Eraser (1996)

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

Director:

Chuck Russell (as Charles Russell)

Writers:

Tony Puryear (story), Walon Green (story)

Stars:

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Vanessa Williams, James Caan

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

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Arnold Schwarzenegger	...	Eraser
James Caan	...	DeGuerin
Vanessa Williams	...	Lee
James Coburn	...	Beller
Robert Pastorelli	...	Johnny C
James Cromwell	...	Donahue
Danny Nucci	...	Monroe
Andy Romano	...	Harper
Nick Chinlund	...	Calderon
Michael Papajohn	...	Schiff
Joe Viterelli	...	Tony
Mark Rolston	...	J. Scar
John Slattery	...	Corman
Robert Miranda	...	Frediano
Roma Maffia	...	Claire

Storyline

U.S. Marshal deputy John Kruger is one of the toughest Marshals, his methods are to "Erase" The identities of his witnesses he is assigned to protect. Meanwhile, a woman named Lee Cullen who works for a corporation named Cyrez performed an undercover job for the FBI to unveil a top secret weapon which uses an electromagnetic pulse to dispatch targets. Cyrez discovered this about Lee and are now out to kill her, Kruger's job is now to protect Lee so she can testify against Cyrez. But, when Kruger was assigned to perform a job with another Marshal named Robert Deguerin, he discovers that Deguerin is behind some kind of scam that will involve the EM Gun, which will change hands to a Russian criminal if Kruger does not stop them, Kruger must not only protect Lee's life but his own.

---

Plot Keywords:

witness protection program | rogue agent | treason | railgun | x ray vision | 

---

Taglines:

He will erase your past to protect your future.

---

Genres:

Action | Drama | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violent action throughout and some language

Did You Know?

Trivia

2nd film which a character played by Arnold Schwarzenegger goes to a gay nightclub. The other film was Raw Deal (1986).

---

Goofs

The type of parachute in the parachute scene is seen as round which has no controls, yet Kruger, when seen in close-up, has controls and is able to turn the parachute to face the plane.

---

Quotes

Robert: I want this town locked up so tight, it'll make his balls ache.

---

Alternate Versions

28 seconds were cut by the BBFC for the 18-rated UK cinema version, removing the following:

• The scene with Johnny C being threatened with a flick knife, along with the attempt to pull his tongue out with pliers
• Kruger kicking a gangster into an open fridge and pulling his shoulder to break his neck
• DeGuerin's pistol whip to Lee
• Kruger twisting Haggerty's head into a headlock then breaking his neck
• A shot of Lee being threaten by Sergei Ivanovich Petrofsky with a flick knife

---

Connections

Referenced in Friends: The One Where Monica and Richard Are Just Friends (1997)

---

Soundtracks

That's Amore
Written by Jack Brooks and Harry Warren
Performed by Dean Martin
Courtesy of Capitol Records
Under license from EMI-Capitol Special Markets

User Reviews

Very good. Surprisingly.

As one of the later Arnold movies and a suspicious title, there are initially serious worries about how good this film will be. Fortunately it turned out to be a great movie in the end. The only nitpick would be those obviously fake CGI crocodiles used in one scene but otherwise, the movie has consistency in quality. This movie also introduced the famous rail gun which became an instant hit when videogames copied it. The rail gun in the movie itself is more like a super fast rocket launcher than a sniping weapon. The story itself, surrounds the marketing of that weapon. The acting is very good as is the screenplay and cinematography. This film isn't anything new, isn't a groundbreaker in any way but is still highly enjoyable.

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros. [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 June 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Eraser

Filming Locations:

Santa Clarita, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$100,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$24,566,446, 23 June 1996

Gross USA:

$101,295,562

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$242,295,562

Company Credits

Production Co:

Kopelson Entertainment, Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1