW, it isn’t too hard to pick out said mole.
It doesn’t take a genius to follow Eraser, especially since it’s basically one action set-piece after another. Its plot is only a plot in the academic sense. It’s the thread that ties said action scenes together. Of course, not one of them comes close to being believable. Suspension of disbelief is definitely required. Director Charles Russell (The Mask) brings it on in a big way with scenes like the one involving Kruger jumping from a burning airplane with a malfunctioning parachute. Come on, who could possibly survive a fall like that without at least a few broken bones? Not only that, he gets into a mid-air game of chicken with the plane when the villain orders the pilot to make him go splat on the windshield. It doesn’t faze Kruger; he just pulls a gun and fires at the plane. Then there’s Kruger’s fight with an alligator during a shoot-out at the New York Zoo. It happens right after the killer reptile makes short work of three hired killers with guns. What does our brave hero do? He shoots the gator in the head and says, “You’re luggage.” LOL! Only in a Schwarzenegger movie.
None of what I said in the preceding paragraph is a criticism of Eraser. On the contrary, it’s the very reason the movie works as well as it does. Obviously, Russell isn’t going for plausibility or any form of verisimilitude here. Look at the high-tech weapons in question. They’re big ray guns that fire electromagnetic pulses at a velocity just below the speed of light. They’re like something from a sci-fi movie. I can’t believe something like this exists in real life, but I’m not privy to what the DOD may or may not have in their secret arsenal. Either way, it’s all part of the movie’s goofball appeal.
That being said, Eraser is a very decent action movie that boasts a great supporting cast that includes James Caan (Thief) as Kruger’s direct supervisor, James Coburn (The Magnificent Seven) as the agency head and Robert Pastorelli (Murphy Brown) as a former mobster in debt to Kruger after he erased him and saved his bacon. His family ties prove quite useful to Kruger’s mission. His mobster uncle “Tony Two-Toes” (Viterelli, Analyze This) oversees operations at the docks where the deal is set to go down. Uncle Tony and his associates frown on non-union labor at his docks. You can probably see where this is going, so let’s move on. James Cromwell (L.A. Confidential) is good as Lee’s corrupt boss even though he’s only in it for a few minutes. The same goes for Roma Maffia (Nick of Time) as a reporter friend of Lee’s.
Russell doesn’t hold back at all with Eraser. He gives Schwarzenegger free rein and lets him do his thing. This includes dropping his customary one-liners after dispatching bad guys. I’m certain that “You’re luggage” will be the one everybody remembers, but let’s not dismiss “You’ve just been erased.” I think that’s the one the makers want fans to remember. Russell imbues Eraser with a sense of humor too. Read what is says on the back of Kruger’s jacket when he shows up at Lee’s house disguised as a delivery guy. Fans of the actor will surely know where it’s from. Williams is good as Lee. She too has fun with her role. She’s not bad with a gun either.
Eraser is an enjoyable movie. It’s an example of a good Arnold Schwarzenegger action flick. As always, he’s presented as an indestructible action hero. A spike through the hand doesn’t slow him down at all. In fact, he appears to recover rather quickly. Same goes for getting shot in the shoulder. He’s still able to support the weight of his co-star and himself when they’re hanging from a large shipping container on a huge crane. As you can see, Eraser is silly. It probably wouldn’t hold up in a film school screenwriting class either. WHO CARES? It’s Schwarzenegger doing what he does best. Movie Teen 24/7 would put it on his top 10 list for the year. I can’t think of a better endorsement than that.
