"Eraser" is every Arnold Schwarzenegger movie refined into one zippy, though standard, vehicle. Directed by Charles Russell ("The Mask"), "Eraser" moves so fast and sets off so many explosions, it's easy to surrender to the pace and just enjoy the big-budget pyrotechnics for what they're worth. This is certainly a more streamlined thrill ride than "Mission: Impossible" or "The Rock." But "Eraser" lacks the smarts of Schwarzenegger's champion action films: "Predator," "Total Recall" and "Terminator 2." Even by action movie standards, this is a soulless recital of formula. Little originality is to be found. The film's biggest stunt - Big Arn plunging from a jet and grabbing a parachute in mid-air - comes straight from the 17-year-old James Bond movie "Moonraker." (For the record, "Eraser" is the third film to rip off that stunt.) Eraser is the nickname of Schwarzenegger's character, U.S. Marshal John Kruger of the federal witness protection program. Just when a relocated witness is about to be eliminated, Kruger jumps in dressed like a ninja and rubs out all the bad guys by throwing them through anything made of glass. He fakes the witness' death by "borrowing" a corpse from the morgue and blowing up the house, car or anything that offers an excuse to set off explosives. Then he says, "You've been erased," which is supposed to be this movie's clever catch phrase, though I doubt it will be the next "Hasta la vista, baby." The newest witness under Kruger's protection is Lee Cullen (Vanessa Williams), who is scheduled to testify at a congressional hearing against her employer, a defense contractor. She has just turned over computer records revealing her company has illegally manufactured an experimental weapon called a rail gun. The rail gun is a bazooka-sized rifle, fitted with an X-ray scope, that uses an electromagnetic pulse to fire aluminum projectiles that can penetrate buildings, trucks - anything that will explode spectacularly when hit. If the rail gun ever got in the wrong hands, Kruger intones, "There will be a whole new era of world terrorism." Lee falls into double jeopardy when it turns out not just her old employer, but conspirators within the U.S. intelligence services want her dead. When Kruger learns his mentor, Bob Deguerin (James Caan), is part of the conspiracy, he no longer knows whom to trust and goes into hiding along with Lee. Violence in "Eraser" is unusually sadistic. Lee is battered several times, and Kruger has so many body parts impaled you wonder if he's auditioning for martyrdom. Russell fails to maintain a tone. "Eraser" usually plays too straight for its own good. Then the sudden inclusion of three dimwitted mobsters (including Robert Pastorelli of "Murphy Brown") is much too broad. When Russell hits the right balance, he does have some weird fun. James Cromwell, the lovable Farmer Hoggett from "Babe," elicits immediate laughs when he shows up as Lee's vicious, profanity-spewing boss. During a chase in the reptile house at the Central Park Zoo Kruger shoots out one of the tanks, unleashing a horde of alligators on his pursuers. The resulting feeding frenzy is edited with such pulsations of gore, you have to laugh at Russell's sick audacity. Schwarzenegger usually displays a keen sense of humor about his image, but in "Eraser" he's so stolid his standard one-liners sound out of place. Most of his laughs here are unintentional. When Lee frets about erasing her identity, Kruger pokes her in the chest and sincerely offers, "What you are lies in here." Ruthless killer one minute, guidance counselor the next. With its steady supply of action sequences, "Eraser" packs plenty of dumb fun. But previous Schwarzenegger films offered just as many escapist thrills while giving more credit to the audience's intelligence.