Arnold Schwarzenegger is undoubtedly one of the biggest stars in the history of Hollywood, who rose to prominence thanks to his iconic role in the Terminator franchise. Action was truly his bread and butter for several years of his career. In fact, his most infamous action movie wouldn’t have been possible without him.
The Austrian bodybuilding legend became a huge deal thanks to his Greek God-like physique that catapulted him to the very top of the industry. That said, he wasn’t necessarily giving massive hit movies one after the other.
Arnold Schwarzenegger Was Solely Responsible For Making Sure His Most Infamous Movie Saw The Light Of Day
1996’s Eraser featured Arnold Schwarzenegger as John Kruger, a top US Marshal overseeing the Witness Protection Program. Kruger’s duty involves staging deaths and providing new identities for individuals, placing them in Witness Protection. Known for intense action and high stakes, Eraser is hailed by Schwarzenegger fans as one of his career highlights.
While speaking in an interview unearthed from Eraser’s original production notes, director Charles Russell explained why Arnold Schwarzenegger was absolutely crucial for the film in every single way, adding that the bodybuilder was essential for the movie.
“I see Arnold the way a lot of people do – as a mythic, bigger-than-life character – and that’s who Kruger is.” he explained. “The character and the scenario are based firmly in reality, but I liked the mythic proportions of this man with a strong sense of duty, a strong sense of honor, who will literally do anything to protect a noble witness. I was excited about doing a film that had heroic proportions.”
Many fans also believe that Arnold Schwarzenegger was the only reason that the film was successful in the first place. After all, the Austrian legend’s star power has managed to carry many films over the years.
How Was Eraser’s Critical And Box Office Reception?
Eraser is currently hailed as one of the most underrated movies featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger for a multitude of reasons. After all, it did have solid set pieces and other aspects that ultimately made the film an enjoyable ride. Not only that – many fans still hail the film as a technical marvel for the exaggerated action sequences they managed to put in there. This included the iconic rail gun which became a big deal in the film.
That said, it didn’t receive great reviews from critics at all. In fact, the film received an abysmal Rotten Tomatoes score of 43% but it was a Box Office hit. According to Box Office Mojo, the film grossed $242,295,562 so it was a major success in every single way. Regardless, it’s unlikely fans will see a movie of this nature from the legend anytime soon.
