🪶 Story & Synopsis
In the action-packed comedy film “Code Name: The Cleaner,” directed by Les Mayfield, the audience is taken on a thrilling ride alongside Jake (played by Cedric the Entertainer), a janitor at DART who wakes up in a hotel room with a dead FBI agent and a suitcase full of money, suffering from amnesia. The plot thickens as Jake grapples with his identity and tries to uncover the truth amidst a web of deceit and espionage.
Enter Gina (played by Lucy Liu), a waitress who claims to be Jake’s girlfriend and a janitor at a video game company. However, Jake is convinced he is an undercover CIA agent, setting the stage for a series of twists and turns as he navigates through a world of hidden microchips and mysterious phone messages from a programmer named Riley.
As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that Jake holds a vital secret microchip that both Diane (played by Nicollette Sheridan) and DART CEO Eric Hauk are desperate to retrieve. Diane, posing as Jake’s wife, is a henchwoman on a mission to extract the valuable information hidden within Jake’s lost memories.
Amidst war-time flashbacks and cryptic clues, Jake and Gina find themselves entangled in a dangerous game of espionage, where they must come to each other’s rescue while trying to protect America from looming threats of espionage. The stakes are high as the characters race against time to unravel the truth and outsmart their adversaries.
With a stellar cast including Cedric the Entertainer, Lucy Liu, Nicollette Sheridan, DeRay Davis, Tom Butler, and Mark Dacascos, “Code Name: The Cleaner” delivers a mix of action, comedy, and suspense that keeps viewers on the edge of their seats until the final climactic moments.
🧑 Cast & Crew
Cedric the Entertainer, Lucy Liu, Nicollette Sheridan, Mark Dacascos, Callum Keith Rennie, DeRay Davis, Niecy Nash, Will Patton
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Lucy Liu | Gina |
| Cedric the Entertainer | Jake Rogers |
| Nicollette Sheridan | Diane |
| Mark Dacascos | Eric Hauck |
| Callum Keith Rennie | Shaw |
| Niecy Nash | Jacuzzi |
| DeRay Davis | Ronnie |
| Will Patton | Riley |
| Kevin McNulty | Dr. Soames |
| Beau Davis | Old Timer |
| Bart Anderson | Charlie |
| Tom Butler | Crane |
| Robert Clarke | The Butler |
💬 Reviews and feedback
Hey there movie buffs! Have you ever tried to clean a messy room only to end up in a whirlwind of chaos, much like trying to make sense of the movie “Code Name: The Cleaner”? Well, grab your popcorn and get ready for a rollercoaster ride through this action-packed comedy flick!
Let’s dive into the world of “Code Name: The Cleaner” where Jake (played by Cedric the Entertainer) finds himself waking up in a hotel room next to a dead FBI agent and a hefty sum of cash, all while battling amnesia. As he navigates through this tangled web of confusion, he encounters Diane (Nicolette Sheridan), who claims to be his wife and sets off on a mission to retrieve lost memories from him.
Plot and Themes:
The plot of “Code Name: The Cleaner” unfolds with Jake and Gina coming to each other’s rescue amidst espionage threats. While the premise sounds intriguing, the execution falls flat with worn-out jokes and cheesy martial arts sequences that leave much to be desired. The movie attempts to blend action with comedy but ends up delivering a lackluster performance that fails to engage viewers.
Acting and Characters:
Cedric the Entertainer brings some charm to his role as Jake, portraying a regular guy caught in extraordinary circumstances. However, Nicolette Sheridan’s portrayal of Diane misses the mark, failing to add depth or intrigue to her character. The casting choices hinder the character development, leaving much untapped potential in terms of engaging performances.
Direction and Cinematography:
The direction in “Code Name: The Cleaner” struggles to find a cohesive balance between action sequences and comedic elements. The cinematography lacks creativity, often resorting to generic shots that do little to enhance the viewing experience. With an uninspired visual style, the movie misses opportunities to elevate its storytelling through innovative camera work.
Production Design and Special Effects:
In terms of production design, “Code Name: The Cleaner” falls short in creating immersive environments that complement the spy thriller genre. The special effects are underwhelming, failing to deliver impactful moments that resonate with audiences. The lackluster production values detract from the overall quality of the film, leaving much room for improvement in creating visually stunning scenes.
Editing and Pace:
The editing in “Code Name: The Cleaner” struggles to maintain a cohesive narrative flow, resulting in disjointed scenes that disrupt the pacing of the film. Abrupt transitions hinder viewer engagement, making it challenging to stay invested in the story unfolding on screen. A more polished editing approach could have significantly improved the overall coherence of the movie.
