The Cleaner Movie Review

Got around to checking out a new thriller starring Samuel L Jackson and Eva Mendes called 'The Cleaner'. Directed by Renny Harlin and written by Michael Aldrich it is a surprisingly fresh crime thriller that delivers up until the last few minutes where it comes apart. Released to dvd this summer it really got no buzz at all on this site and its a shame. The plot of this film from IMDB goes as follows;

Single father and former cop Tom Cutler has an unusual occupation: he cleans up death scenes. But when he's called in to sterilize a wealthy suburban residence after a brutal shooting, Cutler is shocked to learn he may have unknowingly erased crucial evidence, entangling himself in a dirty criminal cover-up.

Sam Jackson as always delivers as the brooding and burdened leading man who is left to raise his daughter after his wife is brutally murdered. An ex-cop he turns to cleaning up crime scenes which is displayed very graphically and unfortunately I was eating while watching. Renny Harlin brings his distinct style to the film and delivers a gritty, dark and at times quite disgusting look and feel to the film. The cast is quite fantastic rounded up nicely with Eva Mendes, Ed Harris and Luis Guzman adding alot of depth in minor roles that evolve around the lead character played by Sam.

The film overall is truly unique and quite entertaining and also very original. It is not by any means your cliche who dun it and although i knew the outcome of the movie 25minutes into it that isnt always bad. By that I mean I am known for guessing outcomes since I see so many movies in a year, but you may not see it coming. As far as characters go I easily got attached to them and believed them with the exception of the relationship that reveals itself between Eva and another character which I will not name so as to not spoil the movie. Eva's relationship is not even remotely plausible and it really is a sour note in the film for me and also leads to the ending which falls apart.

The film as noted is full of twists a dynamic cast and a lot of depth and up until the last few minutes is a really good crime thriller. Its closing minutes I found to be a bit cliche and 'done one to many times' and could have done with some better editing.

The story was so unique and so well folded together to keep you guessing on the outcome yet they ended it very weak and cliche compared to how it could have ended. Overall though I must say that Michael Aldrich did a great job writing this film, Renny Harlin has proven his skill as a director again and of course the cast delivered a stand out job. A must see for fans of crime thrillers. If you liked FRACTURE you will like this film.