Plot: What’s it about?
By the time Eraser hit theaters, Arnold Schwarzenegger had very little, if anything, to prove. The star had already given us some gems with The Terminator and its sequel, along with 80’s popcorn flicks like The Running Man, Commando and Predator. He even dabbled in comedy with films like Twins and Kindergarten Cop. The 80’s and 90’s were good to the future Governor of California. So when Eraser hit theaters in mid 1996, he was coming off another collaboration with James Cameron in True Lies (arguably one of my favorite films). On one hand, there’s doing what you’re good at, but on the other – is it too much of a good thing? We’ll save that debate for another time. Given that director Chuck Russell was himself a hot commodity (he helmed the 1994 blockbuster/Jim Carrey vehicle The Mask) this one seemed like a no-brainer. He said he’ll be back. It appears as if he meant it. Let’s dive in.
Schwarzenegger stars as John Kruger, a U.S. District Marshal with the code name of, you guessed it, “Eraser.” He’s assigned to the witness relocation program of the U.S. Government and his job is to wipe out any trace of informants’ past lives so they can live in relative peace. His latest assignment is to protect Lee (Vanessa Williams), an executive working for a U.S. Government arms contractor. Her stolen documents prove that that her employer is developing a new futuristic superweapon. Instead of selling this product to the government, they choose to sell to terrorists. Suffice it to say, this doesn’t sit too well with some of the higher ups and she’s got lots of folks after her. In essence it’s Lee and John on the run, trying to avoid to not get killed. We’ve seen this before.
While the plot might be a bit tired and predictable, there’s no denying that – in his prime – there really wasn’t anyone else like Arnold Schwarzenegger. He just had it. And in the pantheon of his films I really don’t see this standing out above many of the others, but that’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy myself (re) watching this for the first time in quite a while. Vanessa Williams makes a perfectly fine co-star and given her solid resume of TV and film work, this most likely stands as her biggest budget film. To that end, if you’re a fan of films like this, Arnold still manages to deliver a few corny one-liners and the movie does a fine job entertaining. I feel it a bit passable, but I recognize that it’s got a big fan base as well.
Video: How does it look?
I say this often in my reviews, but it’s been a long time since I sat down and watched this. My last official viewing might have actually been on LaserDisc. Does that age me? Probably. At any rate, we’ve got a big budget catalog film from Warner and just in time for its 30th Anniversary we get a new 4K offering. As we might expect, the result is stunning. Given the time since my last viewing it’s easy to look at this disc and see how it excels, but with a lot of catalog titles I found that things just look…better. That’s not too technical, but flesh tones seem a lot more warm and balanced, black levels and contrast seem more solid and detail and colors have both been improved. Mid 90’s Arnold has never looked so good!
Audio: How does it sound?
There aren’t many certainties in life, but one is that an action/thriller movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger will likely have a pretty rockin’ soundtrack. And, as luck would have it, we do. Though the original DTS HD Master Audio (found on the previously-released Blu-ray) is present on the disc, the real highlight is the new Dolby Atmos mix that, pardon the pun, pulls no punches. Vocals are top notch, surrounds are plenty active and as we might imagine there’s a gunshot or two to be heard in this film. Atmospheric effects abound, the LFE are involved and so on. We know the drill and I’d never thought that this film would/could sound so good.
Supplements: What are the extras?
- Reinventing the Modern Action Hero – The Evolution of Arnold – A trio associated with the film (conspicuously absent is “you know who”): Director Chuck Russell, executive producer Michael Tadross, and actor Vanessa Williams, reminisce about the film and its impact.
- ’90s Action Thriller Reimagined – The same trio from the above segment (and why these couldn’t have been combined into one longer feature is beyond me) return and discuss some of the more technical aspects of the film.
The Bottom Line
In the realm of Arnold Schwarzenegger films, this one likely won’t be atop that many lists. Let’s face it – he set the bar pretty high. Watching the film so many years later, it was a treat to see but my copy will likely gather dust until/when/if I decide to watch it again. For die-hard fans, however, the disc excels in the A/V department.
