The Reel Review
A London window cleaner puts her military combat training to use when eco-terrorists take hundreds of attendees at an energy company gala hostage with the goal of exposing their hosts’ misdeeds to the world. Daisy Ridley, Taz Skylar and Clive Owen star in this action/thriller.
This fast-paced, modern-day mashup of Die Hard and The Towering Inferno has one secret weapon going for it – namely, Ridley as the resourceful and unlikely John McClane-type action hero Joey, who convincingly juggles crazy fight scenes, creative kills and clever plot twists while trying to protect her autistic brother (Michael Tuck) who also just happens to be in the building. Owen and Skylar (One Piece) are the respective Hans Gruber-type criminal mastermind and his emotionally unstable and wildly unpredictable second-in-command.
Cleaner gleefully and smartly leans into preposterousness of its own story. Although the often-corny dialogue is the weakest part of the action-packed thriller, the moral dilemma of the eco-terrorists (noble cause, not so noble execution) is an interesting one and the incorporation of a character on the spectrum adds an interesting element to the story. If you enjoyed Die Hard, you’ll almost certainly enjoy the mindlessly entertaining and emotionally satisfying Cleaner as well, as long as you don’t think too much about who the real villains are.
REEL FACTS
• Cleaner director Martin Campbell is also known for directing the very similar 2021 one-woman-wrecking crew thriller The Protégé, 2011’s Green Lantern, and 2006’s Casino Royale.
• Since her big break starring in the latest Star Wars trilogy, Daisy Ridley has chosen some solid, stereotype-defying roles, such as 2024’s Magpie, 2023’s The Marsh King’s Daughter and 2017’s Murder on the Orient Express.
• With an estimated budget equal to $32 million, Cleaner bombed at the box office, grossing only $1.3 million.
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