Cleaner (2007)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
A crime scene cleaner becomes entangled in a web of corruption and secrets after a mysterious work order leads him to a woman whose life is unraveling.
The story
Tom Cutler, a widowed father and retired police officer, runs a crime scene cleaning service. After receiving a mysterious work order from a 'Detective Jones' to clean a wealthy home, Tom discovers that the order was never placed by the police and the detective does not exist. As he investigates the discrepancy with his former partner, Eddie, he finds that the homeowner, Ann Norcut, is desperate and suspicious. The situation escalates as Tom realizes the case involves a missing husband and a web of corruption involving local officials, forcing him to decide how much of the truth he can risk exposing.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Tom Cutler, a retired cop and crime scene cleaner, receives a mysterious order to clean a wealthy home. He discovers the order is a fabrication and the 'detective' is non-existent. He teams up with his former partner, Eddie, to investigate. They learn the homeowner's husband, John, is missing and was set to testify against a corrupt commissioner, Robert Vaughn. Tom is revealed to have previously worked for Vaughn to protect his daughter, Rose. Tom meets the homeowner, Ann, who reveals a list of corrupt officers. The plot thickens when Tom discovers that Eddie is actually Ann's lover and the father of her child. It is revealed that Eddie killed John. In a final confrontation, Eddie attempts to kill Tom, but Tom's daughter, Rose, intervenes and shoots Eddie, ending the threat. Tom hands the evidence to a detective who promises to destroy the incriminating list.
- First release year
- 2007
- Runtime (minutes)
- 88
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Renny Harlin
- Writers
- Matthew Aldrich · writer
- Cast and characters
- Samuel L. Jackson · Thomas "Tom" Cutler; Ed Harris · Det. Edward "Eddie" Lorenzo; Eva Mendes · Ann Norcut; Keke Palmer · Rose Cutler; Luis Guzmán · Det. James "Jim" Vargas; Maggie Lawson · Cherie; Jose Pablo Cantillo · Miguel; Robert Forster · Arlo Grange
- Genres
- thriller; crime
- Themes
- corruption; past secrets; protection of family
- Tone and mood
- noir; tense
- Premise and plot tags
- crime scene investigation; conspiracy; whodunit
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews, with some critics praising the lead performance and the noir elements while others criticized the narrative and style.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 17% · scale: percentage · review count: 12; Metacritic · score: 49 · scale: 100
- Production trivia
- The film was released on DVD in 2008.; It was produced on a budget of $25 million.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…