Eraser: The Over-the-Top Arnold Actioner Celebrates 30 Years with an Upgrade (4K)

The Film:

When it comes to action megastar Arnold Schwarzenegger, there are many that primarily remember his incredible work from the '80s, which includes classics such as "The Terminator," "Commando," "The Running Man," and the "Conan" films. However, there's quite a lot to be said about his outstanding run in the '90s as well, where we got such films as "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" (a masterpiece considered by many to be his best work), "True Lies," "Total Recall," and "Last Action Hero."

One of his '90s outings that often gets overshadowed by the others is a little actioner called "Eraser" from 1996. The film wasn't exactly a big box office hit like several of his others, and the reviews were rather middling overall, but even so, several critics were able to enjoy it for the fun & exciting experience it was always meant to be, with many Schwarzenegger fans doing the same. With the film celebrating its 30 anniversary, Warner Bros. is putting the film in the spotlight by giving it an amazing 4K upgrade and throwing in some new bonus material, so now it's time to revisit this lesser-discussed Arnold actioner to see if it deserves a little more attention than it usually gets.

As the film opens, we meet U.S. Marshal John Kruger (Arnold Schwarzenegger), who specializes in "erasing" people as part of the Witness Protection Program. His latest assignment involves Lee Cullen (Vanessa Williams), who has discovered that the company she works for is going to sell weapons on the black market. Under guidance from the FBI, she downloads the weapons data onto a disc (and makes another as a backup), but is detected in the process and brought before her boss (James Cromwell), who commits suicide when he finds out about her mission. Despite the dangers involved, Lee refuses to go into protection, which leads to her getting attacked in her own home and saved by John. With other witnesses mysteriously getting killed off, and Lee still the main target, John must somehow ensure her survival so she can testify and bring forth the evidence in order to bring down the corrupt company & their associates.

On the outset, "Eraser" appears to be a fairly ordinary Schwarzenegger flick that has him getting into dangerous situations that involve several tense & exciting action sequences, and indeed, if you look at it strictly from a narrative perspective, it doesn't really look like anything particularly new. However, what makes this one stand out just a little bit is how absurdly over-the-top it gets in regards to the almost god-like nature of Arnold's character. That is to say, there are a number of instances throughout the film where any normal human being would've been killed by what he goes through, and yet, he somehow miraculously survives each and every circumstance.

Just to give a few examples, he (and his witness) survives a house exploding just a couple of feet out the front door, he survives jumping out of a plane and having his emergency parachute open just before smashing into a car, he survives being directly within a major explosion, and he survives having a spike of metal pierce his leg (not only not dying of blood loss, but running around and fighting right after taking it out). Sure, many action films don't worry about little things like physics, but it's particularly amusing to see one where the running gag is not worrying about basic biology.

That may seem like a criticism, but in this case, it's very much not. If screenwriters Tony Puryear and Walon Green had tried to go for something more believable, then this likely would've been a mostly forgettable actioner in Schwarzenegger's filmography, but with its over-the-top nature, it becomes much more exciting & memorable, not to mention it makes the audience curious as to what crazy thing he's going to be able to survive next. All of that is, of course, on top of Arnold's natural charisma as an action star, coupled with a rather exceptional supporting cast that includes Vanessa Williams, James Caan, James Coburn, and James Cromwell.

It is a bit sad that "Eraser" tends to get overshadowed by some of his other '90s projects like the masterful "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" and the exceptional "True Lies," but revisiting it 30 years after its original release, it holds up quite well as a wild, fun, and entertaining experience, one that will hopefully have others taking a second look as it receives its wonderful 4K release. It may not measure up to the grandness of his other popular spectacles, but it remains a fine entry in its star's plethora of memorable outings.

Video/Audio:

"Eraser" comes to 4K in a 2.39:1, 2160p Ultra High Definition transfer of marvelous quality, featuring a beautifully restored picture that's sharp & clear throughout the entirety of its 115-minute duration, perfectly highlighting its multitude of exciting action sequences. Likewise, the Dolby Atmos-TrueHD audio track is outstanding, giving you all of the dialogue, sound effects, and music in outstanding quality. Overall, Warner Bros. has done a wonderful job in both areas for the film's new upgrade.

Special Features:

Reinventing the Modern Action Hero - The Evolution of Arnold (6 Minutes): A featurette that primarily focuses on Arnold & his character.

'90s Action Thriller Reimagined (9 Minutes): A featurette that has Vanessa Williams & members of the crew delving into the making of the film.

Conclusion:

Chuck Russell's "Eraser" may not quite measure up to some of Arnold's more massive & memorable projects of the '90s, but with its exciting, over-the-top nature, and a rather exceptional cast, it manages to stand out on its own as a wildly fun experience that's worth a revisit as it makes its incredible 4K debut.

Score: 3.5/5

Available on 4K starting today.

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