Director John Pogue’s (The Quiet Ones, Deep Blue Sea 3) reboot Eraser: Reborn is set to be released this week. I had the chance to check it out in advance and review it. Before we dive into it, I confess that I’ve never seen the original starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. With the1996 original having such a star-studded cast, I feel that it is almost unfair to compare the two, so I’m going to judge Reborn on its own merits.
In the movie, U.S. Marshal Mason Pollard specializes in “erasing” people – faking the deaths of high-risk witnesses. With the technological advances of the last 25 years, the game has upgraded, and it’s just another day at the office when he’s assigned to Rina Kimura, a crime boss’ wife who’s decided to turn state’s evidence. As the two flee to Cape Town, South Africa, Pollard discoveruthlesseen sets up with a team of merciless assassins on their trail. Double-crossed and fueled by adrenaline, he needs to be at the top of his game, or he’ll be the one who’s erased. Permanently.
Pollard, who believes in following the rules of his profession, is played by Dominic Anthony Sherwood. The latter does well in his role in this action-packed movie and is dedicated to protecting his latest witness, Rina, played by Jacky Lai. McKinley Belcher III (Marriage Story) plays Paul Whitlock, a mentor to Pollard, and Eddie Ramos (Animal Kingdom) plays the gangster hunting Rina. They all do a fine job.
Are you looking for action? Eraser: Reborn has got it, nonstop. The cat and mouse thriller is action-packed from beginning to end and features everything from hand-to-hand combat to shootouts and furious, giant animals. No one wants to go head to head with a pissed-off, hungry hippo.
I was surprised while watching Reborn; I caught myself yelling instructions at the characters on my screen. I really got into it. By the time the final credits rolled, I had realized that I genuinely enjoyed the film. It’s got something for everyone, action, twists, romance.
As I sat going over the movie in my head, I only found one fundamental flaw, and it’s one a lot of movies make these days, they used CGI blood, which never looks good. It always looks super fake. You just can beat practical blood effects. But that’s my only complaint. Overall, Eraser: Reborn is a great action flick.
Check out Eraser: Reborn, on Digital, Blu-ray, and DVD on June 7, 2022, from Warner Bros.
