1/5 Worse than the worst CSI episode
  by William P. Mcneill (Seattle, Washington USA)
"Cleaner" scales new heights of rote cop-movie predictability. Everything you think is going to happen happens about ten minutes later. The A-list cast is wasted. This movie is so bad it even makes Luis Guzman look boring. Stay far, far away.

2/5 Good Premise, Weak Story and Wasted Eva Mendes
  by Tsuyoshi (Kyoto, Japan)
Certainly "Cleaner" looks interesting on paper; A-list actors including Samuel L. Jackson and Ed Harris and the film's story involves a job "crime scene cleaner." But if you are looking for something original, this is not the place. Renny Harlin's follow-up to critically-panned "The Covenant" is a lackluster crime thriller with a weak storyline, but at least there is one interesting thing it has.

Samuel L. Jackson plays Tom Cutler, a former police detective who runs a small cleaning company specializing in cleaning the crime scenes. After cleaning up the bloodstained room of an expensive home (alone, a dead body apparently removed), he realizes that no one, including the police and Ann (Eva Mendes) the wife living in the mansion, ever heard of the "crime scene" for which Tom was hired.

You know there are stories of "murder without a body"; the premise of "Cleaner" is more elaborated and ambitious, but after the mildly interesting introduction the film just goes downhill, having nothing original to offer. Besides its uninteresting story, some of the supporting characters are poorly-written, especially Eva Mendes's terribly bland Ann, who should be much more mysterious.

Back in 90s, Renny Harlin is mostly known for his Hollywood-made over-the-top action films like "The Long Kiss Goodnight" (with Samuel L. Jackson), "Cliffhanger," and "Die Hard 2." But I believe he really wants to be known for something else. In "Cleaner" he spends considerable time depicting the relations between Tom Cutler and his daughter Rose (Keke Palmer) who wants to know more about her dead mother in spite of her father's obvious unwillingness.

Also, our hero's everyday habits such as his almost ritualistic way of working are repeatedly shown. There are snappy editing and smart camerawork (showing the careful way he locks the door every night, for instance) that suggests his desires to get away from the world outside and protect his beloved daughter. The script also tries not to make Cutler's character too good or heroic, which I think is a good thing.

Despite all these efforts, however, the cliché-ridden story is too weak to hold our attention. "Cleaner" doesn't offer much beyond the familiar crime-thriller elements with a convoluted story and incredible climax where mystery, if any, will evaporate quickly, not in the most intriguing way. By the time you reach there, I think you will have lost your interest, not even in the profession of crime scene cleaner itself, which deserves a better treatment.

5/5 Scott Kevan is a genius!
  by Thomas Becker (San Jose, CA United States)
I gave this film 5 stars because I think it's one the more creative cinematography efforts in the last few years.

Scott Kevan, Director of Photography, is a visionary who will be providing us with a new way of lighting and composing scenes for years to come. Virtually every scene has a special look to it. Take particular notice to the breathtaking color treatments in some takes and I'm sure the scene where Jackson and Harris are talking in the van on a rainy night will stay with you for a while.

Rent this movie and place it at the top of your queue. Let's hope this arrives in Blu-Ray soon!

4/5 It's a Dirty Job....
  by G. E. Williams (California)
I didn't know much about this movie going in, and I think that is a good thing, so I won't give anything away either. The Cleaner is a pretty well written and pretty well acted suspence movie. If you like a good cop drama, I think you will like "The Cleaner" also.

4*

4/5 Listerine, the original s#%*
  by Jason (Backwater, Alabama)
Tom Cutler (Samuel L. Jackson) is a "retired" cop - and sufferer of extreme OCD - who opens a morbid business cleaning up the remains of grisly murders and deaths. He starts out in a class reunion where he informs his former classmates that he didn't have the stomach for police work, but also goes into gory details of sweeping ears and mopping up various forms of human juice.

When tasked with yet another job from the local police department, he goes about his monotonous, yet disturbing profession. Like many similar cases, he's cleaning up a post-crime police scene. He walks through police tape, observes broken seals on doorways, implicates OJ Simpson, and sees the bloody handprints of evidence. Something about the most recent job, however, seems a bit odd.

Returning a key he forgot a day later, he meets Ann Northcut (Eva Mendes) and a house full of kids at a surprise birthday party. Confused about the mix-up, and the fact that he just cleaned up at least a gallon of blood (the death of Mr. Northcut) at the same location the day before, he soon realizes he may have inadvertently tampered with an active crime scene...or a really awesome childrens' party. The situation is something he'd normally divulge immediately, but the local police are going through internal affairs corruption, and he doesn't trust anyone.

What follows is a convoluted series of events between Cutler, Northcut, Det. Jim Vargas (Luis Guzmán), his ex-partner Eddie Lorenzo (Ed Harris), and OJ Simpson. Anyway, Cutler attempts to determine who authorized the job, who is implicated in the murder and cover-up, and why his character doesn't get to scream "mother f#*ker" at least three times during the movie.

All the major players are good in their roles. Jackson is stoic and believable, and Guzmán is as good as ever. Overall it's a slightly above average, albeit predictable police mystery movie; although, it's not nearly as good as The Negotiator, Jackson's previous foray into police corruption drama. This movie would have benefited from any one of the following: snakes, more F-bombs, scantily clad woman chained to a radiator, light sabers, or a bible passage delivered maniacally by a guy with pork chop sideburns.