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

Cast

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:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Although only Tony Puryear and Walon Green are credited with the film's screenplay - and the two of them along with Michael S. Chernuchin for the film's story - the film went through so many revisions from so many different writers that the final shooting script reportedly "looked like a rainbow". William Wisher Jr. reportedly did multiple rewrites during the production as well.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Reference to the scene when Robert Pastorelli is in the medical room: When a person is defibrillated, the unit fires an instant burst of electricity designed to try and reset a fibrillating heart. When Camryn Manheim discharges the unit, the electric hum is heard for several seconds, indicating a steady supply of electricity being sent to the heart. Defibrillators are not designed to do this. Even if a person were cardioverted (the shock being delivered at a certain point during the heart beat or electric cycle), the electricity would be a burst only.

Quotes:

Father Rodriguez: The police have returned to the saftey of their doughnut shops.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Erkan & Stefan (2000)

Soundtrack:

Caught A Train

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.