Cleaner (2025) Review!!

Synopsis – Set in present-day London, a group of radical activists take over an energy company’s annual gala, seizing 300 hostages in order to expose the corruption of the hosts. Their just cause is hijacked by an extremist within their ranks, who is ready to murder everyone in the building to send his anarchic message to the world. It falls to an ex-soldier turned window cleaner, played by Ridley, suspended 50 storeys up on the outside of the building, to save those trapped inside, including her younger brother.

My Take – Though she rose to immediate international prominence for her role as Rey in the Star Wars sequel trilogy films, it is only recently that Daisy Ridley has been able to showcase her versatility as a performer. Particularly, in the likes of Sometimes I Think About Dying (2023), Magpie (2024) and Young Woman and the Sea (2024).

Hence, it seemed really odd why she would to decide to star in an unswerving action venture. That too, from director Martin Campbell (Casino Royale, The Mask of Zorro). Who at the age of 81, is continuing his late-career journeyman run of helming proficient yet unremarkable action vehicles starring known faces, stuck in familiar plots.

His latest venture too is held together by a script that recycles every idea from a variety of success stories. Which despite the presence of a talented cast, never manages to rise about the fact that it is a spliced-together version of better films, specifically Die Hard (1988), where a single individual is forced to fight off terrorists in a single large location to save a loved one. S

ure, such movies are still fun to watch owing to their engaging narrative and charming leads. And here, Daisy Ridley proves to be a likable leading lady and action heroine. However, the movie fails to fully unlock its potential on expected lines. The setup is very long and doesn’t have enough of a background to make it worth it.

In theory, this is the kind of genre exercise we’re supposed to cherish, mainly for being a blessed alternative to bloated effects spectacles. But only a mid-film twist and the oddly sympathetic motives of the antagonists distinguish this one from a million other flicks with basically the same better done premise.

The story follows Joey (Daisy Ridley), a twenty-something former soldier who works as a window cleaner at Agnian Energy’s corporate office, one of the tallest skyscrapers in London. When she’s not struggling to meet the needs of her irksome employers, so as to not lose her job, the rest of her attention is spent on her autistic brother, Michael (Matthew Tuck), who’s just been kicked out of his special care facility.

On this particular day, Joey is forced to bring Michael along to her workplace, even as she’s already late with practically seconds away from getting fired. At the same time, the company is hosting a gala with many prestigious guests, who are also expectant of a peculiar entertainment troupe to perform for them.

Little do they know that the events include a violent settling-in of armed environmental activists led by Marcus (Clive Owen), who intends on holding the executives and their cohorts accountable. As the violence inside the building unfolds, Joey is left on the cradle alongside the tower, hanging far top the streets and realizing the predicament she’s in, especially when she recognizes Noah (Taz Skylar), a fellow window cleaner and presumed friend, to be among the activists.

With tactical units arriving and the pecking order of the terrorists unraveling with the unhinged actions of one of their own, it’s up to Joey to mitigate law enforcement’s efforts, find a way in, rescue her brother, and end the siege once and for all.

Simply told, we all know what happens next. Director Campbell clearly knows his way around this sort of material, resulting in some tense, well-staged action sequences that make the film reasonably diverting for its concise running time. But the film never achieves the heights of the classic actioners that clearly inspired it. Written by the trio of Simon Uttley, Paul Andrew Williams, and Matthew Orton, the not-so-original screenplay brings out a bag of clichés and rehashed plot points.

Yes, the film has one halfway clever twist up its sleeve, a surprising reconfiguration of the villainous hierarchy. Otherwise, it mostly goes through the motions. Leaving the most novel element to be the rather sympathetic motives of the antagonists, and how much of their methods can count up to madness.

Where the narrative fails though, is that it spends most of time setting things up. With almost an hour dedicated to watching Joey suspended in a cradle against a high-rise. It overlaps the amount of time left before finally getting to see Joey get down to business.

Instead, the film tries to indulge in half-baked character development, reflecting on her childhood trauma, her army history, and her relationship with her brother. But while, her antics with her brother have these well-timed and delivered moments, they are never justified enough to have been given priority over the promised action set pieces.

Performance wise, Daisy Ridley deserves credit for putting every ounce of herself into her role. She’s fun to watch here, bringing enough likability and wit to her character, with Matthew Tuck managing to shoehorn in a slightly plaguy, albeit useful role in Michael as the stakes escalate. Taz Skylar gets to shine by showing off the kind of menace he can be.

Clive Owen’s role gets a surprisingly limited amount of screentime, compared to Skylar who certainly delivers as the film’s villain of choice. Ruth Gemmell is also decent enough, selling the right kind of motivational support required to help Joey. On the whole, ‘Cleaner‘ is a bland rehashed action flick that is short on the promised thrills.