Movie review - The Clean Up Crew

The Clean Up Crew *** (out of 5) In the mood for a silly gross comedy? This one might suit your fancy, since it’s got a cast of oddballs, some campy overacting, all building to a hefty body count. Gear yourself for something between The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight and Hot Fuzz, with a dash of Johnny Dangerously. If not for quality, then for tenor.

For starters, Antonio Banderas plays a gang boss who is just plain nuts. He struts and frets his hour upon the stage, overreacting to everything and spouting excerpts from Machiavelli like a professor on crack. He looks and acts like the polar opposite of the suave romantic figure he usually portrays, whether in comedies or dramas. A couple of corrupt Feds are on his payroll covering up his substantial illegal enterprise in exchange for a big monthly cut of the profits. In cash, of course.

Two guys try to steal the case of bribe money from Banderas’ couriers. Things go badly for all, causing the Feds to hassle Banderas for their booty under threat of ending the protection and pursuing the policing they should have been doing. Our intrepid quartet of crime-scene cleaners (Melissa Leo, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Ekaterina Baker, Swen Temmel) stumbles upon the missing case and starts arguing about what to do with the $2 mil within. One of the would-be robbers shows up, explaining how doomed they all are unless it’s returned to Banderas. ASAP!

That’s when the comical mayhem really kicks in, with a whirlwind of moves and countermeasures that leads to a surfeit of bloodshed. The cleaners find themselves in for more than they could have expected. Beyond that, the plot details don’t matter. Just let it happen.

Credit goes to director Jon Keeyes for setting a brisk pace befitting the silliness with efficiently-executed action sequences. Also, kudos to whoever it was that convinced Banderas to embrace the opportunity to go so far over the top as a comic capo.

(The Clean Up Crew, available on digital platforms and Video on Demand as of 8/20/24)