jimbo-53-186511
Tom Cutler (Samuel L Jackson) is a retired cop who now makes his living as a Cleaner - a small segment of his work involves cleaning up crimes scenes. Cutler takes a job on cleaning up a crime scene at the home of rich widow Ann Norcut (Eva Mendes). After cleaning the crime scene, Cutler unwittingly realises that someone is trying to frame him for the crime when he learns that the 'job' itself has not come through to him via the proper channels. Cutler now finds himself trying to prove his innocence whilst also trying to discover the identity of the person that framed him.I got the impression that in different hands that this film could actually have been quite good (it has a twisty-turny whodunnit aspect that should make it a relatively easy sell). The problem here is that scriptwriter Matthew Aldrich gives the picture no sense of urgency and serves up a script that is largely uninvolving. The dialogue is dull and the characters are also not particularly compelling. Renny Marlin's direction is nothing to write home about and pretty much matches the lacklustre writing. Jackson lacks some of the fire and charisma that he usually brings to the screen - normally I would blame the filmmakers but as one of the producers of this film then I can only presume that Jackson chose to play his role this way which puzzles me even more. Jackson is always watchable, but this is probably one of his least memorable performances. Ed Harris is also good, but again this is far from his best work.Cleaner currently has a respectable rating of 6.1 on IMDb and I can't help but feel that many people are giving it a higher score than it deserves based on the impressive cast rather than the narrative content. However, if you strip the whole film apart you're left with a routine, mundane and rather forgettable crime thriller.
lathe-of-heaven
Annnnnnnnd 'CUTTHROAT ISLAND' isn't one of them... :)Seriously, I really feel that this guy get's a pretty bad rap, but I honestly like some of his films a lot. I really like 'MINDHUNTERS' and a few of his early actioners are pretty good.Anyway, I fully enjoyed this film; I truly can not think of one thing that makes it fall short or diminishes it in any way. I LOVE the soundtrack and the pacing and the MOOD! REALLY like the mood. Most everyone does a decent job in their roles; as some others have said here, Eva isn't exactly setting the world on fire, but, she gets the job done.YES, the story isn't THAT original, except for the premise of Jackson's job, but I really feel that the movie is put together very well and does precisely what it is supposed to do. I also like the fact, without giving too much away, that not ALL of the characters are completely pure either. That gives the film a bit more dimension and realism.I pretty much agree with Monteblondo's review; I think his take is right on the money.So, if you like a nicely put together, yet simple, straight-forward Crime / Thriller, I truly do not see any reason why you shouldn't enjoy this movie.
Tss5078
Cleaner was a great film that would have gotten a much higher rating, if not for predictability. There are certain actors, when you see their names in the credits, you know, even before the film starts, that they are the bad guy, and that's exactly what happened here. Samuel L. Jackson stars as a former police officer, who was part of a dirty department. He knew that it would only be a matter of time before he was caught up in the corruption, so he decides to get out. Jackson decides to take on the unique, but very real profession of being a crime scene cleaner. One day, he's given a key and a job to do in an upscale neighborhood. Nothing is out of the ordinary, until the next day when he goes to get paid and discovers that the woman there has no idea what he's talking about. Now Jackson must discover who used him to cover up their crime, who was the victim, and why were they murdered? While I prefer Samuel L. Jackson in a more comedic role, he's just as good in a dramatic one. His strength has always been the ability to carry a film, no matter if it's dramatic or ridiculous. Despite being direct-to-video, Cleaner has a large supporting cast of stars that really help the film. A lot of these films tend to have newcomers backing the veteran star, and their weak performances bring down the quality of even the best written films. Here, Jackson is supported by the likes of Eva Mendes, Luis Guzman, and Ed Harris, all of whom are very believable, and all of whom help move the story along. Cleaner is intense, unique, and interesting, if you haven't seen a lot of film, you may not realize who the bad guy is, five minutes into the film, and you may be really surprised. As for me, it was like watching a movie that some amateur Netflix reviewer already ruined for me, and the suburb ending was lost.
parnasavari
Saturday, January 16, 2010 The Cleaner (2007)What a movie to begin blogging on! This movie had it all - gore, Samuel L. Jackson,mystery, guts, dark but hilarious humour. I loved it. Twists and turns that had insight into characters, as the plot unravels with misdirections and smelly fish. The plot has just enough 'predictable bad-guy' balanced with 'he feels like a bad guy, but he'll probably be one of those bad-guys guys who turns out to be a good guy at the end'. With friends, you are guaranteed to be kept guessing and joking and arguing throughout the movie , or afterward if you can bring yourself to interrupt the special silent moments of the film that are dialogue-free and thought provoking moments into the humanity of murder. The mechanics of the murder mystery are sound, using plausible plot devices, realistic police investigatory processes, and genuine-feeling character motivations.One special addition to mention the astounding talents of actress, Keke Palmer, whose genuine emotive quality and deeply-thought characterisation made this movie even more mesmerizing than it already was. See me at: http://www.blogger.com/profile/09375370735809683206
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