Cleaner

This movie at its kindest review is mediocre. It's not the worst movie I've ever watched but it no where the best I've ever watched. I totally understand why it started the way it did, it gave a tiny back story. But the character of her brother having autism seemed to have no place in this movie at all. It actually made his character confusing and inconsequential until the end and even then him being autistic had no bearing on the character. The action was decent, the story is the same ole story, and the acting ehhh it just felt off. Will I recommend this movie to others, I seriously doubt it. Will I watch it again, absolutely not. On to the next.

Directed by Martin Campbell, who returns to the fray after his last film, Dirty Angels, in 2024. This time, the New Zealander redefines what has been a bittersweet career. He delivers a decent action film, without any flash, with likable characters and villains you'll hate, which I think is the film's turning point.

The cast features Daisy Ridley as the film's main protagonist, in a rather bland but charismatic role, something that defines the actress's career. Also in the cast are Taz Skylar, Clive Owen, and a couple of minor supporting characters. The film's journey relies on the charisma of its cast, which allows you to connect somewhat with what's happening. The truth is, the film is quite light on the action, but it has a touch of tension that keeps us from getting too bored.

It's a film that lacks ambition, but it has interesting ideas that don't quite come together. It's true that it attempts to imitate Die Hard in several ways, but it lacks the charisma that the film starring Bruce Willis offers. Here, the charisma comes from the lead actress, but it's not enough to elevate the overall plot with which Cleaner aims to win us over.

We're left with a film that will give you a good time in front of the screen if you don't have high expectations for what you're watching. If you're expecting mind-blowing entertainment, unfortunately, this won't be the ideal film for that. Still, it's a film that achieves its moments and has a certain visual appeal and ideas that allow the film to end with an acceptable and satisfactory result. It's forgettable, sure, but it's also suitable for a family weekend without high expectations.

I like Daisy Ridley a lot, and I think she does her best to carry the film, but I just found myself rolling my eyes far too often to enjoy this mess.

I can only suspend disbelief to a certain point, and above every other problem is this... How does everything in the first half of the film happen EXACTLY where the one window cleaner happens to be. This is a four-sided skyscraper!!! Also, people have regular conversations through the glass, one canister of gas in a hallway is enough to knock out everyone on every floor, people travel multiple floors in no time at all, SOOOO many clichès, etc. And as much as I rooted for Daisy to win, it's hard to feel sorry for the hostages.

There was some fun action, though nothing outstanding, and it was capably directed in a way that was very easy to follow. Also, I really enjoyed Matthew Tuck as her brother. Could've been a very annoying character, but he grounded it enough for me.

Corporate greed, eco-activism, terrorism, and a window-cleaner ex-military girl taking down the bad guys who seized her building.

I'll be brief.

This movie is neither particularly fun nor satisfying. The premise shows promise but reveals its hand too early and quickly loses steam. The action is serviceable, the villains are a yawn, and the characters, their motivations, dialogue, and their resolution are all too generic to leave a lasting impression. On top of that, the pacing drags in places, the ending fails to deliver, and the emotional beats between the siblings never quite land. Does it attempt to make a statement about environmental destruction and corporate accountability? If so, it does so in the dullest way possible.

Die Hard, this is not, so the comparisons are moot. Here, the villains hold all the cards (they control the police, the building, and the hostages) and yet the heroine somehow becomes an inexplicable problem for them. There's a script issue, but also an execution problem, as Miss Ridley is competent in the role, but her casual attitude while committing "action" feels jarring and undermines any sense of real danger.

At least it is short (90 minutes, and it feels even shorter). Watch if you want a generic action movie.

This movie made me so angry. I can forgive stupid plots... but not like this. This was just too damn stupid. I saw the bad ratings and thought "Clive Owen and Daisy Ridley, I'm sure I can still enjoy it". I was wrong. It would've been fine if an ex-soldier (Ridley) just slowly takes out terrorists, like Die Hard, just dumber. That's something I can enjoy. But Ridley's character was just so damn inept. It was truly painful to watch. I later saw that three people got writing credits. That's usually a sign that the script was passed from writer to writer in a desperate attempt to fix it and it never ever works. The acting was alright, director too. Not great, but OK. But the script was a total dumpster fire. I am still so angry at this movie.