Renowned comedian Cedric the Entertainer, known for his performance in Spike Lee’s “The Original Kings of Comedy” (2000) and “Barbershop” (2002) appears alongside femme fatale “Kill Bill” and “Charlie’s Angels” (2003) actress Lucy Liu in 2007’s action/comedy “Code Name: The Cleaner.” On board as director is Les Mayfield of “Encino Man” (1992), “Flubber” (1997), and “Blue Streak” (1999) fame.
Cedric the Entertainer is Jake Rogers, a man who mysteriously wakes up beside a murdered FBI agent in a hotel room. Nearby is a briefcase full of cash. However with a severe case of amnesia, Jake has absolutely no idea who he is, why he is at the hotel, or how the agent was murdered. Fearful, he grabs the cash and hurries out of the hotel. Along the way he encounters “Desperate Housewives” star Nicollette Sheridan, who informs Jake that she is Diane, his wife.
Diane flees with Jake to a large mansion and calls a doctor to find a cure for his amnesia. At this point Jake is still dumbfounded regarding his true identity or as to why he is at the mansion. While Diane claims to be his wife, he is not convinced. Frightened, he takes his alleged wife’s Mercedes Benz along with the cash and speedily escapes from the mansion and doctor.
Jake is still unsure of who to trust, and must rely on the knowledge provided to him by others, along with his sparse flashbacks to discover the truth. This leads him to a woman he believes to be his girlfriend, Gina (Lucy Liu). While Jake is convinced that he is truly some sort of special operatives agent, Gina informs him that he is merely a janitor at a computer software company. Yet with time it becomes obvious that he is believed to be in possession of an important microchip, and that someone is trailing him with a desire to reclaim the chip by any means.
Cedric the Entertainer injects his unique brand of comedy into this film adding amusement to what would otherwise be a serious spy movie. At the same time his case of memory loss makes for many unintentionally humorous moments as he strives to discover his true identity.
“Code Name: The Cleaner” is rated PG-13 for sexual content, crude humor and some violence.