by tt stern-enzi

Aaron Eckhart saves the day as a company man

I’ve always liked Aaron Eckhart, not just the idea of him as a Hollywood player, perpetually on the verge of breaking onto the A-list, similar to comrade-in-arms Thomas Jane (a fellow rock-jawed blondie with chops), but the little bit of Eckhart that he shares with us onscreen. Certain critics and writers refer to the eye test, the proof that comes from what we are able to see and appreciate before our own eyes. Think of this as “the proof is in the pudding” test, if you will, all of you Doubting Thomas-types. Well, I have a different eye test that I go by. In my case, it’s not my eyes that I’m concerned with; I focus on the eyes of performers – actors and actresses – onscreen. What can we see in their eyes, what light through yonder window breaks? Are there signs of intelligent life behind those sometimes bewitching orbs? That’s what I want to know. That’s my eye test.

And Eckhart aces the test every time. He gives the impression that he’s always thinking, juggling multiple factors at once. He’s actively listening and engaged, even when the material doesn’t seem to require his full attention. That’s what we mean when we talk about a performer who elevates average work, giving it a little improvisational jazz that wasn’t strictly written on the pages.

There’s a hint of that in Eckhart’s new movie, Erased. On the surface, it’s a run-of-the-mill thriller about a former CIA operative (Eckhart), living and working in Europe as a securities technician while raising a teenage daughter (Liana Liberato) as a single parent. One day, he gets a notification about a package delivery, heads to work with his daughter in tow, only to discover that the office has been decommissioned, his co-workers have been assassinated, and he’s next on the list. He’s on the run, dragging his daughter from one hot spot to the next as he tries to figure out what’s going on.

I’m sure this all sounds fairly familiar. It’s got more than trace elements of Robert Ludlum’s Bourne series mixed with a heaping helping of Taken, but its less concerned with the pyrotechnics and the martial artistry of the latest hand-to-hand combat style. Its thrills are quieter and surprisingly more intimate. The action takes place close-up, which is where Eckhart works best.

Taken’s sleeper special effect was the gravitas gained from the presence of Liam Neeson who seems, in comparison, like a solid mentor for Eckhart. Erased, from German director Philipp Stölzl (North Face & Young Goethe in Love), isn’t playing a game of smash and grab with our sensibilities, like Luc Besson’s Taken franchise. This is more in line with the Scandinavian crime thrillers of recent years, but thanks to Eckhart, it approximates the B-movie vibe of the early 1980s. It’s solidly workman-like and sturdy with a name to give it a bit of flash.

And I say there’s nothing wrong with that at all. We’re so used to such projects now heading straight to DVD or maybe VOD, rather than hitting the multiplexes, but why? We could use a few more good thrills that forgo the shock and awe in favor of something that caters to adult audiences looking for escapist entertainment. (Opens Friday at Pierce Point 10) Grade: B