ERASER
(1996)
1/2
Back from the ashes of JUNIOR (which flopped in the states) ARNIE is back into his usual form and what he does best; delivering occasionally funny one-liners in WYSIWYG (what-you-see-is-what-you-get) action movies. True to his form in his previous James Cameron movies (TRUE LIES, TERMINATOR 2), ERASER promises to be one of the better actioners this summer.
Arnie plays US Marshal John Kruger, a member of the witness protection program whose main duty is to `erase' the identity of people who have put their lives in jeopardy by helping the government in some way or another. He gives them new identities and jobs in places where their enemies will not find them. Lee Cullen (Williams) is an employee of CYREZ, a multinational weapons manufacturer who ignorantly agreed to work for the FBI to retrieve data on some illegal sales of a new high-technology weapon outside of the US. Unsurprisingly, things got a little messy and Kruger has to be called in to `erase' her identity which inadvertently led to the discovery of a scandal which links up to the powerful people in the country....
While the plot of ERASER is somewhat interesting, it is really nothing new. But tell me, how many people actually go to an Arnie movie expecting lots of drama and tears? In terms of action sequences, ERASER packs a lot of firepower, thanks to the nicely done digital special effects. Arnie is perfect for the role......while his bulk may seem nice in 3-dimension, his character is very 2-dimensional. There is not much development in the characters of ERASER, unlike Cameron's actioner TRUE LIES. However, the trademark Arnie one-liners and action sequences ranging from being chased by alligators to dodging electro-magnetic-pulses was more than enough to render me ignorant of its character flaws. There is only one interesting character in the movie and it is Johnny C, played with finesse and humour by Robert Pastorelli. James Caan wasn't bad too.
In conclusion, ERASER is a *pure* action film, true to the word. If you expect anything other than that, you can give this movie a miss. Fans of Arnie or action-lovers will not be disappointed!
A tip to enjoy AAM (Arnie Action Movies) : sit down, relax and don't
think too much!
THE FLYING INKPOT's RATING SYSTEM:
* Wait for the video.
** A little creaky, but still better than staying at home with Gotcha!
*** Pretty good, bring a friend.
**** Amazing, potent stuff.
***** Perfection. See it twice.
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