In the 90s, I was a huge Arnold Schwarzenegger fan, he was second only to Jean-Claude Van Damme for me when it came to the big action heroes of the 80s and 90s. Eraser was released in 1996, and back then, a new Arnold Schwarzenegger movie was still a huge deal. I remember there being a lot of hype around this movie, and I was very excited to go and see it.
How to Download Eraser
Eraser was released on June 21, 1996. You can download or stream the film from a digital platform. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice. Do you like Arnold? Check him out in Conan the Barbarian, Predator, and Last Action Hero.
The Movie Review
Sneaking Into the Cinema for Eraser
The thing is, here in the UK, when it was first released was rated at 18, and I was not 18 at the time it was released. Thankfully, the cinema I went to was not exactly tight on security, and you did not have a designated seat back then, so I paid for a different movie and then snuck into the Eraser screen! Oh, me and a buddy also skipped school on this day to do this, so that just added to the excitement of seeing Eraser.
Watching Eraser Today – Still Fun After All These Years
I watched Eraser recently, and I was smiling the whole time. This is a very typical 90s Arnold Schwarzenegger action movie, and I mean that in the most complimentary way possible. If you like this style of cheesy over the top action movie, you will have a lot of fun here. While it is not regarded as one of his best movies, I still think that Eraser holds up and is better than many people give it credit for.
John Kruger: The Ultimate Witness Protector
Our main character is a guy called John Kruger, and he works for the witness protection program. The thing with John Kruger is that he “erases” a witness so that those who wish them dead think that they are, and then the witness can go and live a new life. It is a pretty neat idea, and the way that he goes about “erasing” the first witness we see is a lot of fun. Kruger is as typical an Arnie action hero as you can get from the ass kicking to the awesome one liners, the whole “they caught a train” line at the end is awesome and a very underrated Arnie one liner!
Plot Twists, High-Tech Weapons, and CGI Crocodiles
Well, turns out that there is a mole in the witness protection program, and “erased” witnesses are showing up dead! Turns out that there is this awesome weapon that can see through walls and even into a person’s skeleton. An agent played by Vanessa Williams, called Lee, stumbles into something corrupt here, and now she is marked for death also. There is a lot of “who can you trust?” stuff going on in Eraser. It is not super deep, but it is a lot of fun, and there are some great action sequences.
CGI That Hasn’t Aged Well, But Still Entertaining
One of the things I remember before the movie came out was the talk of this amazing crocodile that was done with CGI. Let me tell you, this CGI crocodile has not aged all that well, but I remember being very impressed by it back in the day. As well as rather shady-looking CGI, the final fight scene is super weird with Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Caan.
Final Thoughts on Eraser and Where It Ranks
While I would probably not have Eraser on my top ten list of Arnold Schwarzenegger movies, it is a movie I still enjoy and have very fond memories of, mainly due to skipping school and sneaking into the theatre. Still, I think that anyone who loves Arnold Schwarzenegger’s action movies will have a fun time with this one. At the very least, you will get a kick out of that badass gun and the “awesome” looking CGI crocodile.
