Cleanskin

Cleanskin

Year: 2012

Runtime: 108 mins

Language: English

Director: Hadi Hajaig

CrimeThrillerDrama

While working undercover as a bodyguard for arms dealer Harry, former soldier Ewan finds himself caught in a violent shootout. A member of an Islamic terrorist cell escapes with Harry’s briefcase containing Semtex explosives. Now, Ewan is tasked by his superiors to track down the cell members and recover the stolen explosives, leading him on a dangerous mission filled with peril.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – Cleanskin (2012)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Cleanskin (2012). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Location

London, Countryside mansion

The story unfolds across urban London and its surrounding spaces, from a bustling restaurant to a quiet cafe and derelict buildings. Key locales include a crowded London restaurant that becomes the setting for a deadly attack, an offbeat hotel and housing estate, and a countryside mansion where power plays come to a head. The movement between these places highlights the divide between public spaces and covert operations.

🌃 Urban London 🏰 Countryside manor 🗺️ City-to-suburbic transition

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 07:48

Main Characters – Cleanskin (2012)

Meet the key characters of Cleanskin (2012), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Ewan (Sean Bean)

An MI6 field operative assigned to a covert, off‑the‑books mission to neutralize a terrorist cell. He pursues leads with relentless determination, interrogating suspects and using unorthodox methods. As he uncovers higher-level manipulation within his own agency, he becomes fixated on stopping the threat and exposing the truth, even at great personal cost.

🕵️‍♂️ SIS Operative ⚖️ Moral ambiguity 💼 Ruthless when necessary

Charlotte McQueen (Charlotte Rampling)

A senior SIS official who orchestrates covert operations to protect her position, often at the expense of truth and law. She engineers deaths, manipulates investigators, and manipulates the system to cover tracks. Her ruthlessness is revealed as Ewan confronts her in a countryside mansion and she is killed.

🧭 Manipulator 💼 Power broker 🎭 Betrayer

Mark (Tom Burke)

A rookie agent assigned as Ewan's assistant during the covert operation. He is eager but ultimately misguided, taking dangerous steps that put them both at risk. His attempts to eliminate Ewan end in a fatal confrontation.

👨‍💼 Rookie 🧭 Loyal ⚔️ Troubled

Ash (Abhin Galeya)

A radicalized terrorist connected to Nabil's extremist group. He recruits, facilitates violence, and carries out attacks, including using a jacket rigged with Semtex. He clashes with Ewan in a final confrontation and is shot dead.

⚔️ Terrorist 🧠 Fanatic 🔥 Radicalized

Kate (Tuppence Middleton)

Ash's former university girlfriend who becomes entangled in his past and his path to radicalization. Their breakup and her infidelity with Nick contribute to Ash's emotional drive. She reappears in the present as a touchstone to Ash's humanity before his final mission.

💔 Former lover 🧭 Motivated by loyalty 🧩 Connection

Nabil (Peter Polycarpou)

A Muslim extremist who leads a pro‑Muslim student think tank and recruits Ash. He provides ideological fuel for the plot and tasks Ash with carrying out a high‑profile suicide attack. He is killed when Ewan disrupts the plan.

🌐 Extremist 🧠 Ideologue 💣 Radicalizer

Paul (Tariq Jordan)

A terrorist who pays for information and coordinates through the cell. He kills Rena during a confrontation and becomes a target for Ewan. He is killed by Ewan during pursuit.

🔫 Informant 🗡️ Assault 💥 Bomb plotter

Rena (Shivani Ghai)

A sex worker who provides information about Harry and the terrorists. Her vulnerability makes her a key link for Ewan, though she is killed by Paul before she can fully reveal everything.

💃 Informant 🗝️ Key link ⚠️ Victim

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 07:48

Major Themes – Cleanskin (2012)

Explore the central themes of Cleanskin (2012), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

💥 Terrorism

Cleanskin centers on modern terrorism, tracing recruitment, radicalization and the execution of planned attacks. The narrative follows both the terrorists and the counter-terrorism operation, showing how ideology, politics and personal grievances drive violence. It also reveals the moral costs of off‑the‑books actions taken to prevent catastrophe.

🗡️ Betrayal

Betrayal threads through the plot as loyalties are hidden and operations are manipulated within SIS. Ewan discovers that higher authorities may be complicit in cover-ups, while Mark's loyalties shift, culminating in a fatal confrontation. The twists reveal how personal ambitions can undermine collective security.

🕵️ Moral Gray

The film probes moral ambiguity in clandestine work, where legal lines blur and loyalty clashes with duty. Ewan's off‑the‑books mission forces him to weigh collateral damage against stopping a bomb. Characters across sides blur ethical boundaries as relationships and loyalties collide.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 07:48

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Explore Movie Threads

Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Bleak Operative Thrillers like Cleanskin

Thrillers where morally compromised agents discover the enemy is within.If you liked the grim counter-terrorism and moral collapse in Cleanskin, explore more movies like it. This thread gathers fast-paced, high-intensity thrillers featuring covert agents navigating worlds of betrayal, where victory comes at a heavy personal and ethical cost.

tensegrimparanoidbleakcalculatedanxiousclaustrophobic

Narrative Summary

The narrative typically follows a highly capable operative on a critical mission that unravels into a conspiracy. As they proceed, they discover the true threat is not the external enemy but the corrupt institution they serve, culminating in a bleak realization and a pyrrhic victory that leaves them scarred.

Why These Movies?

These movies are grouped by their shared dark tone, high intensity, and complex plots of institutional betrayal. They deliver a specific, cynical viewing experience centered on the psychological toll of operating in a morally bankrupt system, resulting in a bleak and heavy emotional weight.

Morally Gray Terrorism Dramas similar to Cleanskin

Stories that explore the grim, complex realities of counter-terrorism.For viewers seeking movies like Cleanskin that delve into the complex and dark world of terrorism. These similar stories are characterized by their heavy emotional weight, fast pacing, and unflinching look at radicalization, betrayal, and the high personal cost of violence.

tensegrittyanxiousseriousgrimthought-provokingunsettling

Narrative Summary

These narratives often use a dual perspective, alternating between the operative hunting the terrorists and the terrorists themselves, revealing their motivations. This structure builds a complex web where revenge, ideology, and personal tragedy collide, leading to an inevitable and destructive confrontation with no true winners.

Why These Movies?

They are united by their central theme of terrorism explored with moral ambiguity and a dark, serious tone. The shared experience is one of high tension and heavy emotional impact, driven by a fast pace and a focus on the devastating human consequences of ideological violence.

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Cleanskin Summary

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Cleanskin Summary

Cleanskin Timeline

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Cleanskin Timeline

Cleanskin Spoiler-Free Summary

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Cleanskin Spoiler-Free Summary

More About Cleanskin

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