Binge-watching Tip: If you’re looking for a light-hearted action-comedy with a touch of mystery, “Code Name: The Cleaner” might still offer some entertainment value if you’re willing to overlook its shortcomings.
Conclusion:
Like attempting espionage without any training, watching “Code Name: The Cleaner” can leave you feeling like you’ve stumbled into a mission gone awry.Cue rating drumroll…I give it 4/10!Overall rating…handle with caution! ️♂️
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Fast-paced action | Lame, worn-out jokes |
| Interesting plot twists | Cheesy martial arts scenes |
| Engaging mystery element | Racist and denigrating tropes |
| Some charm from Cedric the Entertainer | Pushes PG-13 edge with sexual imagery and humor |
| Memorable characters | Poor casting choices |
Feedback
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Code Name: The Cleaner - Wikipedia
Code Name: The Cleaneris a 2007 American action comedy film directed by Les Mayfield and starring Lucy Liu, Cedric the Entertainer, Callum Keith Rennie, Nicollette Sheridan and Mark Dacascos. The film was released by New Line Cinema on January 5, 2007. Upon its release, the film was met with negative reviews by critics.
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Code Name: The Cleaner (2007) - IMDb
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- guyfromjerzee
- Jan 13, 2007
- How long is Code Name: The Cleaner?Powered by Alexa
DetailsBox office
- Budget
- $20,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $8,135,024
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $4,300,000
- Jan 7, 2007
- Gross worldwide
- $10,337,477
- Runtime1 hour 24 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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Code Name: The Cleaner | Rotten Tomatoes
Kyle M Frivolously insipid, unfunny and aimlessly improbable as it utterly makes things up as it continues, downplaying its own hook for any sort of engagement as well squandering the cast despite actual few funny moments disconnected from the baseless parodic product. (C) Rated 2.5/5 Stars • Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 10/15/23 Full Review Audience Member Nice cleaner show. good Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review david b Light hearted, entertaining. Sure its not up there with a blockbuster, but all the same I enjoyed it enough to watch more than once. Rated 3.5/5 Stars • Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Terrible horrible movie. Rated 0.5/5 Stars • Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 02/19/23 Full Review jesse o I’ve always felt that it’s a little problematic if your gag reel is funnier than your comedy film. At least in films like this, that are designed to be as broad as humanly possible and ‘as funny’ as possible. Chu and Blossom, a review that I wrote not that long ago, didn’t end up being a hilarious movie. I’m sure its gag reel would end up being funnier than the actual movie. The point I’m trying to make is that this only applies to film where the entire goal is to be funny and not movies that have a story to tell with strong characters. Who went into this movie expecting strong character development? There really can’t be anybody that truly expected that. I know for sure that I didn’t expect any of that from this flick. I know I’ve always been a person who, at least, tries to go into films with an open mind. Yes, I even believe I went into Jack and Jill and Grown Ups 2 with an open mind. I think a lot of people expect to go in wanting to hate those movies, but I don’t. I want to like movies. Why would I want to watch a movie that is gonna make me want to pull my hair out and make want to go on a crime spree? I don’t wanna watch movies like that. When I watch a movie, as little hope as there is for that particular film being any good, I want to enjoy it. I don’t want to hate it. This is one of those films for which there was little hope of it being any good. That’s just the way it is. A janitor, who’s lost his memory, thinking he’s a secret agent spy, who finds himself in the middle of this conspiracy involving some computer chip. How much do you think you can draw from this premise? Then again, I suppose with a talented writer, you can get something out of anything, right? Where do I begin with this movie? I suppose let’s start with its star, Cedric the Entertainer. I’m sure Cedric is a very nice man and I’m sure if, he’s given the right project, he can be an entertaining comedic actor. I think his work in Barbershop speaks for itself. But he’s just absolutely obnoxious in this movie. And not the type of obnoxious that Kevin Hart is supposed to be in, say, Ride Along, where he’s still sort of endearing, in a way. I think that concept can work and it DID work with the first Ride Along. I’m not saying that it’s a comedy masterpiece, but the dynamic of Kevin Hart being a tiny, annoying man versus Ice Cube’s rough demeanor worked very well. You don’t have that dynamic here, Cedric doesn’t really play off of anyone, well, at least until Lucy Liu comes into the equation. And even then, it’s still all about Cedric and not even necessarily the dynamic of his chemistry with Lucy. I’ll be perfectly honest, I found Cedric to be completely unfunny here. I suppose that would have been clear when I said the character was annoying, but annoying characters can still be funny if they’re well-written and/or the actor portraying the character does a good job. Look at Adam DeVine’s entire filmography. This