With the sheer body of work Arnold Schwarzenegger has amassed since his first, “Hercules in New York” (1964), his muscle-bound, one-line toting style often makes it hard to separate mediocre works from something more. Films such as “Conan the Barbarian,” appeal to his early fan base, while James Cameron’s 1991 film “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” is heralded as one of the best action films to come out of the last twenty years or so. Lesser films such as “End of Days,” or last year’s “The Last Stand” failed to make any kind of real impression; however, action fans may recall Arnold’s lesser-known 1996 effort “Eraser,” by Director Chuck Russell. This is a film I initially caught on television and was markedly surprised. With typical Arnold-esque action but more detailed plot and acting then we are used to, the film renders escapism in the true, if admittedly cheesy sense.
The story follows John Kruger (Arnold Schwarzenegger), a tactical Witness Protection agent who earns his nickname Eraser after his profession – it’s his job to erase all trace of key witnesses by a variety of tricks and gambits. At the film’s opening (a more brutal scene than most of Arny’s usually portray), we get to see some of these tricks as he saves a mob informant (Robert Pastorelli) from being murdered, replaces his body with the body of a corpse, and explodes the house, all before heading to the office to doctor the dental records and complete the switch. The informant is grateful; however, Kruger’s boss Robert DeGuerin isn’t so keen on all the attention. However, Kruger’s the best, and DeGuerin knows it. It isn’t long before Kruger receives his toughest assignment yet – to protect a high profile employee of a gun manufactory (Vanessa Williams), who has evidence fingering key players in Washington in illegal arms dealing and high treason.
While I might get flack for saying this, what works best about “Eraser” is the fact that it’s not an Arnold movie. What it is is an action movie starring Arnold, but starring also several other actors, actors slightly better than the genre is used to including. Former Miss America Vanessa Williams does a good job as the damsel in distress, but never reaches unbelievable heights as she comes off vulnerable yet strong in equal measure. Likewise, the movie’s villains such as William Donohue (the venerable James Cromwell) and Marshall DeGuerin (“The Godfather’s” James Caan) put in excellent performances. Cromwell’s Donohue is short-lived; however, Caan fills out the role of DeGuerin perfectly, in a performance often reserved for better films. As a result, “Eraser” comes across more a tightly congealed story than a throw-a-way exercise in blood, guts, and one-liners.
That’s not to say the movie isn’t without its share of high-octane action or clumsy catchphrases. Some of these scenes are well done and crowd pleasing, such as where Kruger retorts to a cynical agent’s question, “Don’t you ever get tired of babysitting scum?” with a classic, “Yeah, but in your case I’ll make an exception.” Others are equally enjoyable, as when Kruger single-handedly retakes a plane from seemingly insurmountable enemies before plunging from the plane after his parachute, which he dons in mid-air. The scenes are the kinds of reasons people go to action movies – not to see believable stories and intricate plot but to see enormous men completing ridiculous stunts and making us laugh in the process. “Eraser” more than pulls this off, as one action-packed scene after another (often laced together with necessary details of other key characters) are presented to audiences that do not disappoint. The most hysterical scene in the entire film is certainly towards its end as Kruger holds an enormous ‘EM’ (or Electromagnetic Pulse) rail gun in each hand and pouts as an adversary points a gun at him and commands him to drop them.
That’s not so say “Eraser” is without fault, as some of the movie’s later scenes, such as an overly-long and somewhat unbelievable shoot-out at Cyrez, the movie’s arms manufactory, and unnecessary machismo and tough-guy banter emitted from DeGuerin and Co. during certain scenes are somewhat over the top. Also, the movie suffers from a lack of development or back-story for key characters, most notably DeGuerin, Kruger, and the WitSec’s illustrious head Beller (James Coburn, whose resume more than speaks for itself). “Eraser” presents these characters as one-sided ends unto themselves; and while not wholly inappropriate for a shoot-em-up actioner, it’s semi-wasteful here. The film’s acting and script is markedly better than many of Arnold’s other attempts and could have raised the film up to a higher place than it ultimately lands.
All-in-all, “Eraser” is a good film, which will doubtless please fans of action movies or Schwarzenegger, and presents both escapism and suspense. The film’s not overly deep, but is fun, and certainly tries harder than a plethora of modern filmmakers that assume, wrongly, that explosions and huge muscles are all it takes to make a successful action movie. While fans of Arnold may gravitate towards his earlier work and find the film a letdown after the success of “Terminator 2,” “Eraser” remains the unsung gem in Arnold’s repertoire. If you haven’t yet seen it you may as well rent it – “Eraser” reminds you of a time where movies like these were popular and well made, and will certainly entertain you along the way.
– by Mark Ziobro
2 Comments
It’s big dumb fun.
Hi Mark, great review. I love Arnie movies, and think this is one of his hidden gems. The acting is above average but still deliver the Arnold-esque that we all know and love!