Quartile rating: 6/10 · 1 rating
Single father and former cop Tom Cutler has an unusual occupation: he cleans up death scenes. But when he's called in to sterilize a wealthy suburban residence after a brutal shooting, Cutler is shocked to learn he may have unknowingly erased crucial evidence, entangling himself in a dirty criminal cover-up.
Cleaner has an intriguing, relatively distinctive premise — a crime scene cleaner unwittingly destroying evidence — that gives it a fresher hook than most mid-tier thrillers. Samuel L. Jackson and Eva Mendes bring watchable performances that elevate the material. However, the plot loses momentum as the cover-up unravels in increasingly predictable fashion, and the resolution feels underwhelming and rushed. The cinematography is functional but unremarkable, typical of straight-to-DVD-adjacent productions of the era. The ending fails to capitalize on the tension built up, landing with a whimper rather than a satisfying payoff.