The year was 1988, and a man flew from New York City to California to attend the company holiday party of his estranged wife. Suddenly, a group of terrorists break into the office building and hold everyone hostage. The man, a member of the New York Police Department, hears the commotion and hides from the terrorists. He attempts to contact the police but finds he must take matters into his own hands when the police don't seem to be taking his warning seriously.
If this sounds like Die Hard starring Bruce Willis (The Sixth Sense) and Alan Rickman (The Harry Potter Franchise), that's because it is. However, the new film from Quiver Distribution, Cleaner, has a very similar plot.
Joey Locke (Daisy Ridley; Young Woman and the Sea) is a twenty-something who is a window washer at a high-rise office building in the city. She also is the guardian of her brother, Michael (newcomer Matthew Tuck), an adult with autism who lives in a group home. So when Joey gets a call from the home, despite already being late for work again, she immediately heads there only to find out that Michael is being kicked out, yet again. With no alternative, Joey brings Michael to work with her and has him sit in the lobby as one of the security guards watches him while she works.
As she is cleaning the windows, she notices a group of individuals dressed in all black enter the party being held for the energy company that owns the building. After knocking everyone out with some type of gas, the terrorists wake up half a dozen individuals with the intent of recording their confessions before letting anyone go. Unable to get inside, Joey, a former soldier, finds a different way to alert the police who immediately think she is one of the suspects. To make matters worse, Michael has wandered off from the lobby and finds himself on the same floor as the terrorists.
Ridley has never had a bad character because she exudes that certain "it" factor that translates well on screen. Even as the foul-mouthed and violent Joey, she is enjoyable to watch. Taz Skylar (One Piece) is very well cast as the craziest and most violent of the terrorists. He kills the head guy and takes over as if he has a cult-like following. Ruth Gemmell (Bridgerton) does a good job as the police person in charge, and the rest of the cast is fine, if rather unmemorable.
Director Martin Campbell (Casino Royale) is no stranger to action sequences and does a great job of framing the shots in interesting ways that keep the audience engaged, even if the plot seems familiar. The script, on the other hand, while decent, leaves something to be desired. The "dying for a cause" motivation isn't going to sit well with some audiences and comes across as cheesy until it turns violent and deadly. Also, there are so many moving parts that have to be executed perfectly in order for the plot to really work that in reality, it seems highly unlikely that if this was a true story, it would be able to be pulled off.
If you like Daisy Ridley as an actor or you are a big Die Hard fan, you will most likely enjoy the movie, but if you are looking for something unique or not recycled, then Cleaner isn't the movie for you. Strong action sequences/fight choreography are interesting, and the pacing is quick but not too fast that audiences can't follow along. If you have already seen what has come out in theaters recently and you are looking for something fairly entertaining, Cleaner is a good option.
Grade: C+
