The Cleaner (2021 film)

The Cleaner
The Cleaner
Directed by	Erin Elders
Written by	Erin Elders; King Orba;
Produced by	John W. Bosher; Chris Charles; Faust Checho; Kate Grady;
Starring	King Orba; Shelley Long; Eden Brolin; Shiloh Fernandez; Luke Wilson; Lynda Carter;
Cinematography	Jeff Tomcho
Edited by	Matthew Prekop
Music by	Brad Oberhofer
Production; companies	Throughline Films; September Club;
Distributed by	1091 Pictures
Release date	October 12, 2021;
Running time	93 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

The Cleaner is a 2021 American crime drama film directed by Erin Elders (in his feature directorial debut), who co-wrote the screenplay with King Orba. It stars Orba in the title role, with Shelley Long, Eden Brolin, Shiloh Fernandez, Luke Wilson, and Lynda Carter in supporting roles. It follows a middle-aged house cleaner who gets caught up in a violent crime after being hired to locate a client's estranged son.

Cast

King Orba as Buck Enderly
Shelley Long as Sharon Enderly
Eden Brolin as Becky
Shiloh Fernandez as Andrew Briggs
Luke Wilson as Jim Russell
Lynda Carter as Carlene Briggs
Soleil Moon Frye as Kristi
Noel Gugliemi as Hector
M. C. Gainey as Doug
Mike Starr as Carl
Milena Govich as Vanessa
Heather McComb as Laura Russell
Matty Cardarople as Donny
Oliver Cooper as Busboy
James Paxton as James
Hopper Penn as Trent

Release

On August 12, 2021, it was announced that 1091 Pictures acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film.^[1] It was released on digital and on demand on October 12, 2021.^[2]^[3]

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 83% of 6 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.3/10.^[4]

Brian Costello of Common Sense Media gave the film 4 stars out of 5 and stated, "The Cleaner reveals once again that solid acting, relatable characters, and a good story can do so much more on a limited budget than a blockbuster movie with a weak story and cliched characters."^[5] Roger Moore of Movie Nation gave it 2.5 stars out of 4 and wrote, "It's not a polished jewel, but even in the rough The Cleaner shines, more proof that you don't need to limit yourself to horror to get your first film made."^[6] Dennis Schwartz gave the film a grade of B−, calling it "a knucklehead indie noir that's not too good but avoids being bad."^[7]

On the other hand, Carla Hay of Culture Mix gave The Cleaner a negative review, describing it as "a ridiculous mess of a story with terrible dialogue, lousy acting and uneven pacing." Hay also noted that "the ending is so cliché" and "it's not enough to cover up all the loose ends and unnecessary scenes that make the movie an insufferable, tangled mess."^[8]

References

^ Vlessing, Etan (August 12, 2021). "1091 Pictures Acquires Erin Elders' Crime Drama 'The Cleaner' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 4, 2023. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
^ Lane, Carly (September 14, 2021). "Exclusive: 'The Cleaner' Trailer Reveals a Gripping Crime Drama Starring King Orba, Luke Wilson, and Lynda Carter". Collider. Archived from the original on July 4, 2023. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
^ Sanders, Hosea; Jordan, Marsha (October 23, 2021). "Chicago filmmaker behind 'The Cleaner,' starring Lynda Carter, Luke Wilson, Shelley Long". ABC7 Chicago. Archived from the original on July 4, 2023. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
^ "The Cleaner". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Archived from the original on July 4, 2023. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
^ Costello, Brian (October 12, 2021). "The Cleaner Movie Review". Common Sense Media. Archived from the original on July 4, 2023. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
^ Moore, Roger (October 13, 2021). "Movie Review: A missing son, a kid gone wrong and "The Cleaner" is sent to find him". Movie Nation. Archived from the original on August 28, 2022. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
^ Schwartz, Dennis (October 21, 2021). "CLEANER, THE". Dennis Schwartz Reviews. Archived from the original on December 7, 2022. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
^ Hay, Carla (December 30, 2021). "Review: 'The Cleaner' (2021)". Culture Mix. Archived from the original on May 28, 2023. Retrieved August 22, 2023.

External links

Official website
The Cleaner at IMDb

[1] Vlessing, Etan (August 12, 2021). "1091 Pictures Acquires Erin Elders' Crime Drama 'The Cleaner' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 4, 2023. Retrieved August 22, 2023.

[2] Lane, Carly (September 14, 2021). "Exclusive: 'The Cleaner' Trailer Reveals a Gripping Crime Drama Starring King Orba, Luke Wilson, and Lynda Carter". Collider. Archived from the original on July 4, 2023. Retrieved August 22, 2023.

[3] Sanders, Hosea; Jordan, Marsha (October 23, 2021). "Chicago filmmaker behind 'The Cleaner,' starring Lynda Carter, Luke Wilson, Shelley Long". ABC7 Chicago. Archived from the original on July 4, 2023. Retrieved August 22, 2023.

[4] "The Cleaner". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Archived from the original on July 4, 2023. Retrieved August 22, 2023.

[5] Costello, Brian (October 12, 2021). "The Cleaner Movie Review". Common Sense Media. Archived from the original on July 4, 2023. Retrieved August 22, 2023.

[6] Moore, Roger (October 13, 2021). "Movie Review: A missing son, a kid gone wrong and "The Cleaner" is sent to find him". Movie Nation. Archived from the original on August 28, 2022. Retrieved August 22, 2023.

[7] Schwartz, Dennis (October 21, 2021). "CLEANER, THE". Dennis Schwartz Reviews. Archived from the original on December 7, 2022. Retrieved August 22, 2023.

[8] Hay, Carla (December 30, 2021). "Review: 'The Cleaner' (2021)". Culture Mix. Archived from the original on May 28, 2023. Retrieved August 22, 2023.

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