Glucedee
It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.
FuzzyTagz
If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.
Winifred
The movie is made so realistic it has a lot of that WoW feeling at the right moments and never tooo over the top. the suspense is done so well and the emotion is felt. Very well put together with the music and all.
Bob
This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.
Leofwine_draca
Renny Harlin is a director whose talent seems to have diminished with every film he's made in the last twenty years. He first came to my attention with DIE HARD 2, one of my favourite movies all time, and then delivered a couple more entertaining movies during the 1990s (namely, the ones without Geena Davis: CLIFFHANGER and DEEP BLUE SEA). Since then, his once solid talent seems to be floundering: he made what might be Stallone's worst ever movie, DRIVEN, and then one of the worst films I've seen in a good while: 2006's THE COVENANT. CLEANER is his next film after that, and the good news is that it's better than its predecessor, but still a disappointing outing.The problem is that, despite a fine cast, this film looks and feels like a TV movie. The scripting is the worst thing about it, a sub-standard effort heavily derived from the likes of CSI. Although it's meant to be a thriller, this is a film utterly devoid of thrills; only the strength of the acting kept me watching. There's one good twist at the outset and then everything plays out in a conventional, seen-it-all-before way. The worst thing is the villain reveal, which is so completely expected it's actually wince-inducing, along with the whole reason for that person being the villain as well.Samuel L Jackson is a fine actor who seems to be mired in sub-standard material lately (SNAKES ON A PLANE anyone?). He gives a typically fine performance here, but his considerable talents are wasted. The same goes for Ed Harris, saddled with a nothing role. I was delighted to see Luis Guzman pop up in a larger role than he's usually given, and he's great too, although again wasted. Robert Forster delivers a cameo but the female lead is given to the horrendous Eva Mendes who never convinces for a second. This cold actress never ignites the screen and she's very poor here – although not quite as bad as she is in GHOST RIDER.Aside from the grisly death clean-up scenes (some of which left me feeling distinctly sickened) there's absolutely nothing to remember about this film – it's just another run-of-the-mill outing and nothing to get excited about.
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.
trashgang
So strange that flicks with blockbuster names are already for sale for only 1 Euro, new I mean. Look at Cleaner, Ed Harris, Samuel L. Jackson and Eva Mendes to name a few. The flick itself isn't that bad at all but it lacks suspense and for a thriller that is of course the most important thing, isn't it?The story is a bit tame too and you have seen it all before and some things are really predictable but it's the performances that safe this flick.There's a lot of red stuff to spot and the flick starts off rather well with some black humour attached to it. Somehow you keep watching it and you want to know the what and who's but the red herring doesn't work out the way it should be. You know what the filmmakers want you to believe isn't what is happening. If you're coming home from a hard days work then this is exactly the kind of flick you want to see but if you want to use your brains to solve the case then it isn't.Gore 0,5/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 2/5 Story 3/5 Comedy 0/5