Erasing the competition not likely for Schwarzenegger’s new action film

Director Russell fails to provide creativity, is flick’s main
weaknessBy Michael Horowitz

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

Arnold Schwarzenegger is the world’s most prized action hero,
but even he can’t work alone.

The hulking Austrian looks great snapping people’s necks and
grinning defiantly as villains hold him at gunpoint, but he’s never
had the chops to pull off drama, so he always needs a director to
protect him. Someone needs to keep him from looking stupid, but
there is no such person in "Eraser."

James Cameron ("Terminator II," "True Lies") for one, is well
aware of Schwarzenegger’s limitations; you’ll rarely get a
laughable scene in any of their collaborations. Ivan Reitman
("Twins," "Kindergarten Cop") has the same ability to hide
Schwarzenegger’s weaknesses from the audience.

But Charles Russell, the director of the smash hit "The Mask"and
the just-opened "Eraser" is less adept. Numerous dialogue scenes in
"Eraser" are inadvertently hilarious. Schwarzenegger’s even
mumbling at one point about the identity inside, "that no one can
take from you."

And you can only blame Russell.

"Eraser" takes up right around where "Commando" left off. Not
high on the action totem pole, but definitely fulfilling the
minimum requirements of a summer action blockbuster. While there
are a few welcome updates to the usually conservative genre, this
film has none of the stylistic flourishes that marked last summer’s
"True Lies" or the frenetic pace of "The Rock."

This film’s story is a meld between the recent Tom Cruise hit
"Mission: Impossible" and last year’s Cindy Crawford miss "Fair
Game." There’s a computer disc to steal, a witness relocation, the
need to get into a highly guarded room to use the disc and only one
badass who can do it all: Arnold.

Vanessa Williams is Lee Cullen, an employee at weapons
manufacturing corporation Cyrez, who comes across some suspicious
files and alerts the FBI. They send her in to grab some hard
evidence and various vested interests are alerted. Soon, she’s
hunted by mercenaries, and only one man can protect her.

The film shifts around the United States from one action scene
to the next, ultimately involving one of the best parachute
sequences ever ­ a must-see. The pace is fast, light on logic
and much superior to the lacking "Mission: Impossible."

Schwarzenegger isn’t worried about expanding his range in this
one. He just uses the same bag of tricks that have served him well.
He acts tough, talks minimally and utters one-liners a scant bit
brighter than the billions he let loose in "The Running Man."

James Caan provides a worthy adversary, with all the requisite
scenery chewing and posturing. He’s not convincing in the slightest
as a good guy, which is what he’s introduced as, but that’s par for
the course.

Rounding out the principals in the thankless victim role,
Vanessa Williams is decent at screaming, running and pausing to
look beautiful. She hints at a depth that few of Schwarzenegger’s
costars display, but this is not the movie to show it. In "Eraser"
and its ilk, a woman’s worth is measured by how hard she can kick
the villain in the balls.

The weakness of the film is behind the camera: his name’s
Charles Russell. He’s best when you don’t notice him but never very
exciting or innovative. You figure with $80 million, a decent
script and the world’s biggest action star you could get a little
excited about direction. And, you’d expect that excitement to
translate to the screen.

Is "Eraser" the best film of the summer? Not by a long shot.

Is it worth checking out? Yes, if only for the parachute
scene.

FILM: "Eraser," directed by Charles Russell. Grade: B

Action hero Arnold Schwarzenegger plays John Kruger in
"Eraser."

Schwarzenegger isn’t worried about expanding his range in this
one. He just uses the same bag of tricks that have served him
well.