The Cleaner

I caught myself falling to sleep during "code name: Cleaner." The previews of other movies were better than this movie. Lucy Liu is the only redemption but she cannot carry this weak movie. The story seems to have been written by 5th graders making it up as they went. Cedric the Entertainer tries but he was given a weak script. Lucy Liu is a cutesy thing. She is a pleasure to watch, but the writers did not write enough good stuff for her. Nicolette Sheridan's role is so bad that her bloopers at the end of the movie are her best lines. Speaking of bloopers, it was not only Nicolette but all the major players who shined in the bloopers. The bloopers outshone the movie. The bloopers proved that the actors could improvise better material than the writers could write. Those fews morsels that you saw on the previews? Well, those were the highlights of the movie and there was not much more. This movie could have been made into a nice 10 minute short story. The emotional payoffs were weak. The plot is contrived. A contrived plot can be forgiven if it is the springboard to a good movie. This contrived plot did not deliver. I could think of so many funnier, more entertaining things to do with Lucy Liu and Cedric. Lucy and Cedric tried their best. Lucy Liu's role is similar to the role that she played in Lucky Slevin. She played the cute, sexy, nicely dressed very lovable soft core * object - except in "Cleaner" they took away any overt sexuality and they dressed her more like a nun than the sexy woman that we love. There was potential in this movie. Cedric and Lucy have proved track records. I went to the movie craving more of what I have seen in prior movies with these established stars, but the directors/ writers did not know what to do with these stars. It reminds me of a person who does not know how do drive a stick shift. They did not know what they were doing. It was pathetic. Winter 2006/ 2007 has been a sad season for movies. I came home disappointed from this movie. I got more entertainment from YouTube and reruns on the internet.

For a James Bond prototype, this isn't that bad. One of the few that deserve more attention then they really get. The only other 'Bond' prototype that is as funny as this one would be Johnny English. Yes, we all have seen the plot, but it's the twist to the storyline that keeps it interesting. This time our hero wakes up in a hotel room, on the bed next to the dead man's body. It starts out more of a mystery, then quickens the pace just before the half way mark comes. Cedric is clearly at the top of his game both pyhsically and in his jokes. For sure he does a better job at keeping his material censored, heck, depending on the child, this could even be a kids movie.

I don't know why some people slander this movie. They should get some antidepressants or something - somethings not right with these people anyway. This movie is well made, has good actors doing a great job, interesting (but somewhat predictable) plot! It has pretty much everything you want from a nice action/comedy movie and I certainly enjoyed the movie a lot. I almost gave it a seven but I'm a cheap b*stard - and even if it's closer to a seven than six - it falls just short of it... =) I just made up my mind - why the h*ll not...

We've seen this premise before in countless comedies in the past, an ordinary man with amnesia who finds himself ducking bullets and has to figure out what's going on. It's possible that it could have successfully been done again, but this particular effort doesn't make the grade. I'll start with the actors. Cedric The Entertainer does seem to be trying at times, and sometimes he comes across as a likable goof, but more often he comes across as loud-mouthed and abrasive. Lucy Liu has a thankless role as the woman who helps him, and Mark Dacascos is totally wasted as the villain, even though he does get to show off some martial arts (which are badly choreographed and directed.) But the main problem with the movie is the script and direction. The movie contains some blatant product plugs, several instances where the action comes to a halt to show off some "hilarious" comedy (such as the Dutch dance sequence), and an ending that does not know when to quit. And the outtakes shown at the end are even less funny than the scripted gags that preceded them!