Eraser (1996)

Director:

Chuck Russell

Writers (WGA):

Tony Puryear (story) and
Walon Green (story) ...

Release Date:

21 June 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

He will erase your past to protect your future.

Plot:

A Witness Protection specialist becomes suspicious of his co-workers when dealing with a case involving high-tech weapons.

Plot Keywords:

Weapon | Witness | U.S. Marshal | FBI | Identity

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 1 nomination

US TV Schedule:

Sun. Jan. 10	6:30 PM	SPIKETV
Mon. Jan. 11	1:30 AM	SPIKETV

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Arnold Schwarzenegger	...	U.S. Marshal John 'The Eraser' Kruger
James Caan	...	U.S. Marshal Robert Deguerin
Vanessa Williams	...	Lee Cullen
James Coburn	...	WitSec Chief Beller
Robert Pastorelli	...	Johnny Casteleone
James Cromwell	...	William Donohue
Danny Nucci	...	WitSec Deputy Monroe
Andy Romano	...	Undersecretary of Defense Daniel Harper
Nick Chinlund	...	WitSec Agent Calderon
Michael Papajohn	...	WitSec Agent Schiffer
Joe Viterelli	...	Tony Two-Toes
Mark Rolston	...	J. Scar
John Slattery	...	FBI Agent Corman
Robert Miranda	...	Frediano
Roma Maffia	...	Claire Isaacs

MPAA:

Rated R for violent action throughout and some language.

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS | DTS

Certification:

Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | USA:R (certificate #34624) | Iceland:16 | Netherlands:12 | South Korea:15 | Philippines:R-18 | Australia:MA | UK:15 (video rating) (heavily cut) | UK:15 (uncut version, re-rating) | New Zealand:R16 | Argentina:16 | Belgium:KT | Chile:18 | Denmark:16 | Finland:K-16 | Germany:16 (w) | Italy:T | Norway:18 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 (original rating) (cut)

Filming Locations:

Borough Hall, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Kopelson Entertainment

Trivia:

Arnold Schwarzenegger picked up $17 million for playing the lead.

Goofs:

Continuity: Near the end of the movie, Lee and Kruger are looking at the offshore bank accounts. Lee says pointing at the screen, "UBS, that's Union de Banque Suisse." Kruger brings up information about the "UBS" account, except that instead of "UBS" the computer screen now reads "USB" and stays that way through the rest of the scene.

Quotes:

Johnny C: [while Posing as a Pizza Delivery guy and being pinned to the wall by Cyrez Guards] Hey. I've got a bad heart and a *very* good lawyer.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "HBO First Look: Eraser (#3.4)" (1996)

Soundtrack:

Where Do We Go From Here

Arnold Knew How To Make Entertaining Films

A decade ago, this Arnold Schwarzenegger action flick was fairly hot stuff but I wonder if it would have the impact today since special effects are so much better and we've seen so many of these type of action stories in the past 10 years.

One of Arnold's keys to his successful career in films was simply that his movies were entertaining, and that's why people come to the theaters. High-brow critics often forget that. "Eraser" is a prime example. Entertainment alone is how this particular movie survives since common logic doesn't exist while violence and profanity are overdone. But, despite it's low-brow tastes and stupidity, it's still generally fun to watch if you can put your brain on hold for two hours. It's also fun to hear if you have a nice surround system.

This movie has one of the most outrageous action scenes I've ever seen on film, even to this day: one in which Arnold hangs from the outside of a jet airplane, finally lets go, free-falls to catch his parachute that had been ripped off, and then has to worry about the jet plane which had circled around and was going to smash him!!

The audio came into play nicely each time the super rifle that was featured in the movie was shot. Vanessa Williams plays the female lead satisfactorily and James Caan is very effective as the villain. Robert Pastorelli and James Coburn also add to the fun. A few laughs along the way help this no-brainer to become even more entertaining.