SnoopyStyle
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.
Claudio Carvalho
The expatriate and widower Ben Logan (Aaron Eckhart) has moved from New York to Anrwep with his estranged teenage daughter Amy Logan (Liana Liberato) 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 (Neil Napier). 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. The unoriginal "Erased", a.k.a."The Expatriate", is an action thriller with a promising and intriguing beginning. Unfortunately the stupid and annoying daughter Amy with her silly attitudes makes any viewer lose the temper. The story has many flaws and holes, but the plot is fast-paced and distracts the viewer that is not aware. For example, the killers kill a lot of residents in Belgium; Ben blows-up the car with important guys; the police is chasing Ben and Amy; and he arrives at the airport dirty and ready to embark to the USA and probably without documents. My vote is six.Title (Brazil): "Perseguição Implacável" ("Relentless Manhunt")
carbuff
The most succinct way to characterize this movie is that it's essentially a mediocre movie that's been polished up a couple of notches. I have never, however, seen any of the films in the "Taken" series, and I suspect that if I had, I would lower my rating on this film a bit. Eckhart's performance in particular knocks this pretty ordinary and workmanlike thriller up that little extra bit, yet, as another reviewer commented, he is not totally convincing as the bada$$ he's supposed to be. The story falls apart a little at the end when the central "evil guy" becomes a little too paper thin in character, but at least it doesn't finish with a painfully long closing scene involving truly uncountable bodies, bullets and explosions, although the predictable comeuppence is hardly bloodless. Also, the chemistry between Eckhart's character and the daughter is exceptional, which helps greatly in adding emotion and depth to a kind of film which typically displays little of either. So, in conclusion, nothing special here at all, but if you are looking for a standard run-of-the-mill suspense flick, this one is more satisfying than most and isn't likely to leave you feeling like you completely wasted your time.
vchimpanzee
Ben works in Belgium for a subsidiary of Halgate Group, a U.S. company. He used to work for the U.S. State Department. Actually, that is what he tells people. And his employer is not who he thinks, either. He and a co-worker start getting suspicious when they find that patents for security products do not belong to their employer. Ben's daughter Amy used to live with her mother, but she lives with him now. It is suggested but never confirmed that Amy's mother is deceased. Amy is not happy about being taken away from her friends to live in Belgium, but she is trying to make friends there. Overall, she has the attitude expected of a typical teenager. And she is somewhat rebellious but not too far from "normal".But "normal" is not what Ben and Amy will be experiencing. Ben comes to work to find everything is missing and there is no evidence anyone was ever there. When he visits the Halgate offices, he finds out he never worked for them and it is almost like he never existed.Now Ben and Amy are on the run. People want to kill them both. And have killed others who know too much.There is nothing special about this movie. There is an exciting mystery which doesn't really meet its full potential. The actors playing Ben and Amy do a pretty good job and having her around makes the movie more enjoyable. Amy shows some intelligence in helping her father solve the big mystery, but she isn't used as much as she could be. Ben is quite intelligent and adds a lot. There just isn't anything special here beyond him and his daughter.The only other actor showing real talent is Garrick Hagon as the CEO of Halgate. He happens to be in Belgium because of a ship accident that killed a number of people.I won't say this movie is excessively violent, but in a few scenes a lot of people get killed, including the first scene. Many more are killed behind the scenes and we only hear about it. You start to wonder if anyone we know will be left alive.It's an okay mystery.
AD