guy has made a career out of playing assholes that you just wanna punch in the face, but he’s very entertaining at it. Then again, DeVine’s characters are supposed to be that way. I don’t think Cedric’s character, in this flick, was meant to be annoying. I’m assuming they were going for someone that anyone could relate to. Let me tell you right now that they missed the mark completely. Jake, the janitor, is particularly infuriating when he starts acting like a condescending dick to his ‘girlfriend’ Gina, who’s undercover as a waitress. Jake starts acting as if her occupation as a waitress prohibits her from understanding how serious his job as a ‘spy’ is. He acted like such a fucking dick to her. But that’s not even nearly the worst part. The worst part of this is, and this is the worst thing this type of flick can be, the fact that it’s completely unfunny. I get that this is not the type of premise that you can get a lot of laughs from, but you won’t know unless you try. They did not make any attempt whatsoever to make this an entertaining movie. They relied on old and tired sitcom-y concepts and slapstick. I’m not saying that slapstick can’t work in a modern film, but you gotta know how to properly build to it. Jackie Chan’s works, at least his earlier films, relied as much on slapstick (inspired by silent film comedians) as much as it did on his martial arts ability. He was able to combine the two to create a unique and entertaining style. This movie uses slapstick because their script is shit and they needed something to put in trailers. This really is THAT bad of a movie. It would’ve gotten half a star if it wasn’t for the fact that DeRay Davis and Niecy Nash made me chuckle a couple of times. More the latter than the former, but I’ll take the positives where I can find them. This is the type of film that destroys careers. Why do you think that Cedric the Entertainer hasn’t received any major starring roles in films since this? He also starred in The Honeymooners (which was released two years prior to this one and was also a critical and commercial failure). Lucy Liu’s career was on the downslide at this point anyway, but this movie certainly did her no favors. Lucy and Cedric have continued to get work, of course, as supporting characters, voice over artists and other assorted TV roles. So it’s obviously not a complete career destroyer, but it certainly halted Cedric’s transition to a major comedy film star. And I can’t say that I’m sad about that. Cedric just did a shitty job in this movie. He was annoying and he wasn’t very funny. Parts of that might not be his fault, in that he was scripted to be this way, but a good comedic actor can take shitty material and, at least, elevate it somewhat. And I don’t mean elevate to greatness, because that was never gonna happen, but I mean elevate it to where it’s at least fine to watch. Cedric failed monumentally at elevating this to ‘just fine’ status. Perhaps I’m putting too much responsibility on his shoulders, but this movie still sucked no matter who was to blame. This was terrible and no one should watch this under any circumstances. Rated 1/5 Stars • Rated 1 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member awesome….adventure and comedy….and great pictures very clear camera work…keep me moving with it! Cedric is always awesome!!! Great supporting actors and actresses, too! Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Read all reviews
⚠️ Explanation (Spoiler)
In the movie “Cleaner” (2007), the ending unravels the mystery surrounding the murder of John Norcut and reveals the identity of the killer. As the story progresses, Tom Cutler, a former police officer turned crime scene cleaner, finds himself entangled in a web of deceit and danger.
The plot thickens as Tom discovers that he has been unwittingly involved in cleaning up a murder scene orchestrated to cover up the killing of John Norcut, who was a key witness in a corruption case. As Tom delves deeper into the case, he uncovers shocking revelations about John’s personal life, including the fact that he couldn’t have been the father of Ann Norcut’s child due to a vasectomy.
Through careful deduction and investigation, Tom comes to the realization that Eddie, his police friend, is the true killer. Eddie’s motive stems from John’s interference in Ann’s life, leading to a tragic outcome where Eddie takes matters into his own hands to seek justice for Ann.
The tension escalates as Eddie confronts Tom, attempting to justify his actions by emphasizing the lengths one would go to protect their family. However, in a dramatic turn of events, Tom’s daughter, Rose, intervenes by shooting Eddie just in time to save her father.
In the aftermath, Tom hands over the incriminating ledger to Detective Vargas, who agrees to cover up the crime and allows Tom to walk free. The resolution of the movie hinges on the choices made by the characters and the consequences of their actions, ultimately highlighting the blurred lines between right and wrong in the pursuit of justice.
👪 Parents Guide & Age Rating
PG-13
Age Rating:
The movie “Code Name: The Cleaner” has been rated PG-13 for sexual content, crude humor, and some violence.
Parental Guide:
Parents should be cautious when allowing their children to watch “Code Name: The Cleaner” due to the following content:
- Violence & Scariness: The movie contains scenes where characters are shown in violent situations, including fighting, shooting, and martial arts combat. There are also instances of characters being killed.
