Eraser (1996)

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

Director:

Chuck Russell

Writers:

Tony Puryear (story), Walon Green (story),

Stars:

Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Caan, Vanessa Williams

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins & 1 nomination.

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

Storyline

John Kruger is a U.S. marshal who is assigned to protect Lee Cullen, who works for the Cyrez Corporation, a company that manufactures top secret weapons for the military. Lee knows about a scam going on within Cyrez Corporation, and the man behind it is determined to silence Lee, because without Lee, the FBI has no case against the Cyrez Corporation. After taking Lee to New York City to hide her, John discovers that his friend, U.S. Marshal Robert Deguerin, is the mastermind behind the scam!

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Plot Keywords:

weapon | witness | u.s. marshal | fbi | witness protection | 

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Taglines:

He will erase your past to protect your future.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violent action throughout and some language

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros. [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 June 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

El protector

Filming Locations:

Kelly Gulch - 1801 North Topanga Canyon Boulevard, Topanga Canyon, Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$100,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$24,566,446 (USA) (21 June 1996)

Gross:

AUD 5,776,922 (Australia) (1 November 1996)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Kopelson Entertainment, Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS DTS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Kruger comes to Lee's house, he has "LET'S PARTY!" printed on the back of his jacket. This is a reference to Commando in which Arnold Schwarzenegger says that line to Vernon Wells.

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Goofs

When the dart Kruger pulls out of his belt to throw at DeGuerin is airborne, you can see wires, as well as the trajectory being off from where Krugers hand in and how he threw it. Also, when it hits DeGuerin's arm, it doesn't lodge into his arm - you can actually see it deflect via the wires.

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Quotes

Donahue: We're way beyond bullshit here.

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Connections

Spoofed in CSI: Miami: Special Delivery (2011)

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Soundtracks

"Where Do We Go From Here"
Written by Linda Thompson, David Foster, Evan Kopelson and Douglas Pashley
Produced and arranged by David Foster
Performed by Vanessa Williams
Courtesy of Mercury Records

User Reviews

Exciting action with Arnold

Chuck Russel's Eraser is exploding and intense action film starring Arnold Scwarzenegger as secret government officer, who "erases" people i.e. destroys their past in order to save their future. He gets to erase an important witness (Vanessa Williams) who knows about her company's illegal activities as it sells guns to foreigners. The film is full of action and mayhem, which is great since hardboiled action films are not made too often in Hollywood anymore.

There are hardly any stops throughout the movie and the viewer should not be bored, at least I wasn't now that I watched the movie for the second time. It looks fantastic in its original widescreen format, and this is definitely among Arnold's more noteworthy performances and proves the talent of director Chuck (Scorpion King, Elm Street 3) Russell.

There are many effects that look pretty realistic and the crocodile shoot out is one memorable scene, and maybe that is the screenwriters' comment on zoos' that don't feed their animals sufficiently as the crocodiles are VERY hungry and fierce for food! Also, there is one over the top airplane scene, that really grabs an attention. The actors are great throughout the film and James Caan doesn't make an exception. The finale is perhaps little too familiar and relies on gun fights and explosions, but still, as a whole, I found this film very pleasant experience in its own genre. It is not the greatest action film ever made in Hollywood, but it is one of the most interesting US action films of the 90's.

7/10