Eraser

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Caan, Vanessa Williams, James Cromwell, James Coburn, Robert Pastorelli
Directed by: Chuck Russell
Rating: R
Genre: Action
Box Office: $
1996

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: An FBI employee (Vanessa Williams) uncovers a plot to sell state-of-the-art weapons to a foreign group. She blows the whistle, and an agent (Arnold Schwarzenegger) from the Witness Protection Program is assigned to erase her identity. However, corrupt government officials threaten to kill them both.

Review:

Tim: This movie is a fairly strong action movie. The premise is interesting, although not very original. The movie has some terrific action sequences, some memorable lines, and generally works. The action does tend to get a bit over-the-top, but that's not necessarily fatal. This film should have been better.

This is a fairly enjoyable effort by Arnold Schwarzenegger. He is so good in these action movies, and this one is no different. His character isn't as memorable as some other films, but he does a solid job. He has a few funny one-liners ("You're luggage.") and his typically strong action moments. Vanessa Williams is decent in her role. I don't think she is a great actor, but this is probably one of her better roles. She and Schwarzenegger work well together.

The rest of the supporting cast is fairly good. James Caan is always good, and I generally liked him here. James Cromwell has too little screen time, but he is strong as usual. I also liked that James Coburn was in this film, although, again, I wish he had more screen time. This film is really about Schwarzenegger and Williams, which is good, but I wish the supporting cast had more time on screen.

One of the best parts of Eraser is that there are some great action moments. The plane sequence is great- especially when Schwarzenegger leaps out of it. Yes, it is completely ridiculous, but it is still fun to watch. The alligators scene is interesting and original, at least. Perhaps the most memorable part of the movie are the futuristic, high tech weapons that are fired throughout the movie. These scenes, although far-fetched, are still thrilling to watch. I really enjoyed these moments.

Eraser is a movie that does a great deal right, but ultimately, is just too difficult to believe. The action sequences are fun to watch, but they aren't particularly believable at all. This movie is greatly hurt by this fact. I really liked certain parts of the film, but as a whole, I wish a bit more realism was involved. If you are looking for pure action, this is the movie for you. However, it requires heaps and heaps of suspended disbelief. That is a bit hard to do here, sadly.



Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5


If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Commando, Last Action Hero, Terminator, True Lies