I didn't go into Cleaner expecting anything groundbreaking. I wanted a movie that would keep me entertained for a couple of hours and thankfully it did exactly that.
The story follows Joey Locke (Daisy Ridley), a former soldier who now works as a window cleaner on one of London's tallest buildings. What started as a normal workday quickly turned into a nightmare when a group of activists stormed a corporate event and took everyone inside the building hostage.
To make matter worse, Joey's autistic brother Michael (Mathew Tuck), was among those trapped. Suddenly she was forced to rely on her military training to save her brother and everyone else before it got too late.
One thing I loved about the movie was that it didn't waste much time on each scene. It went straight to the point, and once the hostage situation began, the tension barely slowed down. I found myself wondering how Joey was going to get out of each dangerous situation, especially since she spent a good part of the movie hanging hundred feet above the ground. Those scenes genuinely made me nervous.
Joey carried the movie really well. I have seen her in other roles before, but I enjoyed seeing her play a character who wasn't really trying to be a superhero. She got hurt and scared which made her feel like an ordinary person thrown into a difficult situation.
I also loved how Noah (Taz Skylar), played his role. He wasn't the kind of villain that stays around and gives speeches. There was something unpredictable about him that kept the tension high. You never really knew what he was going to do next, and I think that made the hostage scenes much more effective.
The action was easily my favorite parts of the movie. There wasn't endless over the top scenes. Most of the actions felt connected to the story, and the fact that Joey had to use her window cleaning equipment in creative ways made the scenes exciting.
Although, some of the twists were easy to predict, and I felt a few supporting characters could have been developed a little more. There were also moments where the dialogue felt a bit generic, still it didn't stop me from enjoying the whole experience. It was an action thriller that kept the pace moving even until the end.
Overall, Cleaner is an enjoyable action thriller with a solid lead performance from Joey Locke (Daisy Ridley). It has enough suspense to keep you glued, and also an action sequences that make good use of the movie's unique settings.
My Rating: 85/100
Rating: 85/100