Cleaner (2007)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Renny Harlin

Writer (WGA):

Matthew Aldrich (written by)

Release Date:

18 January 2008 (Finland)

Genre:

Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

Solving a crime can be dirty work.

Plot:

A former cop who now earns a wage as a crime scene cleaner unknowingly participates in a cover-up at his latest job. |

Plot Keywords:

Crime Scene | Murder Investigation | Morgue | Polaroid | Dictaphone

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Samuel L. Jackson	...	Tom Cutler
Ed Harris	...	Eddie Lorenzo
Eva Mendes	...	Ann Norcut
Luis Guzmán	...	Det. Jim Vargas
Keke Palmer	...	Rose Cutler
Maggie Lawson	...	Cherie
Jose Pablo Cantillo	...	Miguel
Robert Forster	...	Arlo Grange
Edrick Browne	...	Det. Darrin Harris
Marc Macaulay	...	Vic
Rosalind Rubin	...	Crying Woman
Mike Guy	...	Priest #1
Richard Folmer	...	Priest #2
James Barnes	...	Lawyer
Linda Leonard	...	Francine Mason

MPAA:

Rated R for bloody images, some violence and language.

Runtime:

88 min | Canada:93 min (Toronto International Film Festival) | Finland:90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | Canada:18A | Finland:K-15 | Australia:MA | Norway:15 | Singapore:NC-16 | Netherlands:12 | Argentina:13 | Japan:PG-12 | Hungary:16 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Shreveport, Louisiana, USA

Company:

Anonymous Content

Trivia:

Principal photography was completed one day ahead of schedule, on March 15, 2007. It was also director Renny Harlin's 48th birthday.

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: As Tom is sitting on the bed thinking of his wife he reaches under the bed for a box and the clock in the background reads 11:40. We then see a close up of Tom smelling her perfume and the clock now reads 11:38. This is not a goof, rather it's a passing of time, as Tom is going through a trance and loses sense of time.

Movie Connections:

Features The Philadelphia Story (1940)

Soundtrack:

Thank God I Got the Blues

Strong Cast, Unsurprising Plot

A few years ago there was an incredible segment on NPR's "This American Life" about a cleaner of crime scenes. Shortly thereafter, Pruitt Taylor Vince played a character that felt indebted to this NPR piece on "C.S.I." ("Swap Meet"). The bringing together of science and death was perfect for the CBS show. I wasn't so sure if such a character could survive a Renny Harlin film.

Pity poor Renny Harlin. It still feels that he's trying to recover from CUTTHROAT ISLAND (1995). His last few films have been lucky to even snag a U.S. theatrical release (MINDHUNTERS wasn't one of these), much less a festival screening. So, that must mean that Harlin is back on top, right? Yes and no.

That CLEANER is playing a film festival is a vote of confidence in the Finnish filmmaker. Yet, CLEANER is a strange choice for a festival program. It's very much a straight-forward thriller along the lines of KISS THE GIRLS or U.S. MARSHALLS. The presence of Samuel L. Jackson, Ed Harris, and Luis Guzman certainly does well to give the film some credibility and solid performances (though Eva Mendes feels completely out of her league). The script by Matthew Aldrich is a solid, albeit fairly predictable, effort and Harlin does a capable workman's job bringing it to life. I won't object to seeing this one again on cable.