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Cleaner [2007]


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An unusual thriller with an interesting plot that's let down by being too slow
Review date: 2008-08-24 Rating: 6 out of 10

This film very much slipped under the radar when it was released on DVD, which is very unusual for any film with Samuel L. Jackson in it. But after watching it, although enjoyable, I can see why it had such a low profile release.

Samuel L. Jackson plays a crime scenes 'cleaner', someone who is employed to cleanup the mess after a crime has been committed and the forensic team and finished with their investigation. This role suits Jackson's character, who appears to have an obsessive compulsion with cleaning that effects every part of his life. One day he gets tricked into cleaning up a crime scene before the police have had a chance to do their forensics, unwittingly covering up a murder scene. Jackson's character is understandably horrified once he discovers this, as well as perplexed as to how and why this has happened. He then has the tricky predicament of trying to investigate who set him up, whilst at the same time avoiding any police attention, as he himself is effectively implicated in the crime.

The plotline is a clever one and Samuel L. Jackson's acting is excellent, once again proving what a versatile actor he is. Right up until the shock revelation that Jackson's character has been duped into covering up the crime scene, the film has you fully engaged and appears to be building up into a very clever thriller. But after this moment the film strangely shifts down a gear, plodding along at a frustratingly slow pace and taking far too long to progress from one plot revelation to another. The way the plotline progresses is all very textbook and soulless, it just feels as if the film is going through the motions of being a thriller, failing to inject any excitement whatsoever. By the time the plot reaches its conclusion it's all a tad predictable, sterile and underwhelming. A good film, but it should have been much better.

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Reviews


Cleaning Up Is Only Part Of It...
Review date: 2008-08-06 Rating: 6 out of 10

Samuel L Jackson stars as Tom Cutler, who seems to have OCD, the constant cleaning of his hands, the tidiness in the office and his tools all placed in order he wants them. He's a cleaner, not the usual type who comes round a Tuesday afternoon for a few hours, but the type who goes to places where someone died, or committed suicide and cleans up. As he explains most people don't know they have to clear up the mess, so that's when he steps in.

When he has to clean up a mansion - things get rather tricky, he finds himself entangled in a web of deceit, lies, backstabbing and even infidelity. He has a past himself too, he has to fight that, or at least deal with it, which makes life hard for Tom. His old partner (Ed Harris, Buffalo Soldiers [2003]) is not help either, and gets rather irate with him. The film is rather climatic at the end, with a big stand off which ends rather surprisingly.

This is an average movie, but Samuel L Jackson and Ed Harris pull it off well, and even a nice role from Luis Guzmán (Runaway Jury [2004], Anger Management [2003]), but otherwise I felt it was too short and at times the plot really was weak. Otherwise this is a great movie if you have little time (1hr 28) and is a good movie.

The presentation wasn't bad, good sound and picture, but was very disappointed with the lack of extras - maybe it's my rental copy I rented, but there's nothing here except subtitles for the hard of hearing, which is a good idea, but they could have really put a lot more here. The quality of the picture could have been better with such little extras - really disappointing.

This was a good film at the cinema, but to pay the price of a DVD for as much as you'd get in a cinema is a bit of an insult.

Rent before you buy.

Small... BUT... perfectly formed!
Review date: 2008-06-13 Rating: 10 out of 10

"Cleaner" is a polished little gem of a b-movie noir thriller and a surprise entry on the cv of director Renny Harlin who steps away from the slam bang action world to focus on a more character driven low key thriller.

Working with a small cast of characters (all played to the hilt by a top notch bunch of faces) and keeping the story tight as a drum (not one of the 86 minutes of the running time are wasted) Harlin shows that there is more to him than blowing stuff up... Ok so the ending is a little too Hollywood but that to me is just a minor quibble.

The bad news is that the dvd don't do the film justice on the presentation front, surely the commentry from the American disc could have been ported over and why is the film presented in 1.85:1 widescreen when it was shot in 2.40:1???

Ahh well at least the film makes up for these small glitches!

Weak Plot. Great Performances. Meagre Movie.
Review date: 2008-03-23 Rating: 4 out of 10

There is nothing quite like seeing certain actors on-screen together. Samuel L. Jackson and Ed Harris are definitely two of them, usually seen in supporting roles in other movies, but here given screen time together for the first time. Their chemistry and fine performances give "Cleaner" a deeper dimension than it probably deserved. Jackson reminding us why we used to say "that dude is a brilliant actor" and Harris reminding us that he is actually still alive. It's a shame their chosen project's plot is as weak as watered down whisky. Why do you think this baby came straight to DVD?

Director Renny Harlin (Cliffhanger, Deep Blue Sea) takes helming duties, which straight away alerts you to the fact that this film could be complete rubbish. Witness Harlin's last foray into the cop thriller with the god awful "Mindhunters." Unexpectedly however, Harlin's direction is as fine and controlled as it ever has been, getting back to basics with crisp imagery and some glossy visuals. The film actually looks very nice. It's the twisting, treacherous plot that sorely disappoints. It begins as a character study of Jackson's pristine, obsessive compulsive ex-cop turned crime scene cleaner. And it works. The first hour is utterly gripping. The intrigue is sparked to life film noir style the moment Eva Mendes denies ever having employed Jackson and his firm for cleaning a homicide scene in her house, giving you the impression that the answers to the slow burn questions are going to be 'BIG'. But alas, after some more drip feed intrigue involving a ledger and the badge numbers of corrupt cops, "Cleaner" nosedives into seriously overcooked melodrama, with a painfully emphatic score to boot. The script promises so much and delivers so little. The fine character details employed in the story add a nice dimension to the plot, but the explanation come the end for the mystery at hand is so half-baked and lazy that you actually guessed it in the first ten minutes but refused to believe it would be that simple or obvious.

Asides from an incredibly lacklustre third act and a small handful of badly written scenes, it is safe to say the actors on board saw something in it all, and give some great turns. Jackson and Harris play-off one another well, the former showing us a character he has not shown us before, while the latter adds another hard-boiled performance to his resume. Eva Mendes surprises as the femme fatale even though her part is vastly underwritten, while the wonderful Luis Guzman adds a bit of sleaze to the mix. There's a pointless cameo from Robert Forser, although he's good all the same, and everyone else is just background support but they all coax nicely.

"Cleaner" had potential to be a great conspiracy thriller, or even a fine character study but it ends up as a very short lived and unexplored melodrama with a lame twist that cops-out on the building plot rather than pays it off. The script was in bad need of a rewrite and ultimately ruins a film that could have been really good, providing contrived revelations and occasional chunks of lazy dialogue. And for once the weakness' in one of Renny Harlin's movies are not actually his fault. There can be miracles eh?

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Eva Mendes
Ed Harris
Samuel L. Jackson

Creators:
Samuel L. Jackson (Primary Contributor)
Ed Harris (Primary Contributor)

Director(s):

Recording label: Lions Gate Home Entertainment
Manufacturer: Lions Gate Home Entertainment
EAN: 5060052415028
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: PAL,
Release date: 2008-06-09
Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 85 minutes
Theatrical release date: 2007

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