Cleaner

"Terrible"

Cleaner Review


Watching this movie felt like the longest 90 minutes of my life.

Remember that TV show Heroes, where something happens maybe every 15 episodes to advance the storyline? Cleaner is kind of like that but condensed into a movie. The movie beats around the bush for about half an hour before it actually introduces a conflict; the rest of the 90 minutes is filled with Samuel L. Jackson yelling at various people until we finally encounter a twist at the very end. The "surprise" ending is so contrived and underwhelming you'll want to take a nap after sitting through this film to recover your soul from horrendous boredom by dreaming up something more interesting.

Yawn. So the story. It's about Tom Cutler (Samuel Jackson), a former cop who now makes his living cleaning up crime scenes, hence the movie's mind-blowing, creative title. One day he's tricked into cleaning up a crime scene as part of a cover-up for the murder of a notorious gangster -- apparently executed by some corrupted cops. This compels Tom to investigate the murder himself by walking around and talking to people.

The movie is so dry that 80 percent of its characters seem completely unnecessary. For instance, Tom gets into several arguments with his daughter, who has problems staying awake in school (which we can easily sympathize with while watching this movie), but these talks with his daughter don't lead to anything. Tom also spends a lot of his time blabbering with the murder victim's widow Ann (Eve Mendes), who doesn't aid him in the investigation at all. There isn't even a sex scene to reward us for staying awake.

It's surprising to see a movie with an all-star cast go straight to DVD, but it's comforting that Hollywood actually showed it had some quality standards by keeping this one away from the big screen. Who would've ever thought director Renny Harlin, who brought us Die Hard 2 and Cliffhanger, had a sleeper in him? Perhaps the main character of Cleaner is Harlin's composite -- his way of telling us he's tired and going to be retiring soon. And perhaps he should, given how low on energy he seems to be. It'd just be tragic to see him go out with a snore rather than with a bang.

With that said, I'm going to take a nap.



Cleaner

Facts and Figures

Run time: 88 mins

In Theaters: Friday 18th January 2008

Distributed by: Screen Gems

Production compaines: Millenium Films, Nu Image Films

Reviews

Contactmusic.com: 1 / 5

Rotten Tomatoes: 17%
Fresh: 2 Rotten: 10

IMDB: 6.1 / 10

Cast & Crew

Director:

Producer: Michael Flannigan, , Lati Grobman, , , Alex Madigan

Starring: Samuel L. Jackson as Tom Cutler, as Eddie Lorenzo, as Ann Norcut, as Det. Jim Vargas, as Rose Cutler, as Cherie, as Miguel, as Arlo Grange, Desi Page as Jump Roper, Terry Milam as Victim's Neighbor

Contactmusic


Links


New Movies

Star Wars: The Last Jedi Movie Review

Star Wars: The Last Jedi Movie Review

After the thunderous reception for J.J. Abrams' Episode VII: The Force Awakens two years ago,...

Daddy's Home 2 Movie Review

Daddy's Home 2 Movie Review

Like the 2015 original, this comedy plays merrily with cliches to tell a silly story...

The Man Who Invented Christmas Movie Review

The Man Who Invented Christmas Movie Review

There's a somewhat contrived jauntiness to this blending of fact and fiction that may leave...

Ferdinand Movie Review

Ferdinand Movie Review

This animated comedy adventure is based on the beloved children's book, which was published in...

Brigsby Bear Movie Review

Brigsby Bear Movie Review

Director Dave McCary makes a superb feature debut with this offbeat black comedy, which explores...

Battle of the Sexes Movie Review

Battle of the Sexes Movie Review

A dramatisation of the real-life clash between tennis icons Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs,...

Shot Caller Movie Review

Shot Caller Movie Review

There isn't much subtlety to this prison thriller, but it's edgy enough to hold the...

Advertisement
The Disaster Artist Movie Review

The Disaster Artist Movie Review

A hilariously outrageous story based on real events, this film recounts the making of the...

Stronger Movie Review

Stronger Movie Review

Based on a true story about the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, this looks like one...

Only the Brave Movie Review

Only the Brave Movie Review

Based on a genuinely moving true story, this film undercuts the realism by pushing its...

Wonder Movie Review

Wonder Movie Review

This film may be based on RJ Palacio's fictional bestseller, but it approaches its story...

Happy End  Movie Review

Happy End Movie Review

Austrian auteur Michael Haneke isn't known for his light touch, but rather for hard-hitting, award-winning...

Patti Cake$ Movie Review

Patti Cake$ Movie Review

Seemingly from out of nowhere, this film generates perhaps the biggest smile of any movie...

The Limehouse Golem Movie Review

The Limehouse Golem Movie Review

A Victorian thriller with rather heavy echoes of Jack the Ripper, this film struggles to...

Advertisement
Artists
Actors
    Filmmakers
      Artists
      Bands
        Musicians
          Artists
          Celebrities
             
              Artists
              Interviews