Cleaner (crime)
Encyclopedia
In crime fiction
, a cleaner is a person who destroys or removes any incriminating evidence at the scene of a crime, typically a murder, as if the crime never happened. Knowledge of crime scene investigation is required, as well as an implacable manner as the perpetrator, who is usually agitated and confused, is inevitably involved with the cleanup.
A cleaner can also refer to an assassin
, as murder might be required to "clean" up a situation. The assassin Léon, from the movie of the same name
, referred to himself in this way.
A cleaner is also a slang term for an individual (usually a member of a crime organization or a covert government agency) who disposes of a corpse after a hit.
In real life, there is an industry of cleaning up after crime scenes. This involves removing blood and other biohazardous material, or dangerous chemicals used in an illegal drug lab.
is about a woman who takes a job cleaning up crime scenes after the police investigate. The short on which it is based inspired Quentin Tarantino to include an underworld cleaner, played by Harvey Keitel
, in Pulp Fiction
. Keitel also played a cleaner in Point of No Return
, an American remake of Nikita.
Jean Reno
played Viktor, a cleaner in the first sense of the term, above, in the film Nikita. In the later film, Léon
, he played Léon, an assassin who referred to himself as a cleaner, demonstrating the second sense of the term as well. Luc Besson
has stated that these two characters are related .
The character of Mike in the AMC series Breaking Bad
is a cleaner, employed by both Gus and Saul individually .
The fiction film Sunshine Cleaning
is based around the business of crime scene cleaning, strictly in a legal manner, not the aforementioned illegal methods.
In the sitcom Seinfeld
, episode 155 The Muffin Tops
, Newman plays a 'cleaner' (in a parody of Pulp Fiction
) who "makes problems go away" by eating leftover muffin "stumps".
Stephen King
plays Bachman, a cleaner who helps dispose of a body, in the season 3 episode of Sons of Anarchy
titled "Caregiver".
In season 2, episode 3 of Human Target, two cleaners are mentioned, one under the codename "Mr. Chicago"
. Mr. Chicago was hired along with another cleaner by a gang leader to kill off all the other team members of the heist after it was completed.
Crime fiction
Crime fiction is the literary genre that fictionalizes crimes, their detection, criminals and their motives. It is usually distinguished from mainstream fiction and other genres such as science fiction or historical fiction, but boundaries can be, and indeed are, blurred...
, a cleaner is a person who destroys or removes any incriminating evidence at the scene of a crime, typically a murder, as if the crime never happened. Knowledge of crime scene investigation is required, as well as an implacable manner as the perpetrator, who is usually agitated and confused, is inevitably involved with the cleanup.
A cleaner can also refer to an assassin
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
, as murder might be required to "clean" up a situation. The assassin Léon, from the movie of the same name
Léon (film)
Léon is a 1994 French thriller film written and directed by Luc Besson...
, referred to himself in this way.
A cleaner is also a slang term for an individual (usually a member of a crime organization or a covert government agency) who disposes of a corpse after a hit.
In real life, there is an industry of cleaning up after crime scenes. This involves removing blood and other biohazardous material, or dangerous chemicals used in an illegal drug lab.
Movies & Television
CurdledCurdled (film)
Curdled is 1996 black comedy written and directed by Reb Braddock. The film stars Angela Jones as a Colombian immigrant who takes a crime scene cleanup job, and discovers evidence about a local serial killer dubbed the "Blue Blood Killer" for his targeting of socialites...
is about a woman who takes a job cleaning up crime scenes after the police investigate. The short on which it is based inspired Quentin Tarantino to include an underworld cleaner, played by Harvey Keitel
Harvey Keitel
Harvey Keitel is an American actor. Some of his most notable starring roles were in Martin Scorsese's Mean Streets and Taxi Driver, Ridley Scott's The Duellists and Thelma and Louise, Ettore Scola's That Night in Varennes, Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, Jane Campion's The...
, in Pulp Fiction
Pulp Fiction (film)
Pulp Fiction is a 1994 American crime film directed by Quentin Tarantino, who co-wrote its screenplay with Roger Avary. The film is known for its rich, eclectic dialogue, ironic mix of humor and violence, nonlinear storyline, and host of cinematic allusions and pop culture references...
. Keitel also played a cleaner in Point of No Return
Point of No Return (film)
Point of No Return is a 1993 American action film directed by John Badham and starring Bridget Fonda. It is a remake of Luc Besson's 1990 film Nikita.-Plot:...
, an American remake of Nikita.
Jean Reno
Jean Reno
Jean Reno is a French actor. Working in French, English, Spanish and Italian, he has appeared not only in numerous successful Hollywood productions such as The Pink Panther, Godzilla, The Da Vinci Code, Mission: Impossible, Ronin and Couples Retreat, but also in European productions such as the...
played Viktor, a cleaner in the first sense of the term, above, in the film Nikita. In the later film, Léon
Léon (film)
Léon is a 1994 French thriller film written and directed by Luc Besson...
, he played Léon, an assassin who referred to himself as a cleaner, demonstrating the second sense of the term as well. Luc Besson
Luc Besson
Luc Besson is a French film director, writer, and producer. He is the creator of EuropaCorp film company. He has been involved with over 50 films, spanning 26 years, as writer, director, and/or producer.-Early life:...
has stated that these two characters are related .
