Cleaner
February 19th, 2025
MOVIE: CLEANER
STARRING: DAISY RIDLEY, CLIVE OWEN, TAZ SKYLAR, MATTHEW TUCK
DIRECTED BY: MARTIN CAMPBELL
AMovieGuy.com’s RATING: 3 STARS (Out of 4)
RATED: R
RUN TIME: 96 MINUTES
Action movies are hit-and-miss, and the same can be said about director Martin Campbell. On one hand, he’s directed classics like Casino Royale, GoldenEye, and The Mask of Zorro. On the other hand, he’s also helmed some clunkers—Memory, anyone? While the landscape of action cinema is always evolving, what I admire about the veteran director is his consistent presence in the genre. With his 20th film, Cleaner, Campbell delivers another Die Hard-esque action flick, complete with a bland title, yet still manages to bring a fresh shine to familiar territory. It’s Daisy Ridley washing windows while eco-terrorists wreak havoc inside a building, and one unlikely hero must clean up the mess. In essence, Cleaner is a vintage action film with a modern twist.
Ridley stars as Joey Locke, a hard-working window washer who has always been determined to escape her troubled home life. As a child, she would climb out the windows to escape the violence at home. Now, as the primary caretaker of her neurodivergent brother Michael (Matthew Tuck), her life is weighed down by added responsibility. What should be a normal day quickly turns chaotic: her brother is evicted from his assisted living facility, forcing Joey to take him to work with her, and she ends up missing the bus. Things are just beginning to spiral.
The plot is a familiar one: Joey and her co-worker Noah (Taz Skylar) are on the washing platform when a group of eco-terrorists led by Clive Owen take over the top floor of a building where executives are partying to celebrate their wealth. What follows is a tense hostage situation where the terrorists defeat all the security guards, leaving the police outside and Joey inside to save the day. It’s Die Hard with a twist—only this time, the hero is a window washer.
What sets Cleaner apart is the energy and commitment from everyone involved. Ridley continues to impress as she steps away from her Star Wars legacy, proving herself to be a more than capable action star. It’s a testament to Campbell’s knack for creating engaging action films, mixing the best of his previous works—kick-ass leading ladies like in The Protege with Maggie Q, high-altitude tension akin to Vertical Limit, and gritty terrorist showdowns similar to The Foreigner. This is Campbell’s sweet spot, and Cleaner hits all the right notes.
Where the film falters is in its resemblance to Die Hard and the underutilization of Clive Owen. However, despite these shortcomings, it’s still refreshing to see a solid, no-frills action movie in today’s landscape.
At its core, Cleaner plays to the genre’s strengths—pulsating fight scenes, explosions, and a ticking clock that builds the tension. What impressed me most was Ridley’s performance. She brings a fresh energy to the action genre, proving that she’s not just a great leading lady, but a potential game-changer for the entire genre. If anyone can take a Die Hard rehash and make it feel fresh, it’s the durable and reliable Martin Campbell. Some action films try too hard, while others fall flat. Cleaner gets the job done.
3 STARS
CLEANER IS PLAYING IN THEATERS ON FRIDAY FEBRUARY 28TH, 2025.
Written by: Leo Brady
