Cleaner (2025) Review: Die Hard Meets Window Cleaning, Briefly

This Cleaner review starts with a simple pitch: Die Hard, but the hero is hanging outside the building on a cleaning rig. Martin Campbell, the veteran behind several big action films, directs this 97-minute British thriller with Daisy Ridley in the lead. It is brisk, loud and familiar, and it knows exactly which genre boxes it wants to tick.

Cleaner Review: The Story So Far (No Spoilers)

The Cleaner plot centres on Joey Locke, a former soldier who now makes her living as a window cleaner. On the day of an energy company's annual gala, a group of radical activists storms the building and takes roughly 300 people hostage. Joey is dangling 50 storeys up on the outside, and her older brother is somewhere inside.

That is the whole setup, and the film wastes little time getting there. Cut off from help and unseen by the captors, Joey has to use her military training and her unusual vantage point to fight back. The tagline, "The stakes are a thousand feet high," tells you the tone to expect.

If you want more in this vein, our action movie reviews cover plenty of similar siege thrillers.

What Works in Cleaner

The central hook is the best thing here. A hero who can only move along glass and cables gives the action a physical, vertigo-inducing quality that standard corridor shoot-outs lack. When the film leans into the height, it generates real tension.

The pacing helps too. At 97 minutes, the story moves quickly and rarely stalls for long. Campbell's direction is competent and clear, so you can follow the geography of the building and the danger Joey faces.

There are also some satisfying thriller beats along the way:

• Smart use of the rig, ropes and windows as improvised tools

• A steady escalation of pressure as the situation inside worsens

• Clean, readable action staging that avoids confusing cuts

Cleaner Cast and Performances

The Cleaner cast is led by Daisy Ridley, and she is the film's anchor. Audience reviews consistently single out her full commitment to the physical side of the role, and she makes Joey a likable, determined everywoman rather than an invincible superhero. She sells the fear as well as the fighting.

Clive Owen plays Marcus Blake, though some viewers felt he was underused for an actor of his standing. Taz Skylar appears as Noah Santos / Lucas Vander, with Flavia Watson as Zee, Ray Fearon as Kahn and Rufus Jones as Geoffrey Milton. The supporting players do what the script asks, but few get room to leave a mark.

Where Cleaner Stumbles

The biggest problem is predictability. Anyone who has seen a Die Hard-inspired thriller will guess where the story is heading, and the script rarely tries to surprise you. It meets the genre's basic requirements without ever standing out.

The film also gestures toward bigger themes, including climate activism, corporate power and family loyalty. Those ideas feel surface-level, and some viewers found the early messaging heavy-handed. Others wanted the villains to be more compelling, and a few tonal moments land awkwardly.

It is a drama as well as an action film on paper, but the emotional beats between Joey and her brother never run especially deep. For better-developed stakes, you may prefer something from our drama movie reviews.

Is Cleaner Worth Watching?

Yes, if your expectations are modest. Cleaner is a functional, well-paced action thriller with a strong lead and a clever gimmick, but it will not rewrite the genre. Audience scores sit around 6.6 out of 10, which feels fair.

The Cleaner release date was 19 February 2025, and it arrived with an R rating for violence and intensity. If you enjoy the single-location siege formula, it makes for a decent evening. If you want fresh ideas or sharp characters, it may feel like a lesser echo of better films.

For another lean genre outing, see our take on Border Hunters. You can also read the film's background on Cleaner at IMDb.

Who Will Enjoy Cleaner

• Fans of Die Hard-style siege thrillers who do not mind a familiar formula

• Viewers who want to see Daisy Ridley in a physical, action-driven lead role

• Anyone after a short, uncomplicated thriller that moves fast and does not demand much thought