Erased (2012)

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, Nick Alachiotis, Liana Liberato

1 win & 2 nominations.

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

The expatriate and widower Ben Logan has moved from New York to Antwerp with his estranged teenage daughter Amy Logan to work for the technology corporation Halgate Group. When he breaks a sophisticated security code from a device, he notes that its patent has no record in Halgate and he calls the attention of his boss Derek Kohler. Ben meets Amy and they do not go home; later Ben goes with Amy to his office and they find it completely empty. Further, all the records of his phone calls, e-mails, payslip and bank account have vanished. Out of the blue, a coworker abducts Ben and Amy in the bank but Ben kills him in self-defense. Ben finds a key from a locker in the Central Station and he finds photos of his daughter, himself and his coworkers. His further investigation shows that all the workers are dead in the morgue except Derek Kohler. Soon Ben discovers a huge conspiracy of Halgate Group relative to illegal arms sales to Africa with the involvement of rogue CIA agents. But Ben is ...

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Plot Keywords:

conspiracy | patent | on the run | cia | estranged daughter | 

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Taglines:

Be careful who you work for.

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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:

EUR12,000,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,314,735

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

One alias used by the conspirators is 'Markus Wolf' which refers to the famous head of the East German foreign intelligence service by the same name. One of his biggest achievements was to place a top spy, Günter Guillaume, as an aide to the former Chancellor of West Germany, Willy Brandt. Brandt is also the last name of the female CIA operative.

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Goofs

During the bag drop-off at the underpass, the scene was filmed in the United States rather than in Belgium. The street signage design attached to the underpass bridge is unique to American streets. The Mercedes-Benz S-Class car is US-spec.

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Quotes

Ben Logan: Did I tell you I found a place we can watch baseball? In Ghent? Ex-pat community? I thought we could go there, hang out? Fun?
Amy Logan: I hate baseball.
Ben Logan: When your mom and I first met, we used to go to games all the time.
Amy Logan: Yeah, if it was so great, then why'd you leave?

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Connections

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

User Reviews

Promising Beginning, Stupid and Annoying Daughter and Flawed Conclusion

The expatriate and widower Ben Logan (Aaron Eckhart) has moved from New York to Anrwep with his estranged teenage daughter Amy Logan (Liana Liberato) to work for the technology corporation Halgate Group. When he breaks a sophisticated security code from a device, he notes that its patent has no record in Halgate and he calls the attention of his boss Derek Kohler (Neil Napier). Ben meets Amy and they do not go home; later Ben goes with Amy to his office and they find it completely empty. Further, all the records of his phone calls, e-mails, payslip and bank account have vanished. Out of the blue, a coworker abducts Ben and Amy in the bank but Ben kills him in self-defense. Ben finds a key from a locker in the Central Station and he finds photos of his daughter, himself and his coworkers. His further investigation shows that all the workers are dead in the morgue except Derek Kohler. Soon Ben discovers a huge conspiracy of Halgate Group relative to illegal arms sales to Africa with the involvement of rogue CIA agents. But Ben is in disgrace with the Agency and does not have any reliable contact to recur.

The unoriginal "Erased", a.k.a."The Expatriate", is an action thriller with a promising and intriguing beginning. Unfortunately the stupid and annoying daughter Amy with her silly attitudes makes any viewer lose the temper. The story has many flaws and holes, but the plot is fast-paced and distracts the viewer that is not aware. For example, the killers kill a lot of residents in Belgium; Ben blows-up the car with important guys; the police is chasing Ben and Amy; and he arrives at the airport dirty and ready to embark to the USA and probably without documents. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Perseguição Implacável" ("Relentless Manhunt")