Cleaner 2025 Movie Review
Director Martin Campbell has a long-established reputation for crafting some of the most awe-inspiring and influential action films of the modern era, from the swashbuckling fun of The Mask of Zorro (1998) to the reinvention of James Bond (not once but twice) with GoldenEye (1995) and Casino Royale (2006). With Cleaner (2025), Campbell sets his sights on the high-rise action thriller — a subgenre with lofty expectations, thanks to classics like 1988’s Die Hard. While Cleaner doesn’t necessarily reach those heights, it’s still a taut and well-executed ride with a unique perspective, anchored by a large ensemble of strong performances with Star Wars and Young Woman and the Sea star Daisy Ridley front and center.
The film introduces us to Daisy Ridley’s character, Joey Locke, in an early flashback that establishes her resourcefulness from a young age. Growing up in a volatile household, she learns to escape — both literally and figuratively — by scaling the walls and furniture of her dirty, cramped London apartment. It’s an evocative way of setting up skills that will later come in handy in the story. Flash forward to the present, and Joey is now a professional high-rise window cleaner, suiting up to scrub the glass of a massive corporate skyscraper.
Right from the get-go, Cleaner sets itself apart by framing much of its action from Joey’s unique vantage point: outside, suspended spectacularly high. As she dangles hundreds of feet in the air, a hostage situation unfolds within the building, with Joey forced to watch from the other side of the glass. The building’s owners, Agnian Energy, have made themselves the target of a radical activist organization led by a man named Marcus (Clive Owen), and they have arrived seeking justice. It’s a thrilling setup that emphasizes Joey’s distinct isolation and forces her into a reluctant hero role — something that we now find out she’s more than qualified for, given her secret status as an elite, honorably discharged ex-soldier.
Inside, the eco-terrorist group that seizes the building isn’t as unified as they would like to believe. Marcus is challenged by the younger, more intense, and layered Noah (played with ferocity by Taz Skylar of Netflix’s live-action One Piece), which leads to the group having conflicting ideas about how far they are willing to go with the hostages. Like too many stories of this type, Cleaner stumbles when it undermines its political messaging. Rather than painting the villains as true ideologues or tragic revolutionaries, they predictably cross the line into outright murder, muddying the movie’s systemic critiques about corporate greed and environmental destruction. It’s a frustrating trope, but at least Cleaner‘s script attempts to give its antagonists some dimension.
The clashes between Noah and the much older Marcus, who is equally determined but more experienced and measured, add some necessary humanity to the villain’s narrative. The film’s true heart, however, is Joey’s relationship with her neurodivergent older brother, Michael (played by Matthew Tuck, an actor who is actually neurodivergent, adding authenticity to the role). Michael has a history of trouble fitting into the systems designed for him, frequently getting kicked out of care homes. With no other options, Joey takes him under her care, also bringing him along to work — unfortunately, right into the chaos of the attack. Michael is quickly caught up in the events unfolding inside, and Joey is forced into action to save him.
Michael’s portrayal does veer into the oft-used extraordinary genius or “autistic savant” stereotype, as he happens to be a skilled hacker, conveniently aiding the plot when needed. However, his dynamic with his big sister, Joey, is heartfelt and well-developed. Joey, who struggles with responsibility, finds herself in a situation where she has no choice but to step up. Michael, in turn, finds calm and understanding in her presence, making their bond feel genuine rather than just a narrative device.
Martin Campbell, as always, knows how to craft a tight and engaging action movie. Cleaner benefits from such deliberate pacing. Unlike many modern action flicks that throw in a fight scene every ten minutes, Cleaner holds back, allowing tension to build. When the action finally erupts, it lands with the needed weight and intensity. The first proper fight sequence — Joey’s brutal showdown with a trio of goons — is a highlight, wisely stripping away from the pulsing score, via composer Tom Hodge (The Mauritanian), to let the raw sounds of struggle take center stage. Furthermore, the film’s final act delivers on all fronts, ramping up to a riveting conclusion that, while not wholly unpredictable, is still securely satisfying.
Humor is sprinkled throughout Cleaner, often through minor supporting characters who, despite their brief screen time, feel like real people rather than mere cannon fodder. One standout comedic moment involves Joey accidentally dropping a sponge from her great height, only for it to land on an unsuspecting victim below. It’s one of those laugh-out-loud beats you wish the movie had maybe leaned into a bit more.
On that note, not everything lands quite as smoothly. For a film so centered on Joey, there are stretches — especially in the first hour — where she is sidelined in favor of the terrorists’ infighting. Her brother Michael, too, gets pushed out of focus during this chunk of the plot. The movie consistently remains engaging, but it occasionally seems to lose track of whose story it really wants to tell. Moreover, as great as the action can be, it does leave you wishing it had taken more advantage of its titular window cleaner angle.
Visually, Cleaner impresses with its crisp cinematography by Eigil Bryld (The Holdovers, In Bruges). Bryld creates a sharp visual contrast between Joey’s precarious, vertigo-inducing exterior shots and the tense, oppressive atmosphere inside the building. A standout early moment zooms out from Joey’s small childhood kitchen window to reveal the vast, sprawling city — a gorgeous and thematically fitting shot that underscores her place in the world.
At its core, Cleaner is a solid action movie with a well-executed screenplay, compelling characterization, and its fair share of electrifying, stand-out moments. Director Martin Campbell doesn’t reinvent the genre, yet he does more than enough to differentiate Cleaner from lesser entries like Skyscraper (2018). Fantastic action, Daisy Ridley’s committed performance, and Taz Skylar’s formidable antagonist elevate what could have been a by-the-books effort into something memorable. It may not reach the towering heights of Campbell’s previous films like Casino Royale or similar genre works like Speed (1994) and Con Air (1997), but it’s a worthy addition to the lineage of skyscraper-set action flicks — just with a fresh perspective from the outside looking in.
