|
 raser" is probably the last picture that can
really be called a "true" Arnold Schwarzenegger film. It is, in all
likelihood, the last action movie where Arnold is still believable as an action
hero, and it's a pretty good one – that is, if you like Arnold action movies.
The big S is John Kruger, a U.S. Marshal working for the
Witness Protection agency, who has to protect whistleblower Lee (Vanessa L.
Williams) from her bosses, shady weapons developers who plan on selling their
latest invention – a high-powered, fancy-schmancy rifle – to enemies of the
U.S. Problem is, not only are Lee's bosses after her, but the bad guys also have
some reach in Kruger's agency, most notably Kruger's mentor Deguerin (James
Caan). Framed for killing other agents in the field, Kruger and Lee must flee
their own people and somehow survive as fugitives. And oh, there's a big
gunfight about every 10 minutes or so. What did you expect?
"Eraser" is good because it's such a true Arnold
movie. It's simple in plot, incredibly simplistic in its treatment of "good
vs. bad" guys, and its action is the real star. This is 1996, and Arnold
still looked mean and credible with a gun in one hand while the other hand is
punching out the lights of bad guys everywhere. Director Chuck Russell ("The
Scorpion King") knows what he has here, and uses all the elements in
his favor. All the pieces fit, the action sequences are spectacular, and you
haven't seen ballsy action until you've seen Arnold going mano-a-mano with a private
jet – and winning!
The best Arnold movies are the ones with a properly winning
co-star. "Eraser" sports three, including Vanessa L. Williams as the
chief damsel in distress. Williams is beautiful eye candy, and although her
character has very little character development, this is all right. After all,
this is an Arnold picture, not "Citizen
Kane."
As the good
guy-turned-bad, James Caan is appropriately nasty and snarls his way through the
film. The role of comic belief belongs to Robert Pastorelli as a Mafioso who
Kruger "erases" and then needs the help of later on in the film. When
Kruger locates Pastorelli for aid, he finds the Italian mobster working as a
bartender in a – gasp – gay bar!
No one will ever confuse "Eraser" with an
award-winning film, but it is a good movie because it knows its roots, its star,
and capitalizes on both. It's wall-to-wall action, the stunts are ballsy and
quite inventive, and best of all, Arnold is in prime form.
That is, if you like this kind of movie.
|
