THE STORY – Hoping to expose corruption, radical activists take 300 hostages at an energy company’s annual gala in a high-rise building. Their cause soon gets hijacked by an extremist within their ranks who’s ready to kill everyone. It’s now up to a former soldier who works as a window cleaner to save the hostages trapped inside, including her younger brother.
THE CAST – Daisy Ridley, Taz Skylar & Clive Owen
THE TEAM – Martin Campbell (Director), Simon Uttley, Paul Andrew & Williams Matthew Orton (Writers)
THE RUNNING TIME – 98 Minutes
For those who can remember, there was a period in time when every high-concept action movie had a very specific moniker to describe its subgenre. The aftermath of “Die Hard” laid bare an endless sea of pictures that used the premise of one individual taking on a collection of nefarious villains fighting their way out from inside an enclosed location. Taking the name “Die Hard” and placing it within some new context (boat, plane, the White House, etc.) became so commonplace that these tired conventions eventually wore out their welcome. However, a lot has changed from that era of bustling studio filmmaking, and such setups now feel rather quaint against the backdrop of superheroes battling against massive, citywide destruction. That’s why there’s something almost nostalgic about “Cleaner,” as it harkens back to this earlier time. However, it is also a reminder of how the vast majority of these entries were completely uninspired in execution, and that, sadly, is present here as well.
As is usually the case, the protagonist in these stories is a flawed person, forced to conform to the rigid structures of conventional society, but maintains an underappreciated skill set that will come to greater use. In this instance, it’s Joey Locke (Daisy Ridley), a young woman struggling to keep her disorganized life in check as she battles a laborious job and is the sole guardian of her autistic brother, Michael (Matthew Tuck). It just so happens that on the day he is forcibly removed from his care facility due to ridiculous reasons that include computer hacking, which is sure not to come up later in the plot at all, she brings him along to her place of employment. She’s a window cleaner for a building owned by a giant corporation, putting on a fancy party to acknowledge their advancements in environmental conservation. Yet, things are about to take a horrific turn when terrorists arrive, led by Marcus (Clive Owen). They hold these wealthy participants hostage to expose their lies and corruption. All this transpires as Joey is trapped outside on a perch. While the situation escalates in drama, it’s up to her to survive this ordeal and save innocent lives who are trapped within this harrowing ordeal.
With an environment seemingly keen to revel in throwback sensibilities from action spectacles from 30 years ago, hiring somebody like Martin Campbell as the director would seem rather appropriate. On paper, he’s the perfect choice, especially considering he has been able to bring fresh perspectives on old-school properties like Zorro and James Bond. Yet, it’s also clear his filmography has not been so consistent in delivering on that level, and this is an effort that leaves much to be desired. Much of the film is structured around Joey outside the building, desperately trying to find her way inside. Keeping these sequences novel and engaging throughout the film is very difficult. There are only so many times we can see a fumbling of cables, conversations on phones, and ducking beneath window ledges to peek at the bad guys doing bad guy things before it becomes a tedious exercise. It doesn’t help that the easily spotted CG locations immediately dissipate any tension when the characters look out over the vast plunge beneath them. The only place Campbell deserves some kudos is for capturing some visceral hand-to-hand combat scenes that are effective in their presentation. It barely passes a serviceable level, though, and leaves the rest to be an unremarkable showcase.
It’s also difficult not to place much of these failings at the script level. The screenplay from Matthew Orton, Simon Uttley, and Paul Andrew Williams is littered with cliched motivations and pedestrian character archetypes. The corporation itself is vague in specifics of its harm besides general pollution, with the occasional hired contract killers dispatched for inconvenient whistleblowers. But there’s little nuance to their schemes, and one of the CEOs is such a broad caricature of a foul-mouthed and crude persona that all he’s missing is a mustache to twirl. As for the terrorist group, a fissure is presented between Martin and one of his compatriots, Noah (Taz Skylar), who hungers for more bloodshed as a demonstration of their serious intentions. Noah eventually usurps Martin to become the leader, and it is intriguing to see the established stakes take a dramatic evolution. However, it’s a turn of events that doesn’t alter the narrative much because the end goals barely deviate. Noah may be more willing to kill people, but he’s still a bland villain whose desires stem from the usual playbook of needing to exterminate humans to save the planet. His plans are nothing innovative or intriguing, which can be extended to Joey’s labored backstory of family trauma that doesn’t even give her that much of a cunning wit as compensation. At least the shoehorned military training provides the foundation for the impressive fight choreography.
The post-Star Wars years have been noticeably mixed for Ridley as an actress, though there have been opportunities to demonstrate her abilities in more dramatic fare. This returns her to the station of action heroine, but there’s only so much she can do with this shallow character. The emotional background, coming from a broken home with a need to protect her autistic brother, feels arbitrary and mundane, not giving her much to dig towards any layer of nuance. She is surrounded by an ensemble of players who hit just one note and are completely forgettable. Fortunately, Tuck does not steer completely into a stereotype. Still, his role is mostly just another obstacle for Joey to contend with rather than him possessing any agency outside of wrapping up the film’s obvious conclusion. Owen is a gifted actor in his own right, but it’s clear that his performance has very little energy to make an impact while he delivers flat monologues. Skylar is the only one whose efforts are somewhat appreciated. He clearly is going for the unhinged psychopath with a steely dedication to the cause, and while not the most inventive portrayal, he does give a little bit more manic energy that is captivating. His crazy glares and striking outbursts also gleam a more cunning personality that makes for a more engrossing antagonist, which is by far the film’s most compelling aspect.
Obviously, “Cleaner” is not a movie built from high expectations. It knows exactly the type of movie it should be and what the expectations should be. It’s perfectly fine to watch a rather disposable action flick as long as its set pieces are entertaining. Unfortunately, the film fails on this front. It’s not that the spectacle is atrocious; you can see it’s a competently assembled production. It’s just that the bulk of the story takes place in outside locations that feel completely weightless and devoid of tension, and the rest of the pageantry is stilted, except for a handful of moments that make use of the stunt work but not consistently enough to be enthralling. It’s a clear example of attempting to barely skate by with passable action to fulfill some form of basic entertainment without much to make it noteworthy. In that respect, it has more in common with the “Die Hard” rip-offs than one would even assume, right down to its forgettable results.