The character of Mike in the AMC series Breaking Bad
Breaking Bad
Breaking Bad is an American television drama series created and produced by Vince Gilligan. Set and produced in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Breaking Bad is the story of Walter White , a struggling high school chemistry teacher who is diagnosed with advanced lung cancer at the beginning of the series...
is a cleaner, employed by both Gus and Saul individually .
The fiction film Sunshine Cleaning
Sunshine Cleaning
Sunshine Cleaning is a 2008 comedy-drama film starring Amy Adams and Emily Blunt. Directed by Christine Jeffs and written by Megan Holley, the film premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival on January 18, 2008. It was purchased by Overture Films for distribution and opened in limited release in...
is based around the business of crime scene cleaning, strictly in a legal manner, not the aforementioned illegal methods.
In the sitcom Seinfeld
Seinfeld
Seinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
, episode 155 The Muffin Tops
The Muffin Tops
"The Muffin Tops" is the 155th episode of the sitcom Seinfeld. This was the 21st episode of the eighth season. It aired on May 8, 1997.-Plot:...
, Newman plays a 'cleaner' (in a parody of Pulp Fiction
Pulp Fiction (film)
Pulp Fiction is a 1994 American crime film directed by Quentin Tarantino, who co-wrote its screenplay with Roger Avary. The film is known for its rich, eclectic dialogue, ironic mix of humor and violence, nonlinear storyline, and host of cinematic allusions and pop culture references...
) who "makes problems go away" by eating leftover muffin "stumps".
Stephen King
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
plays Bachman, a cleaner who helps dispose of a body, in the season 3 episode of Sons of Anarchy
Sons of Anarchy
Sons of Anarchy is an American television drama series created by Kurt Sutter about the lives of a close-knit outlaw motorcycle club operating in Charming, a fictional town in Northern California...
titled "Caregiver".
In season 2, episode 3 of Human Target, two cleaners are mentioned, one under the codename "Mr. Chicago"
Mike Dopud
Mike Dopud is a Canadian-born film actor, television actor, voice actor, stuntman, stage actor and athlete. He is best known for playing Detective Smits in White Noise the 2005 action-horror film, Agent Turner in Alone In The Dark a 2005 action-horror film, playing Vic Hadfield in the Canadian...
. Mr. Chicago was hired along with another cleaner by a gang leader to kill off all the other team members of the heist after it was completed.
See also
- Crime scene investigator
- Forensic scientist
- MechanicHitmanA hitman is a person hired to kill another person.- Hitmen in organized crime :Hitmen are largely linked to the world of organized crime. Hitmen are hired people who kill people for money. Notable examples include Murder, Inc., Mafia hitmen and Richard Kuklinski.- Other cases involving hitmen...
- White House PlumbersWhite House PlumbersThe White House Plumbers, sometimes simply called the Plumbers, were a covert White House Special Investigations Unit established July 24, 1971 during the presidency of Richard Nixon. Its task was to stop the leaking of classified information to the news media...
Examples
- Winston "The Wolf" Wolfe, from Pulp FictionPulp Fiction (film)Pulp Fiction is a 1994 American crime film directed by Quentin Tarantino, who co-wrote its screenplay with Roger Avary. The film is known for its rich, eclectic dialogue, ironic mix of humor and violence, nonlinear storyline, and host of cinematic allusions and pop culture references...
- Viktor, from Nikita
- Léon, from LéonLéon (film)Léon is a 1994 French thriller film written and directed by Luc Besson...
- The Cleaners, from Max Payne 2
- Carl, from MunichMunich (film)Munich is a 2005 historical fiction film about the Israeli government's secret retaliation attacks after the massacre of Israeli athletes by the Black September terrorist group during the 1972 Summer Olympics. The film stars Eric Bana and was produced and directed by Steven Spielberg...
- Wolf, from Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem
- Frederica Sawyer, a.k.a. Sawyer the Cleaner, from Black LagoonBlack Lagoonis a manga series written and illustrated by Rei Hiroe, and published in Shogakukan's Sunday GX since 2002. An animated television series based on the manga aired in Japan from April 8, 2006, to June 24, 2006, totaling twelve episodes. A second season, subtitled "The Second Barrage", ran for twelve...
- The Watchdogs, from Manhunt 2Manhunt 2Manhunt 2 is an action/adventure video game developed by Rockstar Games and the sequel to 2003's Manhunt. The game was released in North America for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, and Wii on October 29, 2007....
- Tom Cutler, from CleanerCleaner (film)Cleaner is a 2007 thriller film directed by Renny Harlin, and starring Samuel L. Jackson, Ed Harris, and Eva Mendes.-Plot:Single father and former cop Tom Cutler has an unusual occupation: he owns and operates a crime scene cleanup company, and performs much of the duties himself...
- The Cleaners, from Underworld: EvolutionUnderworld: EvolutionUnderworld: Evolution is the second installment in the Underworld series, following Underworld in 2003...
- Mike, from Breaking BadBreaking BadBreaking Bad is an American television drama series created and produced by Vince Gilligan. Set and produced in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Breaking Bad is the story of Walter White , a struggling high school chemistry teacher who is diagnosed with advanced lung cancer at the beginning of the series...
- Garcian Smith, from Killer7Killer7is an action-adventure video game for the Nintendo GameCube and PlayStation 2. It was developed by Grasshopper Manufacture and published by Capcom. The game was written and directed by Goichi Suda, also known by the nickname Suda51, and produced by Hiroyuki Kobayashi...