Erased (2012)
"The Expatriate" (original title)

An ex-CIA agent and his estranged daughter are forced on the run when his employers erase all records of his existence, and mark them both for termination as part of a wide-reaching international conspiracy.

Director:

Philipp Stölzl

Writer:

Arash Amel

Stars:

Aaron Eckhart, Liana Liberato, Olga Kurylenko

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Aaron Eckhart	...	Ben Logan
Liana Liberato	...	Amy Logan
Olga Kurylenko	...	Anna Brandt
Garrick Hagon	...	James Halgate
Eric Godon	...	Maitland
Yassine Fadel	...	Nabil
Neil Napier	...	Derek Kohler
David Bark-Jones	...	Marty Braymer
Alexander Fehling	...	Floyd
Nick Alachiotis	...	Walter
Ronnie Commissaris	...	Karl Van Doorn
Fabrice Boutique	...	Karim
Debbie Wong	...	Mei Ling
Ron White	...	Dick Rhodes
Katelijne Verbeke	...	Sophie Pieters

Storyline

An ex-CIA agent and his estranged daughter are forced on the run when his employers erase all records of his existence, and mark them both for termination as part of a wide-reaching international conspiracy.

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Plot Keywords:

conspiracy | estranged daughter | ex cia agent | two word title | ex agent | 

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Taglines:

Far from home. Far from safe. Far from over.

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Genres:

Action | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan]

Country:

USA Canada Belgium UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 September 2012 (Belgium)

Also Known As:

Erased

Filming Locations:

Central Station, Antwerp, Flanders, Belgium

Box Office

Budget:

€12,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Entertainment Motion Pictures (E-MOTION), Expatriate Films, Informant Media

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

All of the outdoor and tram scenes were filmed in Brussels, even though several parts of the film are situated in Antwerp. The traffic signs are in two languages and the tram is of the MIVB/STIB the local public transport service.

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Goofs

Anna meets Ben on the train from Bruxelles Nord and they are on the train for a considerable time whilst driving through the country. When Ben gets out, it 's still the station of Bruxelles Nord.

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Connections

Featured in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode #21.144 (2013)

User Reviews

Far from home. Far from safe. Far from over.

The true star of this better than average espionage thriller is Belgium. Shot in Antwerp and Brussels the cities are extraordinarily beautiful, written by Arash Amel and directed by Philipp Stölzl – both of whom are young and new to the business and it shows.

Ben Logan (Aaron Eckhart in a solid performance) is an ex-CIA agent employed by a huge conglomerate Halgate and working for one of their subsidiary companies as a security engineer. He has invited his daughter Amy (Liana Liberato) to move from the US to Belgium to live with him to reconnect after a lengthy separation. Ben's job is to try to get pass security protocols, fool the eye scanners and break into safes. But overnight Ben discovers that his company, Halgate, no longer inhabits his workplace and that all evidence of Ben's existence has been erased. Slowly he discovers that there is a huge conspiracy surrounding his employer and that soon he and his daughter will become subjects of a manhunt. Ben's co- workers are all murdered with the exception of his colleague Derek Kolper (Neil Napier) who apparently has possession of documents that will bring the conspiracy into the open. Ben relies on his US operative colleague Anna Brandt (the beautiful Ukrainian actress Olga Kurylenko) who is not who she seems. Amy grows from being a dysfunctional disgruntled teenager to a keen 'agent' with some help from her boyfriend Nabil (the very bright handsome new rising star Yassine Fadel). Targeted for termination by a company with seemingly unlimited recourses, they only have one choice: get to the bottom of this conspiracy in a hope that it will save their lives.

Though there are holes in this story and many borrowed concepts from other films in this genre, the film provides visual if not intellectual excitement. The cast is solid and there is always the magnificent beauty of Belgium to fill in the gaps. Who knows how it will fare when it reaches the theaters, but for now it provides a solid at home evening of entertainment. Grady Harp, April 13