Cleaner

Renny has never exactly been a directorial ace and so his straying into the waters of B-grade crime thrillers is more than deserved. He's actually quite good under that roof. It's a shame, however, that someone crammed into an otherwise rather interesting script a stupid storyline with Jackson's daughter that really reeks of boredom and kitsch. And so did the crap about the family after a while, too. If they had worked a little more on the hopelessness of the situation, added some brutality (the film does look awfully gritty, but never shows anything that might shock even the weaker individuals), and let the mood of the main character be the same throughout the running time as it was at the beginning of the film, it could have been a very enjoyable 85 minutes. Oh, and I can't fail to mention the ending, which is adorably questionable. It's practically won by the "bad guys", but it's presented in such a way that it's actually okay -) (2010-12-21)

A very average crime film that relies on the cast and decent direction but is pulled down by the mediocre Hollywood script. A film that will evaporate from your mind by tomorrow and won't leave any traces. On the other hand, it also doesn't provoke any outrage while watching it. Overall impression: 50%. (2009-01-02)

The first half of the film can be intriguing. I was surprised by the original story and plot. Then I was even more disappointed by the second half, when the writers didn't use the story properly. So towards the end I felt that the main idea got lost somewhere along the way. And that's a terrible shame. I can't say half a word about the cast. 3 stars. (2012-02-06)

My opinion often differs from the majority of users, but in this case, I feel the same way about the film as many others. It started off great, so I was looking forward to a gradual escalation of the story, only to realize that I had already seen the best part. The story started losing its momentum and did not surprise me with anything new. I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it. It’s just that, after such a great opening, I thought it would be a blast. It wasn't, which is a shame. (2020-05-08)

The excellent subject matter and young Samuel L. Jackson alone make the film a great affair that is engaging in its own right. Another plus point is the clever, intricate story, the subsequent development of the case and the addition of other familiar faces (Ed Harris, Eva Mendes…). While Cleaner is literally excellent in the first half, it steps off the gas slightly in the second half, forgetting a bit about the main pulling motif of "murder cleaner" and staying "just" in the field of ordinary crime fiction. The result is an enjoyable, suspenseful and inoffensive thriller, one that could have had a bit more ambition, but can easily be satisfying in this form. (2021-03-03)