Review: Eraser 4K UHD
Some films are so firmly associated with Arnold Schwarzenegger’s career that they dominate every conversation. The Terminator, Predator, Total Recall, True Lies… the list goes on. With a back catalogue like that, it’s perhaps understandable that Eraser often gets overlooked. Personally, I’ve always thought that was a bit unfair.
Released in 1996, Eraser arrived at an interesting point in Schwarzenegger’s career. The larger-than-life, wisecracking action heroes of the 1980s were beginning to evolve into something slightly slicker and more grounded, yet Eraser somehow manages to sit comfortably between both eras. It still has all the ridiculous action, gloriously over-the-top dialogue and impossible stunts that made Arnie such a superstar, but wraps them in the more polished action style that became popular through the late 1990s.
The focuses on U.S. Marshal John Kruger (Arnie), a specialist in witness protection whose job is to “erase” the identities of people whose lives are in danger, and when corporate whistleblower Lee Cullen (Vanessa Williams) uncovers a conspiracy involving experimental weapons, Kruger finds himself protecting her while uncovering corruption that reaches far higher than expected.
The plot isn’t especially groundbreaking, but that’s never really been the point, this is a film built around spectacle, and it delivers that in abundance. How can you not love a film where Arnie kicks a crocodile… or, as one of the special features amusingly points out, a “croc-o-gator”? Then there’s the small matter of him jumping out of an aircraft with no parachute, which amazingly he’s already survived the heat of a burning jet engine jumping out of the plane. If that’s still not enough, the climactic gunfight features not one, but two enormous futuristic railguns tearing chunks out of everything in sight while Arnie flexes his own guns.
Schwarzenegger is effortlessly charismatic throughout, James Caan makes for an excellent (though sometimes hammy…on purpose!?) antagonist, and the supporting cast, including James Coburn and Robert Pastorelli, all help elevate material that knows precisely what sort of film it wants to be. The action is varied, the pacing rarely lets up, and the film never seems embarrassed by its own excesses.
Warner Bros.’ new 4K presentation is excellent with rich colours that gives the film a welcome visual boost while preserving its mid-90s cinematic look. Grain is natural, black levels are solid, and explosions, sparks and muzzle flashes all benefit from the expanded dynamic range.The railgun sequences are every bit as thunderous as you’d hope, while quieter scenes remain clear and well balanced. It’s a soundtrack that happily reminds your speakers why they exist.
Looking back thirty years later, Eraser remains enormous fun. It’s one of those action films that never pretends to be anything other than a hugely entertaining couple of hours. It may never receive the same recognition as Schwarzenegger’s absolute classics, but perhaps it deserves a little more appreciation than it usually gets.
If you’ve somehow skipped it over the years, this 4K release is the perfect excuse to finally give it a watch.
Review by Dave from a disc kindly supplied by Warner Bros via Fetch Publicity.
