It received mixed reviews from critics, although they praised Williams's and Schwarzenegger's performances, the action sequences and the visual effects.

[2] It was also one of the first major films released on DVD, being part of the Japanese launch lineup of Warner Home Video's debut of the format on December 20, 1996.

Marshal who specializes in "erasing" witnesses, is given a new assignment by his superior, Arthur Beller: Lee Cullen has alerted the FBI that Cyrez executives have financed the creation of an electromagnetic rifle, which they intend to sell on the black market.

Lee is attacked by mercenaries sent by Cyrez CEO Eugene Morehart but is rescued by Kruger, who learns that several witnesses he had helped are being murdered due to someone in WITSEC leaking information.

The pair infiltrate Cyrez with the aid of Johnny Casteleone, a witness Kruger recently erased, and use Donohue's terminal to decrypt Lee's second disc.

DeGuerin, Harper, and Morehart are indicted for treason, but when it becomes clear that they will likely be acquitted in court, Kruger fakes his and Lee's deaths in an explosion.

Director Chuck Russell and star Arnold Schwarzenegger were originally working on another project together when Eraser was brought to their attention.

"[6] Producer Arnold Kopelson was also keen to cast Schwarzenegger in the role of "The Eraser", having talked with the actor about working on projects before.

[13] The "rail-gun" featured in the film as a key plot device, and Schwarzenegger talks on the subject: "We paid a lot of attention to making the audience feel the danger of this weapon, that anyone can be outside of your house, looking right through the walls.

"But, on top of that, we show the sophistication of the weapon in a lot of fun ways: you not only see through a building, you see a person's skeleton and even their heart beating inside.

[6] The screenplay went through numerous drafts by some of the most prominent screenwriters in the business, with a great deal of uncredited script-doctoring work being done by Graham Yost and William Wisher.

One of the most demanding action sequences in the film featured the character of Kruger forced to flee from a jet speeding through the skies at 250 miles (400 km) per hour.

In the final film, Kruger appears to drop along the length of the fuselage and past the flaming engine of the jet thanks to inventive camera angles and special effects.

The North American LaserDisc release of the film is notorious for being poorly manufactured, with a large number of copies exhibiting severe laser rot.

[16] Eraser had an opening weekend of $24.5 million in the United States during the summer season of 1996,[17] staying ahead of The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

The site's consensus reads: "Eraser's shoot-'em-up action might show off some cutting edge weaponry, but its rote story is embarrassingly obsolete".

He wrote that there were so many plot holes that "it helps to have a short attention span", but that Eraser is nonetheless "actually good action fun, with spectacular stunts and special effects" and a spirited performance from Williams "running and jumping and fighting and shooting and kicking and screaming and being tied to chairs and smuggling computer discs and looking great.

[28] The film co-stars Jacky Lai, and the supporting cast includes McKinley Belcher III and Eddie Ramos.