The Cleaner

2021

1h 33m

Crime

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

List

83%

6 Reviews

Tomatometer

89%

50+ Ratings

Audience Score

When middle-aged house cleaner Buck Enderly takes on an eccentric new client, he gets roped into locating her estranged son. Buck tracks down the disturbed young man but in another twist of fate becomes an accomplice to a violent crime.

Read More

Read Less

Watch on Fandango at Home

Premiered Mar 07

Buy Now

Fandango at Home

Prime Video

Hulu

Watch The Cleaner with a subscription on Hulu, rent on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, or buy on Fandango at Home, Prime Video.

Nate K

A truly unique movie with the way it makes you use your imagination to piece subtle things together.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/26/24

Full Review

Eggs Benedict C

‘Out of the trivial emerges the important' is the message that brings The Cleaner into our focus. The cast carries aloft their characterisations to dizzying heights. The storyline is nuanced with sub plots that underscore the premise of the movie - that the shadows are in equal measure to the light. Set amid the backdrop of rural urban oblivion, the search is on for the son of a wealthy and waning benefactor. And that search pays an unexpected dividend for all that cross its query. Shelly Long shines as a defeatist finding and re-defining her defiance again. King Orba is deft in his performance of good man shoulder-bearing the complexity of, ironically, a simple life. And Lynda Carter puts a beautifully agile air to her role as songstress , indeed siren, who is about to face her final curtain call. 5 most brilliant stars.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/30/23

Full Review

Mark K

The pace was a tad slow, but the movie delivered a compelling story. I appreciated the acting, and spotting familiar faces from my favorite films was nice. I would certainly recommend it.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/03/23

Full Review

Rick B

I read a couple of lackluster reviews, but I watched it for myself and found the film very compelling, with great performances from Jackson, Harris, Mendez and cast. Good actors don't need special effects or quick cuts or tons of action. Maybe it's not a classic film noir, but it isn't a mainstream Hollywood flick either. It has its own measured plot development, it is quirky and idiosyncratic, and it was a good escape flick for tonight.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/03/22

Full Review

ronald h

A low rent movie with low rent characters, "The Cleaner" doesn't care what anybody thinks about it. And I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's well-acted and directed, and it languidly depicts the lives of trailer park people and inhabitants of the underside of L.A. It also includes a mystery, and it damn well takes its time getting to a solution. Buck (King Orba) is a 50-something loser who lives in a broken down RV next to his mother's trailer. He barely makes a living cleaning houses, riding around on an old beach bike and giving out his business card (on which the word "private" is spelled "privat"). His mother (72-year old Shelley Long, who is perfect) watches TV, drinks beer, and grumbles a lot. His brother (Faust Checho), whom we meet in a surprising sequence at a pharmacy where Buck attempts to steal a couple of batteries for his mother's TV remote, is a cop who helps Buck with a new undertaking: An elderly former singer (Linda Carter—Yes, Wonder Woman herself) has given Buck $1,000 to find her missing son Andrew. Buck has few investigative resources, so his attempts to track down Andrew consist mostly of dropping into sleazy bars and diners that the locals say he used to inhabit. Those who know Andrew say that he's not worth looking for. And when Buck finally meets him, the story takes a tragic turn. This is one of those indie films that does everything right, regardless of its limited budget. The casting choices are excellent (Luke Wilson and several other notables, including Sean Penn's son Hopper, have small parts). There are a couple of sub plots that aren't just peripheral; they add to the film's humanity. "The Cleaner" just hums along at its own leisurely pace, doing exactly what a movie should do: tell a good story—-not a story about big time action heroes or superstars, but regular, working class people who are struggling to get by. I found it refreshing.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

How the reviews are so high for this I have no clue. The movie was terrible. The most bland acting and boring plot I’ve seen in years. Seriously do not waste your time watching this.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

08/01/22

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

Erin Elders

Director

King Orba

Buck Enderly

Lynda Carter

Carlene Briggs

Luke Wilson

Jim Russell

Noel Gugliemi

Hector

Soleil Moon Frye

Kristi

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

100%

%

Sheep Without a Shepherd

80%

60%

Hammer

51%

40%

The Gateway

TRAILER

for The Gateway

83%

77%

Bluff

TRAILER

for Bluff

100%

71%

The Looming Storm

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Carla Hay

Culture Mix

There's something dirty and rotten about The Cleaner. And it's not just the scumbag characters in this movie. It's a crime drama that tries to go for gritty realism, but it's just a ridiculous mess of a story with terrible dialogue and lousy acting.

Dec 30, 2021

Full Review

Alejandro Turdo

Hoy Sale Cine

The Cleaner is a slowed paced drama filled with details. A story about broken characters struggling to make the best under dire circumstances. A pretty unusual cinematic experience. Something we don't get to see that often.

Rated: 9/10

Nov 9, 2021

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

A knucklehead indie noir that's not too good but avoids being bad.

Rated: B-

Oct 21, 2021

Full Review

Brian Costello

Common Sense Media

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.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 20, 2021

Full Review

Roger Moore

Movie Nation

A quietly-compelling mystery set in a milieu that's grittier than most of the characters living in it are willing to admit, struggling people who are colorful, believable and (mostly) relatable.

Rated: 2.5/4

Oct 13, 2021

Full Review

Wade Major

FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)

It's not bad. It's not great, but has some good acting and is entertaining.

Oct 9, 2021

Full Review

Read all reviews

Synopsis

When middle-aged house cleaner Buck Enderly takes on an eccentric new client, he gets roped into locating her estranged son. Buck tracks down the disturbed young man but in another twist of fate becomes an accomplice to a violent crime.

Director: Erin Elders
Producer: Lynda Carter, Hamzah Jamjoom, Ted Reilly, John Waller
Screenwriter: Erin Elders, King Orba
Production Co: FSC Productions , Brandywines, Throughline Films, Big Story Group , September Club , Ascension Media Fund, Chicago Media Angels
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 12, 2021
Runtime: 1h 33m

Most Popular at Home Now