A tough tale that gives a fresh perspective and brittle honesty to the experiences of a recovering drug addict.
Comment
03/03/08
Clean (2006)
71 %
Reviews Counted: 63 Fresh: 45 Rotten:18 Average Rating: 6.6/10
Consensus:
In one of her best roles, Cheung gives a believable and arresting performance as a recovering addict.
Runtime: 1 hr 51 mins
Synopsis: Maggie Cheung gives an extraordinary performance in CLEAN, written and directed by her ex-husband, Olivier Assayas (DEMONLOVER). Cheung stars as Emily Wang, a junkie living with fading rock-and-roll star Lee Hauser (James Johnston). Their wild life has swung so far out of control that... [More]
Genre: Dramas
Starring: Nick Nolte, Maggie Cheung, James Johnston, Don McKellar, Remi Martin
Reviews
Top Critic Top Critic
Bit of a mediocre drama from writer-director Assayas despite some good turns, not least from Nick Nolte and Beatrice Dalle.
07/05/05
Top Critic
Heroin really screws you up. And this deathly dull drug drama will do the same – if you manage to get to the end, that is.
07/05/05
A surprisingly upbeat, hopeful film that is worth seeing despite its flaws
07/05/05
It's a movie about bad choices and suffering the consequences and unfortunately, a lot of the suffering is done on the audience's side of the movie screen.
12/27/06
Cheung makes her character work, despite a weak plot and script, both by director Assayas.
10/13/06
Maggie Cheung gives an astonishingly complex performance as a junkie rock star trying to clean up her act.
10/07/06
While this somber drug-abuse drama contains few surprises -- it's pretty much what we've come expect to expect from such material -- Cheung's convincing performance as a drug addict is what makes it watchable.
07/07/06
While it may sound like the premise for a Lifetime movie starring Tori Spelling, Clean pulls off the difficult task of telling a deeply emotional story without slipping into excessive sentimentality.
07/07/06
Cheung reveals a wealth of intense emotions, never once going for a predictable emotional chord.
07/07/06
There are so many quiet, understated miracles unfolding in Clean that all you can do is watch in awe and amazement.
06/30/06
It helps -- immensely -- that Cheung is pitch-perfect. Her performance is heartbreaking.
06/30/06
The rough, exposed emotional candor of Cheung's singing voice carries into her performance...
06/29/06
It's a joy to watch the characters in this grown-up drama interact, their exchanges laced with anger and doubt, sadness and regret.
06/29/06
The viewer comes to identify with Jay, feeling jerked around and not really wanting to get to know Emily, a lost soul who isn't worth two hours of audience investment to find.
06/29/06
One of the most emotionally honest movies about drug addiction ever made. Well, maybe not addiction per se, but rather the attempt to disgorge oneself from heroin's grip.
06/24/06
Beautifully shot and cut, written with a visceral aversion to cliche, deftly skirting sentimentality, sensationalism and simplicity, it continually surprises, engages and satisfies.
06/23/06
Emily is played by Maggie Cheung with such intense desperation that she won the best actress award at Cannes 2004. Only a few actresses in the world could have handled this role from a technical point of view.
06/23/06
Top CriticRelated Forums
CLEAN makes its USA premiere at this year's FILM COMMENT SELECTS (1 showing only)!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 3/28/06
by: REEL_REVIEWER 3/28/06
CLEAN makes its USA premiere at this year's FILM COMMENT SELECTS (1 showing only)!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 3/28/06
by: REEL_REVIEWER 3/28/06
CLEAN makes its USA premiere at this year's FILM COMMENT SELECTS (1 showing only)!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 3/28/06
by: REEL_REVIEWER 3/28/06
CLEAN makes its USA premiere at this year's FILM COMMENT SELECTS (1 showing only)!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 3/28/06
by: REEL_REVIEWER 3/28/06
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