Cleaner

The answer is this film. Make the two stars do the bare minimum so you don't have to pay them too much? I don't really get it tho. Like all the money went to the production and Campbell? Clive Owen essentially pulls a Bruce Willis here. Total screen time probably didn't exceed 5 minutes and you got Daisy Ridley outside of the building for 3/4 of the film, doing nothing when she should've just did something to begin with and save us all the stupid ass runtime. This movie would be over in 40 minutes. I'm rambling along here cuz there's a minimum characters required to post a review apparently. I don't write reviews that often...

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.

The plot feels like a recycled version of something that's been done countless times before, with the only twist being a nerdy character carrying a "Thor hammer," as if begging for mercy from the younger audience. There's little to no effort put into character development, so we couldn't care less about the protagonist or any of the characters, for that matter. There's no suspense, no mystery, just a predictably failed attempt at being a pure action film, which also fell flat. It's hard to find anything positive to say, but here's an attempt: the villain and the cop lady somewhat tried to carry the rest of the cast, but their efforts hardly made a difference. Picture quality was good, lol. You can invite a girl over and play this when you are not really interested in watching. This is one of those movies where you wonder why they even bothered making it, and you're relieved it wasn't any longer.

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.

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.