CLEANER
(director/writer: Martin Campbell; screenwriter: Simon Uttley; cinematographer: Eiail Bryid; editors: Jim Page, Cheryl Potter; music: Tom Hodge; cast: Daisey Ridley (Joey Locke), Matthew Tuck (Michael), Clive Owen (Marcus Blake/Smiling God), Ray Fearon (Detective Inspector Kahn), Ruth Gemmell (Detective Sergeant Hume), Taz Skylar (Noah Santos/Wrathful God), Celine Arden (Kate), Russell De Rozario (Big Ron), Lee Boardman (Gerald Milton), Rufus Jones (Geoffrey Milton), Sol E. Romero (Halina), Stella Stocker (Jennifer), Flavia Watson (Zee/Quizzical God); Runtime: 96; MPAA Rating: NR; producers: Cindy Cowan, Gavin Glendinning, Sebastien Raybaud, Thomas Fanning, Mikayia Soo-ni Campbell, Callum Grant, Michael Kuhn; Quiver Distribution; 2025)
“A messy derivative action pic set in London.”
Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz
A messy derivative action pic set in London, that’s influenced by Die Hard. It takes place over a one-day period, and is competently written and directed by the James Bond filmmaker, the New Zealander, Martin Campbell (“Casino Royale”/ “Vertical Limit”). It’s co-written by Simon Uttley. Too bad it’s so limited as genre fare there’s no shine in it.
The ex-military lady (who either quit or was dishonorably discharged over a fighting incident), the hot-headed Joey Locke (Daisy Ridley), is employed as a high-rise building window cleaner. That morning before reporting for work, her autistic younger brother Michael (Matthew Tuck), a computer whiz hacker, is kicked out of his care center facility for hacking into the center’s business operation and spilling the beans online on their shady business practices. Joey has no choice but to take him to work, and leaves him with the lobby security guard (Russell De Rozario).
While Joey is working after dark, a six-man green goblin masked eco-terrorist gang called “Earth Revolution” invades the Agnian energy company building and are holding some 300 hundred hostages attending the company’s annual gala.
Problems arise when the two activist leaders have different aims. Marcus Blake (Clive Owen), the older one, wants only to inform the public of the company’s misdeeds, while the more radical Noah Santos (Taz Skylar) wants to kill all the hostages.
While hanging 50 stories up, Joey makes contact with the female police Detective Sergeant (Ruth Gemmell) and alerts her to the terrorist attack. Ruth partners with Detective Inspector Kahn (Ray Fearon). The detectives will later clash over how to negotiate a surrender with the terrorists.
The result is some cartoonish set pieces featuring the brave window cleaner doing some ass-kicking.
But the unoriginal B-film left me scratching my head that a window cleaner would be working at night. Also, I was not moved by its lame story.
REVIEWED ON 3/13/2025 GRADE: C+
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