In Eraser, U.S. Marshal John Kruger (Arnold Schwarzenegger) "erases" the lives and identities of people entering the Witness Protection Program. When his latest charge (Vanessa Williams) uncovers a deal to put a new superweapon in the wrong hands, it’s a do-or-die assignment. Kruger embarks on a high-octane action spree to protect her. As exciting as it is entertaining, Eraser is unstoppable.
On June 16, the movie arrives on 4K Blu-ray and is also getting a limited edition SteelBook. That's to mark Eraser's 30th anniversary after it originally opened in theaters on June 21, 1996, grossing over $100 million worldwide, and becoming the year’s eleventh highest-grossing film.
Chuck Russell (The Mask, The Scorpion King) directed and recently sat down with us to discuss making the beloved action blockbuster.
During our conversation, the filmmaker reflected on working with Arnold Schwarzenegger, crafting two iconic action scenes—including the unforgettable rail gun sequence—and the joy of seeing Eraser remastered in 4K (the original camera negative was used during that process). We also hear from Russell on what he hopes future directors can take from the movie.
As well as a Dolby Vision/HDR presentation of Eraser with a Dolby Atmos audio track, the 4K release includes two featurettes: "Reinventing the Modern Action Hero - The Evolution of Arnold" and "'90s Action Thriller Reimagined."
You can check out our full interview with Russell on Eraser in the player below.
I grew up watching these action movies on a Saturday night in the late 90s, so I'd love to know what it is about this era of filmmaking that you think still resonates with people and how that's led to them demanding this film on 4K for its anniversary.
I'm delighted at the interest and, as you say, the demand for this film. They did an incredible job. I worked with them at Warner's on recolorizing it and doing a great new mix in Dolby Atmos. So I had fun. It's better than ever, I'm glad to say. But you're asking about the era. This was when our first position was everything physical. There weren't the options we have today. We might not even go to a location anymore at this point. Those scenes were staged to be as safe as they could be, but they were dangerous by nature. I think the audience senses that — my cast, the filmmakers, even our stunt team.
There is a sense of danger around Eraser seeing it again, especially the parachute scene where we had individuals really falling, including Arnold, who did a rappelling rig gag. He was falling straight at the camera from the highest stage in Warner's and it was something you don't have actors do, but Arnold was capable. I think our hearts were in it. It's a great story with great characters. I think there's some traditional heroics that the audiences miss these days, where our films are so much more cynical. But I was ahead of my time on casting Vanessa Williams just as a smart, strong woman. I wanted a cast that upped Arnold's game in performance. So with James Caan, Vanessa and James Coburn, his brand is intact, but his performance is better than ever.
I'm glad you mentioned Arnold because I know you've worked with some amazing leading men like Jim Carrey and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, but what was your experience like collaborating with Arnold at that point in his career and helping to tell this story in Eraser?
I love Arnold. He's a man's man, which I appreciate. Arnold kind of came from nothing, which I relate to. I didn't come from nothing, but I didn't have film school, and I didn't know anybody in Hollywood, and I came up and got a job sweeping stages, so I related to that. He came as this Austrian bodybuilder with an accent people were making fun of, who basically bragged early on in his career that he was going to be a star. So I admire that. He's really something, and he's bold enough to help me design stunt sequences where there is going to be some physical strain on him, and he knows it. He was ready to do I think a little more in performance than he had done in the past. I was challenged because I love True Lies. So I said if I'm doing my Arnold movie two years after True Lies, it better rock. And what are the scenes I can do I've never seen in an action film before?
Arnold's at the centre of that amazing final shootout sequence with the rail gun. I'm sure I'm not the only one to ask you about that, but what do you remember about shooting that sequence? Were there any moments in particular you were particularly proud to be able to pull off, given the VFX limitations at the time?
Honestly, most of the movie — I tend to write myself, I've done the same thing on The Mask, and it worked. I tend to write things I don't know exactly how to do when we write them. Then the fun is breaking it down and using our stage craft and our VFX craft to figure out how to do it reasonably safely. There are certain shots that were harder than weren't necessarily the most spectacular shots. There's a moment when Arnold bursts up out of the floorboards, where the set wasn't quite as breakaway as it should be, but then you've got Arnold able to do it. So that ended up selling really well. There were moments that were more difficult than others, but to be perfectly honest, it was a great, amazing cast. They all brought their own chemistry to an Arnold movie, especially James Caan, who's another kind of unexpected vibe in this kind of action film from The Thief and The Godfather. I just thought I had to get this performer to work with Arnold. So there are things like that where maybe they were tough in the getting, but they were so much fun in the shooting that I don't complain about that movie. The parachute scene was the most difficult because of all the elements involved.
Could you talk us through that parachute sequence? I know you said it was on the Warner Bros. lot and Arnold was doing it for real, but how challenging was it to choreograph that and to have it come across as convincingly as it does in the film?
It was a real exercise. And this is almost like if I ever teach a film class, that's storyboards for that sequence. We shot exactly the storyboards because these are all different techniques, from full-scale live action to tricks like Arnold repelling down from the top of a stage to an amazing real parachuting team. World-class parachuters Sky Manos and Jeff Jones were rigging that sequence and were really doing the falls. And don't forget the cameraman. People forget the cameraman who's dropping with the parachutist and has to keep the lens on him without protecting his own safety necessarily. So there are moments in that parachute drop that are very scary. The audience senses it because it was scary. There's a moment where the silk wraps around — it was our stunt double in that shot. I don't mind saying, but it was scripted to be a breakaway silk. So he's not in real danger, but the velocity, the wind velocity, has him really stuck. Watch for the shot where Arnold's character is trying to pull off the chute. It wasn't easy. It was a real struggle, really falling for that stunt performer.
How do you view this film's place in the way those action blockbusters really evolved, and what do you hope that maybe young filmmakers might take from it?
I don't assume to teach something with it. Look, I'm proud of the film, so it's a great example of an action movie. I would probably encourage new filmmakers not to go too far with the AI. There's a great way of — we call it hybrid filmmaking. We're actually doing tests on it right now, where we're using our real actors and real stunt fighters and using AI to enhance environments. So movies that would have probably been too expensive to make without a really big star now become more doable, even for young filmmakers. I would just say remember the heart of a movie is a physical performance. The chemistry between two human beings can never be replaced. But AI is a fantastic tool. It's more than a tool. It's a great storytelling device that may inspire you to tell a certain story. But try to balance — if you want to scare your audience or create suspense, try to keep as much physical action in a film as you can.
You mentioned before that they've done a great job with this 4K remaster. I know using the original camera negatives, but this set is also coming out as a SteelBook, which must be exciting for you as well.
I'm honoured. You know, it's something I made 30 years ago. For me, this is like there are a few of my movies that they call evergreen, and I'm delighted. I think it's because I put a lot of heart into these movies as much as I can. While it's trendy to be more and more cynical in film, I like creating situations that are terrifying or suspenseful, but I believe every man, every woman in all of us can rise to be a hero. So that tends to pop up in my films. I believe in the individual and particularly in the struggle for the love of another or protecting another, and that's really what I did with Arnold in Eraser. It's a character specifically as a protector, and Vanessa Williams as a strong woman who can also take care of herself and may not cooperate with him. I thought it was a fun dynamic.
Eraser arrives on 4K Blu-ray on June 16.