Clean [Blu-Ray]

Director: Paul Solet

Cast: Adrien Brody, Glenn Fleshler, Richie Merritt

Release Date: May 10, 2022

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Film Rating: 7.5/10
Disc Rating: 6.5/10

Synopsis:

Tormented by his past life, garbage man Clean (Adrien Brody) attempts a life of quiet redemption. But when his good intentions mark him a target of a local crime boss (Glenn Fleshler), Clean is forced to reconcile with the violence of his past.

Please Note: RLJE Films provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Post. The opinions I share are my own.

Clean (Brody) is a garbage collector who keeps largely to himself and is haunted from a loss that he can’t let go. When he isn’t at work as a garbage man he spends his time looking out for those less fortunate in an attempt to make up for his past life. But when he steps in to help someone innocent against an attack it results in an unintentional conflict with a dangerous local crime boss who sets his sights on Clean and those close to him. Now he’ll have to decide whether to get out or slip back into his old violent ways and eliminate the threat that now looms.

Directed by Paul Solet (Bullet Head) from a screenplay that he additionally co-wrote with Adrien Brody, Solet does a great job altogether at the helm of ‘Clean’ guiding along the tale with a fittingly gloomy aura and style that captures the title character’s world. The film’s cast includes Adrien Brody (The French Dispatch), Glenn Fleshler (Werewolves Within), Richie Merritt (White Boy Rick), Chandler Ari DuPont (Charm City Kings), Mykelti Williamson (TV’s Law & Order: Organized Crime), Michelle Wilson (TV’s Bull), John Bianco (TV’s Daredevil) and RZA (Nobody) along with more, the majority each offering quite capable and fitting performances in their respective roles.

‘Clean’ is in many ways a moving tale of one man’s attempt at personal redemption and how his efforts to do right end up putting him in a tough place that teeters dangerously close to his past life and the things he’s trying to avoid these days. At the same time it’s a brutal revenge tale and an exploration of grief and suffering, with a passionate performance by Adrien Brody who also co-wrote the film with director Paul Solet in addition to serving as a producer, not to mention also providing the score courtesy of his own ‘Brody Beats’. While the film is by no means a full blown action or revenge film, it instead finds a balance between those and a compelling drama that in most respects meshes together quite capably. It definitively serves up some notably graphic violence and tense moments throughout but never in a way that detracts from the heart and soul of the almost tragic tale at its core of one man fighting to save himself from his haunted past. I would strongly encourage trying to find the opportunity to give ‘Clean’ a chance, especially if you’re a fan of Adrien Brody or simply appreciate an altogether solid tale of redemption merged with a revenge story of sorts that features some bloody and violent bits sprinkled throughout.

Overall, ‘Clean’ is an equally brutal and touching look at one man overcome with grief and regret and the dangerous chain of events that lead him dangerously close to his old life when his effort to do good sends him back on a path of violence. It’s a solid revenge tale and exploration of grief with a moving performance by Brody at its core. ‘Clean’ is definitely recommended, particularly for diehard fans of Adrien Brody who contributes far more than a performance here, serving as co-writer and producer as well as providing the music/beats for the score. If you enjoy a well-constructed revenge drama that has as much heart as it does violent chaos you should also find a lot to appreciate about this one. For anyone that’s even the slightest bit interested in the film it should at least prove worthy of a rental whenever it’s convenient.

VIDEO:

The Blu-ray release of ‘Clean’ features a full 1080p High Definition presentation with the film’s original 2.40:1 Cinemascope Aspect Ratio. The video presentation looks quite good altogether and offers a clean, sharp and well detailed presentation from start to finish that’s absent of any notable problems or issues throughout. It holds up nicely even during the numerous darkly lit sequences and never allows anything that’s occurring onscreen to become negatively affected or rendered indiscernible along the way. Overall, this is a fully capable high definition video presentation that shouldn’t have any trouble satisfying first time viewers or fans of the film.

AUDIO:

The Blu-ray release features a 5.1 channel DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. This multichannel soundtrack makes a welcome complement and provides a crisp, sharp and occasionally somewhat active audio presentation throughout. It utilizes all five available channels at every logical opportunity in order to send music, some action effects and vehicle activity along with more throughout the various speakers and never conflicting with any dialogue or other simultaneously occurring audio elements which all remain clean and fully audible every step of the way. Overall, this is an altogether solid 5.1 DTS-HD MA soundtrack that may not have the extravagance of many big budget blockbusters but does its job well without any issues arising throughout.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The Blu-ray release of ‘Clean’ does not include any bonus content.

*Please note that the above images are taken from the Blu-Ray and resized. They will additionally suffer quality loss as a result of .jpg compression. Larger versions of each image can be viewed by clicking on the image. All images and content included on this Blu-Ray release are the property of their respective owners.

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Film Rating: 7.5/10
Disc Rating: 6.5/10

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‘Clean’ Arrives on Blu-ray & DVD on May 10, 2022 & is Now Available on Digital from IFC Films – RLJE Films

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