Andy Romano, Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Caan

It''s Federal Marshal John Kruger''s duty to keep witnesses hidden within the government''s Witness Protection Program safe. Now he must protect Lee Cullen, who inadvertently uncovered a scheme to del...( read more  read more... )iver one of the most advanced super-weapons ever developed--the rail gun--into hands that could shift the world''s balance of power forever. What she doesn''t know is that the conspiracy reaches the highest levels of government and industry, and the players involved will stop at nothing to keep her from exposing the truth. Kruger is matched against an unknown challenger whose cunning skill equals his own as he guards Lee against the conspirators. As Kruger himself falls under suspicion as the traitor within the program, he sets out to prove his innocence to Robert Deguerin, his mentor, and Beller, the head of the WPP. In a world where allies could be enemies, Kruger and Lee come to trust only each other as the deadly players in the conspiracy close in on them, and time continues to run out.

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43% liked it

109,365 ratings

Critics

33% liked it

43 critics

DVD Release Date: November 24, 1998

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Flixster Reviews (2,174)


  • November 18, 2009
    "You've just been erased."


    At its most basic level, Eraser is a shameless Arnie movie - another member the action movie subgenre wherein the Austrian Oak smirks, munches on cigars and dispatches several battalions of nameless extras. It's loud, violent, sporadic

    ...( read more)ally funny and overflowing with action set-pieces and nifty weaponry. The only thing Eraser lacks is a spin - at the end of the day, it's just a fairly undistinguishable Arnold Schwarzenegger film. This is not a particularly bad thing, however, since it's therefore able to forgo all pretensions in order to revel in the fun, over-the-top action sequences. The final result is flawed but undeniably enjoyable.


    The Schwarzenegger role in Eraser is U.S. Marshal John Kruger. He works with the witness protection program as an "eraser", which basically means that, as a protective measure, he "erases" the identities of the witnesses he's assigned to protect. As to be expected from an Arnie film, Kruger is considered to be the best in his line of work. His latest assignment is Lee Cullen; a top ranking executive for Cyrez Corporation (a U.S. weapons manufacturer) who uncovers evidence of a political plot to put a new super-weapon in the hands of an American enemy. But Cullen and Kruger soon discover that the level of treason extends past the Cyrez Corporation and into high levels of government.


    The plot is expectedly thin stuff; an excuse to tie together rip-roaring action scenes. The action ranges from sensational to downright silly. Director Charles Russell (The Mask, Nightmare on Elm Street 3) capably shapes the story and paces the movie. The script is moderately well-structured, and wonderfully seasoned with Schwarzeneggerisms. Eraser is also another attempt at a "high tech" action flick (in the mould of Mission: Impossible and Hackers) - that is, it's a collection of the usual explosions and shootouts which are placed within a plot that involves all types of electronic gadgetry. Not much attention is paid to whether the science is feasible...but if it looks and sounds awesome, why not utilise it? While Eraser is standard stuff, there are some fun variations - mainly in the fact that many of the gunfights feature weapons which can shoot through walls (with an x-ray sight to boot).


    So with explosions, stunts, nifty guns and "Ah-nuld", what else could you ask for? Well, a fresher script - the whole enterprise is hampered by a "been there, done that" feel. The much-worked-over screenplay (credited to Tony Puryear and Walon Green) sorely needed more work, particularly in the character department. The characters are utterly generic - Kruger is totally unstoppable (even after being stabbed and shot) and lacks any dimension, while Cullen is nothing more than a stereotypical, forgettable damsel in distress who does barely anything to further the plot, and Deguerin is a standard issue bad guy (with Caan using every hammy mannerism possible to sell what amounts to a third-rate James Bond villain). However, to the credit of the screenwriters, some of the more painful action movie standbys are avoided - the male & female leads do not fall in love, and (happily) they aren't always at each other's throats. That said, there are countless other problems with Eraser. It simply runs out of steam halfway through; having offered up its most spectacular set-pieces long before the lengthy 120-minute picture nears its climax. Even some of the best scenes are marred by dated CGI, which is especially disappointing considering that the budget could have paid for a small African nation.


    There's a reason why Arnie kicking ass has become part of movie culture...it's awesome fun!! Eraser should hearten Schwarzenegger fans who disliked his ventures beyond the action realm (for instance the bloated parody Last Action Hero, and the comedy Junior). This is Ah-nuld at his muscle-bound, gun-toting best: mowing down bad guys without taking much of a breather. He does little more than walk through the ostensibly tailor-made role of John Kruger, but the big man is one hell of an amazing screen presence, and he can still deliver snappy one-liners with assurance (such as the iconic line "You're luggage" which he utters after shooting an alligator). Thankfully, Arnie has been surrounded by a more than satisfactory supporting cast. The acting is extremely passable, especially from Robert Pastorelli who seems to be having an absolute blast in the Joe Pesci-type sidekick role.


    All in all, Eraser is pretty standard-issue Arnold Schwarzenegger, and a perfectly adequate time filler. It's hardly original, but with Arnie and some spectacular set-pieces, this is a thrilling ride. Just don't expect to remember much about the film five minutes after you finish watching it.

  • September 24, 2009
    Awful and boring.
  • September 24, 2007
    okay.
  • August 20, 2007
    A very good movie, re-watch to understand it more, enjoyable.
  • July 2, 2007
    Arnold Schwarzenegger plays another action role about the witness protection program and the changing of one's identity. There's lots of good action scenes, including a crocodile attack. James Caan plays a powerful bad guy who gets his just desserts.
  • November 20, 2009
    Pretty good thriller/action film.
  • November 15, 2009
    True Lies was Schwarz's last significant contribution to hollywood... everything else is mediocre
  • November 12, 2009
    This was pretty interesting.
  • November 3, 2009
    Esta buena. Entretenida.
  • October 4, 2009
    NOT INTERESTED IN ANY ARNOLD MOVIES I AM BOY COTTING THIS ACTOR HE CAN KISS MY ASS AS FAR AS A GOVERNOR THE GUY IS SHIT !!!! CANT ACT EITHER

Critic Reviews


June 18, 2002
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

This is one of those movies where good guys don't miss, and bad guys can't shoot to save their lives. full review

January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Good action fun, with spectacular stunts and special effects. full review

View more Eraser reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

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Eraser Trivia


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