Cleaner (2007)

Cleaner has a terrific hook: a man whose job is to erase the last traces of violence suddenly realizes he may have wiped away the truth, and that single, chilling idea powers the film with steady, adult tension. Samuel L. Jackson gives Tom Cutler a lived-in decency and weary intelligence that makes every choice feel consequential, while Ed Harris and Eva Mendes add just enough edge and ambiguity to keep you guessing without turning it into noise. Renny Harlin keeps the story lean and contained, with a suburban sheen that feels quietly rotten underneath, like a classic whodunit dressed in modern crime-thriller clothes. It’s not a flashy action ride, and it does get grim in places, but if you like mysteries that tighten their grip through performance and moral pressure rather than gimmicks, this one cleans up nicely.

Cleaner is clearly aiming for a moody, grown-up noir about guilt, corruption, and a man whose job literally erases the truth, and that hook is genuinely intriguing. The problem is the movie often feels sluggish and overly fussy, stretching a fairly familiar “wrong guy in a cover-up” thriller into something more complicated than it is compelling, with character motivations that don’t always land. Even with Samuel L. Jackson and Ed Harris bringing professionalism and a few tense moments, the plot’s twists can start to feel like busywork, and the finale asks for a big leap in plausibility. If you want a tight, suspenseful mystery, this may test your patience; if you’re okay with a slow-burn thriller carried mostly by atmosphere and cast, it’s passable.