‘Erased’ Trailer: Aaron Eckhart Wants to Be an Action Star Too!

If there's one thing to gleam from the new 'Erased' trailer, it's that Aaron Eckhart has some pretty serious Liam Neeson envy. Not that there's anything wrong with that -- surely every actor over the age of 40 saw 'Taken' and asked their agent "Why aren't I doing that!?" At best, 'Erased' looks like it could make Eckhart into the action star that he seemed destined to become a few years ago. At worst, it looks like a pretty derivative thriller. Check out the trailer for yourself below!

Surely no one will deny that 'Erased' is cut from the same cloth as the 'Taken' franchise. Both films feature a seemingly ordinary father who has a troubled relationship with his daughter and is forced to expose her to his special set of lethal skills once some dastardly villains put their lives in danger. The trailer for 'Erased' features Eckhart in full Neeson mode, growling at baddies and snapping necks and transforming automobiles into deadly weapons. Here's the official synopsis, which sounds like every other studio action movie ever:

"When ex-CIA agent Ben Logan discovers that he and his daughter have been marked for termination as part of a wide-reaching international conspiracy, a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse ensues as Logan tries to outsmart his hunters and uncover the truth."

Then again, 'Taken' sounded pretty generic too and it ended up being pretty terrific (let's not talk about the sequel). Can Eckhart transcend what looks like a pretty middle of the road project and be our next great middle-aged action star? You tell us.

'Erased' opens on May 17.