- Sex, Romance & Nudity: The film includes sexual content and innuendos, as well as scenes of characters engaging in suggestive behavior. Some scenes may push the boundaries of a PG-13 rating.
- Language: The movie features frequent use of profanity, including words like “damn,” “s–t,” “hell,” “dumbass,” and “bitch.” There are also references to sexual terms and racial stereotypes.
- Products & Purchases: The film includes several product placements and verbal references to various brands and products.
Considering the above content, it is recommended that “Code Name: The Cleaner” is suitable for mature teenagers aged 13 and above, under parental guidance.
📺 Streaming and where to watch
| streaming service | extra information |
|---|---|
| Tubi TV | You can watch ‘Code Name: The Cleaner’ on Tubi TV for free with ads. |
| Amazon Prime Video | You can rent or buy ‘Code Name: The Cleaner’ on Amazon Prime Video. |
| Netflix | You can watch ‘Code Name: The Cleaner’ on Netflix. |
❝ Quotes and Cult
I'm Special Op's.
I can't believe you don't remember your own wife! I'm married?... to a white woman?... Am i Lionel Richie?
🤖Code Name: The Cleaner Reddit Talks
Code Name: The Cleaner (2007) is a movie about Tom Cutler, a single father and retired police officer who runs his own crime scene cleaning service. Eight years earlier, Tom’s wife was murdered during a home invasion and robbery, which their young daughter Rose witnessed.
The film has received mixed reviews from critics, with some praising the performances of the cast and the film’s suspenseful atmosphere, while others criticized the film’s slow pacing and lack of originality.
On Reddit, the film has also generated a lot of discussion, with users debating the film’s plot, characters, and themes. Some users have praised the film’s realistic portrayal of the aftermath of a traumatic event, while others have criticized the film’s lack of action and excitement.
One of the main topics of discussion on Reddit is the film’s ending, which some users have found to be confusing or unsatisfying. In the film’s climax, it is revealed that Eddie, Tom’s friend and business partner, was the one who ordered the hit on Tom’s wife. Eddie then holds Tom at gunpoint, and the film ends with the sound of a gunshot.
Some users have speculated that the gunshot at the end of the film is Tom shooting Eddie, while others believe that it is Eddie shooting Tom. The film’s director, Les Mayfield, has said that the ending is left ambiguous on purpose, and that he wanted the audience to decide for themselves what happens.
Another topic of discussion on Reddit is the film’s portrayal of grief and loss. Tom is a complex character who is still struggling to come to terms with the death of his wife. He is haunted by memories of the night of the murder, and he has difficulty connecting with other people.
Some users have praised the film’s realistic portrayal of grief, while others have criticized the film for being too depressing. One user wrote, “This movie is a gut-wrenching look at the aftermath of a traumatic event. It’s not an easy watch, but it’s a powerful and important film.”
Overall, the discussions on Reddit about Code Name: The Cleaner have been varied and insightful. Users have debated the film’s plot, characters, and themes, and they have shared their own personal experiences with grief and loss. The film has generated a lot of discussion, and it is clear that it has struck a chord with many viewers.
Top discussions
- https://www.reddit.com/r/moviescirclejerk/comments/b0fln1/code_name_the_cleaner_2007/
- https://www.reddit.com/r/underratedmovies/comments/1ayu65z/code_name_the_cleaner/
- https://www.reddit.com/r/whatmoviewasthat/comments/ztp907/a_movie_i_watched_almost_15_years_ago/
- https://www.reddit.com/r/RedLetterMedia/comments/120qq1n/have_you_ever_seen_a_film_that_left_you/
- https://www.reddit.com/r/SceneGems/comments/1cpnh9c/nicollette_sheridan_code_name_the_cleaner/
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Diane in the Cleaner Code Name?
Diane (Nicollette Sheridan) is a henchwoman in the 2007 movie, Code Name: The Cleaner. She is tasked with retrieving lost memories from Jake by pretending to be his wife in order to find the location where valuable and dangerous chips are hidden.
What happened to Tom’s wife in The Cleaner?
In the movie, Tom’s wife was murdered during a home invasion and robbery, which their young daughter Rose witnessed.
What is the Cleaner movie about?
The Cleaner movie follows the story of Jake, a janitor who wakes up in a hotel room next to a dead FBI agent and $250,000 with amnesia. The plot unfolds with Jake trying to piece together his identity and the events that led to his predicament.
How does the movie Cleaner end?
In the final climax of the movie, Eddie has a cocked gun to Tom’s head, and then a gunshot is heard, leaving the outcome of the situation uncertain and tense.
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