Cleaner Review – More Than Just A Die Hard Knock Off

PLOT: Criminal activists hijack a gala, taking 300 hostages. One extremist plans mass murder as a message to the world. An Ex-soldier turned window cleaner now works to rescue the hostages.  

REVIEW: It’s hard to make a movie about terrorists holding hostages for ransom and not think of Die Hard. Set it in a skyscraper and you can practically hear someone in the distance saying “Yippee Ki-Yay.” The comparisons are always going to be there when a certain combination of story and setting arises. And while it’s hard not to be constantly reminded of that night with John McClane, Martin Campbell’s Cleaner is able to do enough to stand on its own with a salient message about revolution. While it’s certainly not without flaws, it’s damn entertaining.

In Cleaner, Daisy Ridley stars as Joey, a former soldier who is now a window cleaner who can’t quite get her life together. She’s forced to bring her brother to work and stay a bit later than usual, landing her right in the middle of a hostage situation. The eco-terrorists actually care about the environment to the degree that they’re trying to get major leaders to admit to wrongdoing on camera. It’s a noble practice that is turned upside down by unforeseen forces. As you’ve probably guessed, the hostages have only one hope: Joey, who just so happens to be stuck on the cleaning lift outside the skyscraper. It’s a fun story that manages plenty of intrigue and keeps the momentum going.

Ridley is charismatic and charming as Joey, someone who is clearly grappling with her past treatment of her brother. She mostly uses her smarts to outwit the bad guys versus toughness and physical perseverance. I wish they hadn’t made her quite so good as everything she did, but at least it’s explained with her soldier past. Clashes a bit with the everywoman aesthetic they seemed to be going for most of the time. And I liked the idea of her brother, but the execution felt a little convenient and never fully taken advantage of. He’s a massive weakness for her that doesn’t feel exploited enough. But Matthew Tuck does bring a lightness to his scenes.

Those expecting large doses of Clive Owen better get their expectations in check as he’s in the film for only a very brief period. His limited screen time still shows how much presence Owen has and it’s a shame that we don’t see him in bigger fare these days. The true star of the movie comes in the form of Taz Skylar‘s Noah who is an absolute madman. He’s so over the top but never in a hammy way. It just speaks to his very intense character, who people are likely to view in a Thanos-like way. His methods may be extreme, but he’s clearly got his head in the right direction in terms of what he’s trying to take down.

Giving bad guys a satisfying sendoff has become a lost art form yet Martin Campbell proves he still knows how to make them count. There were deaths amongst the henchmen where I elicited an audible gasp. I don’t think the R Rating is entirely taken advantage of but it still adds some sauce to the proceedings. There were more deaths than I anticipated, even if many were simple shootings. It can’t be minimized when shootings are done well. I also loved how the bad guys’ motivations are sure to be divisive amongst people as it’s not so black and white.

As expected from the premise, Cleaner doesn’t break any new ground when it comes to the action genre, but it’s entertaining from start to finish, with fun characters and an intriguing plot. And sometimes (especially in this day and age) that’s all you need. Daisy Ridley continues to be easy to root for, Clive Owen brings a certain level of class, and Taz Skylar completely blows up expectations for what a cinematic bad guy is capable of. This felt like a great throwback to classic action films of the 90s, while still maintaining modern sensibilities. Corniness and all.

CLEANER IS IN THEATERS ON FEBRUARY 21ST, 2025.

Tickets are now available on Fandango:  https://www.fandango.com/cleaner-2025-238959/movie-overview

Cleaner

GOOD

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