Quartile rating: 6/10 · 1 rating
Tormented by a past life, garbage man Clean attempts a life of quiet redemption. But when his good intentions mark him a target of a local crime boss, Clean is forced to reconcile with the violence of his past.
Clean (2022), written by and starring Adrien Brody, follows a well-worn redemption-through-violence template that recalls countless similar films. The plot is serviceable but predictable — a haunted ex-criminal drawn back into violence to protect the innocent is hardly fresh territory, and the screenplay struggles to fully develop its themes of guilt and redemption beyond surface gestures. Brody's performance is genuinely committed and carries the film further than the material might deserve, lending emotional weight to a thin character study. Cinematography is competent and appropriately gritty for its New York City setting, with some atmospheric winter compositions, though nothing visually distinctive. Novelty is low — despite the garbageman hook and some stylistic flourishes, the film leans heavily on genre conventions established by films like Uncut Gems and John Wick without finding a truly singular voice. The ending resolves predictably along genre lines, offering little surprise or emotional resonance beyond what the setup telegraphs.