Cleaner

An enjoyable high-rise variation on a "Die Hard" theme, CLEANER sings under the capable helm of "Casino Royale" & "Goldeneye" Director, Martin Campbell.

Daisy Ridley (Rey in the "Star Wars: films) is likable as Joey, a former soldier whose attitude has landed her a job as a window cleaner on one of the tallest skyscrapers of London.

As the film opens, she has to pick up her autistic older brother Michael (Matthew Tuck) whose rogue gig as a right fighting computer hack has landed him on the outside of another clinic.

Forced to take him to her job, she gently pawns Michael off on one of the building's doormen and heads up to her perch far above.

The huge energy corporation housed in the upper floors (and what appears to be about half the building) is about to host their shareholders gala on the top floor.

Of course, just like that fateful Christmas party at the Nakatomi Tower, a band of global activists takes over the party with a plan to make the honchos reveal all their climate sins.

Three hundred hostages with massive bombs strapped to them and a villain with a kill switch that sets the explosives off if his heart stops beating for five seconds sets up some pretty clever showdowns.

The film gets a lot of casting choices absolutely right. Ruth Gemmell (Bridgerton) takes no prisoners as DS Hume, running the police presence with a nose for the truth. Lee Boardman (Rome) is hilarious as the coke sniffing, no-time-for-business brother at the top of the corporate food chain.

Taz Skylar OWNS the screen as the young terrorist who decides that the idealistic leader they came in with (Clive Owen) may not be the one to finish the job.

Campbell is one of the best action thriller directors of the past three decades. Not only did he helm Pierce Brosnan's OO7 debut in "Goldeneye", he followed that up with Daniel Craig's Bond debut, "Casino Royale". He also directed "The Mask of Zorro", arguably Antonio Banderas' best action pic.

The man knows how to stage action and hand-to-hand combat. He keeps the thrills rolling inside and outside the glass tower. He makes it believable that Ridley can kick some serious ass, and thanks to some serious training and a great stunt team, I bought it too.

While its tributes and takeoffs on the "Die Hard" theme are present, it's not always predictable and I loved Skylar's villain, a bad guy so unhinged that half his team is scared he's going to kill them too.

While it may not be a major film in the genre, it's certainly just as good as some of the creaky last films that got wrung out of the Bruce Willis/John McLane series.

Campbell, Skylar and Ridley elevate this out of the B-movie bin to something very illogical, but damned enjoyable if you're looking for some mindless thrills.

Without the three of them, it would just be left cleaning bird poop off the 51st story windows.

CLEANER shoots & squeegees its way to a B-.

Red band trailer below.