A former bodybuilder, Arnold Schwarzenegger made a name for himself after starring in the Terminator movies, which helped pave the way for countless action movie roles over the next few decades. But there’s one hidden Arnold Schwarzenegger gem which, thanks to Amazon Prime Video, you can now watch for yourself.
Released in 1996, Eraser stars Schwarzenegger as John Kruger, a senior US Marshal in charge of the Witness Protection Program. As part of his job, he’s tasked with “erasing” people — faking their deaths and giving them new identities — and placing them under the Witness Protection Program. With thrilling action sequences and high stakes, many fans of Schwarzenegger consider Eraser to be one of the best movies of his career.
In an interview unearthed from Eraser’s original production notes, director Charles Russell explained why Schwarzenegger was the perfect fit for this ‘90s 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.”
You can see these heroic proportions for yourself by watching Eraser on the streaming service now, but if you’ve already erased the film from your memory, pick out a new movie from our list of the best Arnold Schwarzenegger movies of all time.