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Product Description: Single father and former cop Tom Carver (Samuel L. Jackson) has an unusual vocation - he cleans up crime scenes. But when he's called in to sterilize a wealthy suburban residence after a brutal shooting Carver is shocked to learn he may have unknowingly erased crucial evidence entangling himself in a dirty criminal cover up. Directed by Renny Harlin and co-starring Eva Mendes Ed Harris Keke Palmer and Luis Gusman Cleaner is a dark gritty crime thriller that proves cleaning up is the dirtiest job there is.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE/CRIME UPC: 043396243927 Manufacturer No: 24392 Amazon.com: Samuel L. Jackson stars as Tom Carver, an ex-cop who's turned to cleaning up biological waste, such as the messy remains of a violent crime scene. A typical call takes him to an upperclass home, where a white leather sofa is spattered with gruesome viscera. After the living room has been rendered antiseptic, Tom discovers that the murder may be connected to a high-profile police corruption case... a case that may implicate him as well. After establishing the promising premise, Cleaner requires that you overlook a lot of implausible plot turns--but if you can suspend your disbelief, there's a lot to enjoy. Jackson gives a typically skilled performance; like Gene Hackman, Jackson is an actor who never fails to deliver a solid, engaging, thoughtful performance that lifts everything around him. Ed Harris also provides his craggy charisma and Luis Guzman (The Limey) continues to be an indispensable support player. Eva Mendes, on the other hand, comes across a bit flat, though she is as lovely to look at as ever. Director Renny Harlin (Die Hard 2, The Long Kiss Goodnight) oversells the story--this twisty tale of corruption and overheated love would probably play better with the lean, cool, minimal production values of film noir, rather than Harlin's constantly prowling camera--but he definitely infuses the movie with bubbling energy. All in all, not a great film, but a decent diversion for crime thriller fans. --Bret Fetzer Customer Reviews: Rating: 
Date: 2008-06-27
The Cleaner does a surprisingly Clean job... but
The Cleaner, like some other Samuel Jackson movies, comes packed with his powerful depiction, this time of an ex-police office (seems like picking up where the "The Negotiator" left off).
The premise is really nice, though not surprising. The moment I found out what job Jackson does, it was easy to guess how the plot could go. There are some dead give-aways, but then you probably already know that. In which case, you might also know that the movie does have some really enjoyable plot twists, and tight screenplay. The plot is simple (I could guess the whodunit aspect quite early in the movie - though not the motive!), but the performance of two great actors - Jackson and Harris make the movie a treat to watch.
I especially liked the background score of the movie, as IMO, it accentuated the mood of some of the shots depicting the Cleaner at work, as well as when he realizes he has a lot at stake to risk loosing it all.
What's missing (?), you might ask. Well, for starters, a plot that in addition to being so taught and well scripted, an actual original idea for a murder mystery would have been nice. Secondly, I concede that Jackson is capable of a lot more than what the movie has extracted out of him as an actor. He has done a wonderful job, but there are spots in the storyline where one could have imagined his character behave differently. I like him not just for his acting but also his dialogue (delivery), and I was left wanting more in that department. But then, that's just my opinion.
All in all, I would give this movie a 3.5 out of 5.
Definitely above average, and probably worth an Academy nomination. Rating:
Date: 2008-06-25
Acting superb, story a little shaky with loose ending
This was a really good movie! I'd never heard of it before. But it kept us riveted to the tv for its entirety. The suspense was good, the story played out well, the acting was top-notch. My only complaint is the plotline of the mystery itself was a little fragmented and a tiny bit confusing. The ending was a nice twist, a bit predictable in part, but still good. However, there was also confusion about Ann Norcut's involvement, was she or wasn't she manipulating the murderer? Did she or didn't she know of the murder at the time it occurred? Was she truly surprised when Carver showed up at her house? Was she "playing" him right along with the murderer? She seemed so innocent, even at the end that we were left a bit mystified. But Jackson was excellent as Carver, Ed Harris gritty & emotional as his ex-partner, the actors who played Vargas & Carver's ex-con worker were SUPER, everybody was really good in this. I really liked the movie, but can't rate it up there with a "mystic river" type film due to the shaky plot/direction not making the story clear. Rating: 
Date: 2008-06-23
An entertaining yet predictable crime thriller
The premise of Cleaner centers around an ex police officer, Tom Carver [ Samuel L Jackson] who quit the profession due to some messy business having to do with a criminal dying in prison under suspicious circumstances. Tom is a widowed, single dad to a teenage daughter Rose [Keke Palmer] who is intelligent and spirited. Tom finds it harder each day to deal with his daughter's questions regarding her deceased mom and the circumstances surrounding her death. His job as a 'cleaner of crime scenes' seems to go along well until a fateful day when he gets called in to clean-up a homicide scene and finds that he was set-up - the crime he cleans up after was never reported to the police, and he in fact inadvertently acted as an accessory to cover it up. Soon, Tom finds himself the prime suspect in the case- and there are a bunch of crooked cops after him.
He turns in desperation to his ex-partner, Eddie Lorenzo [Ed Harris in a wasted role] who seems helpful enough yet resentful of Tom's cutting him out of Tom's and Rose's [Eddie is Rose's godfather] lives. Then there is Mrs Norcut [Eva Mendes in a subtle yet effective performance] whose house was the one Tom 'cleaned' and whose husband is missing. Is Mr Norcut the victim of foul play and if so, who is the party responsible? Things get messy and confusing and Tom finds himself being besieged by all sides, whilst he tries to figure everything out.
The movie certainly has an interesting idea yet suffers from poor execution. It is only saved by the performances of a good cast - from Samuel L Jackson's Tom Carver, to Eva Mendes's Mrs Norcut, and even credible acting by those performing in the minor roles such as Rose [Keke Palmer], Det Vargas [Luis Guzman] and Tom's assistant. Ed Harris offers a lacklustre performance here - and his role is wasted. Also, the movie suffers from an incredulous plotline halfway through, and we can see some of the twists from miles away.
It's not a bad movie, just lacking some spiciness. Final verdict: an average crime thriller.
Rating:
Date: 2008-06-22
Entertaining
This movie is not the best movie I have ever seen. But, it was entertaining. The acting was pretty good. The premise of the story was interesting. Worth watching. Rating:
Date: 2008-06-21
The Cleaner...
Could have been soooo much more. I don't know why hollywood feels it has to squish good movies into a 90 minute segment. The acting is great with the exception of Ed Harris. His part was just pitiful! The story was good but like I said it could have gone deeper! This is NOT a family movie. There is foul language and murder scenes. |
