Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Graphic
- brooding
- violent
- melancholic
- crime movie night
- gritty thriller evening
What critics said
Critics broadly viewed the film as a derivative man-with-a-past thriller, though some found emotional weight in Adrien Brody’s performance and its compact redemption story.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Clean renovates dilapidated community homes and works as a garbage man while struggling to escape his violent past.
The story uses abandoned houses, garbage routes, a pawnshop, and criminal neighborhoods in New York City as its social landscape.
A mishap makes Clean the target of a crime boss, forcing his former life and violent capabilities back into the present.
Clean’s loss of his daughter intensifies his inner conflict and informs his desire to protect others.
Films like Clean, and why
You Were Never Really Here
Shared man-with-a-past crime thriller structure, violent redemption arc, and bleak urban atmosphere.
A History of Violence
Shared themes of trauma, retribution, and a damaged protagonist pulled back into criminal violence.
Blue Ruin
Shared low-budget crime action, brooding antihero, and revenge-driven confrontation with organized criminals.
Movie Details
- Director
- Paul Solet
- Release Date
- 2022-01-28
- Runtime
- 93 min
- Rating
- 6.2 / 10 (466)
Cast
- Adrien Brody
- Glenn Fleshler
- Richie Merritt
- Chandler DuPont
- Mykelti Williamson
- Michelle Wilson
- John Bianco
- RZA
- Gerard Cordero
- Alex Corrado
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo, AMC+ Amazon Channel, Sundance Now
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Clean about?
- A remorseful New York garbage man rebuilding his community is forced back into violence when a crime boss exposes the life he tried to leave behind.
- What is Clean like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Clean as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Clean violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Clean as graphic.
- What did critics think of Clean?
- Critics broadly viewed the film as a derivative man-with-a-past thriller, though some found emotional weight in Adrien Brody’s performance and its compact redemption story.
- Which films are like Clean?
- Films with a similar feel include You Were Never Really Here, A History of Violence, and Blue Ruin.
- How long is Clean?
- Clean runs 93 minutes.
- Where can I watch Clean?
- In United States, Clean streams on Philo, AMC+ Amazon Channel, Sundance Now.
