Eraser (1996)
51%RT Audience Score: 39%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 Oscar
3 wins & 2 nominations total
Eraser’s shoot-’em-up action might show off some cutting edge weaponry, but its rote story is embarrassingly obsolete
Eraser is the kind of movie that you watch when you’re in the mood for some mindless action and explosions. It’s not going to win any awards for its plot or acting, but it’s still a fun ride. Arnold Schwarzenegger is his usual tough-guy self, and the stunts are impressive, even if they do seem a bit desperate at times. Overall, if you’re looking for a movie to turn your brain off and just enjoy some bone-crunching diversion, Eraser is a solid choice. Plus, who doesn’t love a good cheesy ’90s action flick?
Production Company(ies)
Newmarket Capital Group Team Todd I Remember Productions,
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Santa Clarita, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for violent action throughout and some language
Year of Release
1996
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital SDDS DTS
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:1h 55m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jun 21, 1996 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 22, 1997
Genre(s)
Action
Keyword(s)
Eraser, Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Caan, Vanessa Williams, Chuck Russell, Walon Green, Tony Puryear, Anne Kopelson, Arnold Kopelson, Action, R, Box Office, Budget, Reviewed by Jonathan Rosenbaum, Anne Billson, Gene Siskel, Lisa Schwarzbaum, Susan Stark, Richard Corliss, Sheila Reid, Mikel Zorrilla, MPAA Rating, Warner Bros Pictures, Surround, Stereo, Scope, 2.35:1, Witness Protection, Arms Corporation, Terrorists, Rogue Enemy Agents, Shoot-’em-up Action, Cutting Edge Weaponry, Rote Story, Embarrassingly Obsolete
Worldwide gross: $242,295,562
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $462,480,565
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 315
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 50,434,086
US/Canada gross: $101,295,562
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $193,347,449
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 368
US/Canada opening weekend: $24,566,446
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $46,891,093
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 257
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $100,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $190,874,551
Production budget ranking: 132
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $102,785,946
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $168,820,069
ROI to date (est.): 57%
ROI ranking: 1,112
James Caan – Robert Deguerin
Vanessa Williams – Lee Cullen
James Coburn – Chief Beller
Robert Pastorelli – Johnny Castelone
James Cromwell – William Donohue
Director – Chuck Russell
Producers – Arnold Kopelson, Anne Kopelson
Writers – Walon Green, Tony Puryear
Director(s)
Chuck Russell
Writer(s)
Walon Green, Walon Green, Tony Puryear
Producer(s)
Arnold Kopelson, Anne Kopelson
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
3 wins & 2 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (52) | Top Critics (18) | Fresh (21) | Rotten (31)
A few of the set pieces are fussy or overly extended, but the rest is tolerable bone-crunching diversion.
June 14, 2022
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
The stunts, even show-stopping ones such as our man throwing himself out of a plane without a parachute and landing on a car without sustaining injury, have an air of desperation about them.
November 27, 2017
Anne Billson
Daily Telegraph (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Eraser is totally meaningless summertime entertainment, but it means something, I suppose, that it has been done so well.
August 23, 2017 | Rating: 3/4
Gene Siskel
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
September 7, 2011 | Rating: B
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
October 18, 2008 | Rating: 1/4
Susan Stark
Detroit News
TOP CRITIC
Welcome back, big guy.
August 24, 2008
Richard Corliss
TIME Magazine
TOP CRITIC
I know it sounds very predictable, but it’s actually better than you expect and Vanessa makes it much more tolerable.
May 31, 2022
Sheila Reid
Women in the Life
Spectacle above all else. [Full review in Spanish]
December 15, 2021
Mikel Zorrilla
Espinof
Defying the boundaries of realism – by walking a fine line between amusing and obnoxious – always seems easy for Arnold.
September 11, 2020 | Rating: 6/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
Although Eraser offered the first signs that cinema audiences were no longer willing to swallow Arnie in any old action vehicle served up to them, there is still enough cheesy lowbrow moments to make this tale… deliver on the small screen.
May 4, 2020 | Rating: 3/5
Leigh Paatsch
Herald Sun (Australia)
’90s Schwarzenegger action movie is extremely violent.
August 15, 2018 | Rating: 2/5
Brian Costello
Common Sense Media
It’s the sort of plot you’ve seen so many times before that you forget exactly where you’ve seen it before, though you know it probably worked better then.
July 30, 2007 | Rating: 2/5
Rob Gonsalves
eFilmCritic.com…
Plot
U.S. Marshal deputy John Kruger is one of the toughest Marshals, his methods are to “Erase” The identities of his witnesses he is assigned to protect. Meanwhile, a woman named Lee Cullen who works for a corporation named Cyrez performed an undercover job for the FBI to unveil a top secret weapon which uses an electromagnetic pulse to dispatch targets. Cyrez discovered this about Lee and are now out to kill her, Kruger’s job is now to protect Lee so she can testify against Cyrez. But, when Kruger was assigned to perform a job with another Marshal named Robert Deguerin, he discovers that Deguerin is behind some kind of scam that will involve the EM Gun, which will change hands to a Russian criminal if Kruger does not stop them, Kruger must not only protect Lee’s life but his own.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy or funny or odd comment about the film Eraser on Fresh Kernels.
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