“Eraser: Reborn” follows the exploits of U.S. Marshal Mason Pollard, who specializes in engineering the fake deaths of witnesses who need to leave no trace of their existence.
“Eraser” was Arnold Schwarzenegger’s last big hit during his box office reign that lasted throughout the ’80s and into the mid-nineties. After “Eraser,” he would go on to make several box office duds such as “Jingle All the Way,” “Batman & Robin,” “End of Days,” “The 6th Day,” and “Collateral Damage,” and while “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines” temporarily gave his career a much-needed boost, it never fully recovered afterward. While many probably don’t remember “Eraser,” it was a fun time at the movies but absolutely nothing compared to much of his earlier hits; The Terminator franchise, “Conan the Barbarian,” “Commando,” “Twins,” “Predator,” and “Total Recall,” to name but a few.
“Eraser: Reborn” is a straight-up remake of Schwarzenegger’s 1996 action hit, although the producers could have just continued where the original left off and added a brand new story and characters. Dominic Sherwood plays U.S. Marshal Mason Pollard, who works for a secret agency specializing in erasing high-profile witnesses’ identities, faking their deaths so they won’t be harmed before testifying in court against the bad guys. He is assigned to Rina Kimura (Jacky Lai), a young lady who needs protection after turning state’s evidence against her crime boss husband. Shortly after relocating her to Cape Town in South Africa, Pollard’s old friend and former mentor, Paul Whitlock (McKinley Belcher III), informs him that there has been a security breach within the organization, and they need to move their witnesses.
They arrive at the address of Paul’s witness first, only to find her dead inside, surrounded by six armed men. After a quick gunfire battle, Mason questions Paul why it took six men to kill one woman, and that’s when Paul pulls his gun on him, Mason now realizing he has been double-crossed. Paul informs him that the bad guys are offering a lot of money for Mason’s witness as she stole a flash drive from her husband that contains vital information in regards to his criminal organization. Armed with this newly discovered information, Mason escapes and manages to locate Rina. Paul informs his superiors that Mason has gone rogue, and he is tasked with bringing them back, dead or alive. Laying low, Mason and Rina formulate a plan to take on Paul and his henchmen that will prove their innocence and Paul’s guilt.
“Eraser: Reborn” is a direct-to-video release, but its overall quality is far superior to most other productions of its ilk; it just pales in comparison to Schwarzenegger’s original. For the most part, the acting is sub-par, with only Dominic Sherwood expressing any genuine emotion throughout. Some of the action scenes are well-choreographed, but they work best in short bursts; the longer they drag on, the more apparent the artificial bullet holes, muzzle flashes, and CGI blood become. I think the producers could do well in expanding this particular franchise as they could cast new actors with every outing or start a brand new series with Dominic Sherwood’s Mason Pollard as the lead protagonist, if they can produce any number of direct-to-video “Tremors” movies, they can adapt “Eraser” into an enduring legacy.
Available on Blu-ray™, DVD, and Digital June 7th
