Erased (2012)
Can we make a new genre here? British/American executive/spy/father gets in trouble in Europe and has to go on the run with corporate/government/counterspy evil everywhere.
I could list some (never mind the great Bourne films, which are extremes of the type). Certainly the "Taken" films (there are three now) are the closest parallel, but even "The International" comes to mind in the same vein. All of these have a sense of fear and darkness about the global order that glooms down on the characters.
And "Erased" is powerfully made, with good claustrophobic and jittery camera-work, believable acting, and a reasonable (if roughly familiar) plot. You get swept up quickly, as Aaron Eckhart juggles a high-security job and a teenage daughter going to private school. Through a quick (a peanut allergy) he avoids an early death and the movie takes off. All along the daughter is both emotional fodder for the feeling side of the film and a bit of a formative action figure (now and then). But it's dad who is really showing his smarts and fighting skills as an ex-CIA man.
Set in beautiful Belgium, the scenes range from those gorgeous old Europe streets and government buildings to the new Europe and high end glass corporate life. And then to the new, growing minority areas where Arabs and other Muslims live. Part of this emphasis might come from the main writer on the story, Arash Amel, who surely paints the division of cultures in a sympathetic way. Director Philip Stolzl is one of the newer generation of German mainstream directors with an eye for sweeping fast visuals and a solid plot ("North Face" is highly recommended). He, perhaps too much like Tom Tykwer, is taking a detour into some well-worn territory here, but showing his chops.
Expect to never be bored, to never know quite what might happen next, and to enjoy the ride kinetically. Even if nothing quite original happens. Ever.
Erased
2012
Action / Thriller
Plot summary
The expatriate and widower Ben Logan has moved from New York to Antwerp with his estranged teenage daughter Amy Logan to work for the technology corporation Halgate Group. When he breaks a sophisticated security code from a device, he notes that its patent has no record in Halgate and he calls the attention of his boss Derek Kohler. Ben meets Amy and they do not go home; later Ben goes with Amy to his office and they find it completely empty. Further, all the records of his phone calls, e-mails, payslip and bank account have vanished. Out of the blue, a coworker abducts Ben and Amy in the bank but Ben kills him in self-defense. Ben finds a key from a locker in the Central Station and he finds photos of his daughter, himself and his coworkers. His further investigation shows that all the workers are dead in the morgue except Derek Kohler. Soon Ben discovers a huge conspiracy of Halgate Group relative to illegal arms sales to Africa with the involvement of rogue CIA agents. But Ben is in disgrace with the Agency and does not have any reliable contact to recur.
Uploaded by: OTTO
Director
Tech specs
720p.BLU 1080p.BLUMovie Reviews
Erased or Expatriate--same fast, kinetic, well done boilerplate film
Derivative Bourne clone with a few good action scenes
ERASED is your latest garden-variety Bourne knock-off which copies the plotting, style, choreography, and even the music of the Greengrass-directed Bourne movies. This one stars a rather bland Aaron Eckhart as a former CIA agent who finds himself on the run with his estranged teenage daughter when his former employers decide to get rid of him.
The plot is almost an exact copy of THE BOURNE SUPREMACY in which the protagonist is framed for a crime they didn't commit and then people try to silence them throughout. There are fight scenes with assassins, shoot-outs and chases, and the action is quite fun for what is essentially a B-movie rip-off. Certainly it's hard-hitting in places and the R rating is a refreshing alternative to the usual PG-13 thrills and spills.
Unfortunately, ERASED falls down when it comes to the writing. The characters are flat and certain ones, like Olga Kurylenko's (QUANTUM OF SOLACE),have zero presence whatsoever; you wonder what on earth they're doing in the film in the first place. Even worse, the main character is saddled with one of those bratty teenage offspring whose only purpose seems to be to intentionally irritate the viewer. It spoils what is otherwise a workable if derivative thriller.
nothing new or different
Ben Logan (Aaron Eckhart) is a security technology researcher in Belgium for the Halgate Group. His daughter Amy (Liana Liberato) is not happy with the move after losing her mother. He reports a missing patent in their tech to his boss Derek Kohler. Later, he discovers that the office suddenly cleared out and the head office has no records of him. A co-worker kidnaps them but Ben manages to kill him. Clues lead to his former life with co-worker Anna Brandt (Olga Kurylenko) and a vast murderous conspiracy.
There is a bit of Bourne and Taken but less. It has Eckhart. It should be good but it's only passable. The setup is interesting but any early momentum slowly fades away. It becomes formulaic without anything new or particularly great. The action is lacking something special. Having the daughter presents some potential but it ends up being more of the same. This needs some imagination and sizzle to elevate it to a higher level.