"Cleaner"

 2025 * R * 1h 37m If you looking for some fairly mindless entertainment, you might want to check this one out. It's an action thriller that got thoroughly panned by most critics. Sure it's rather derivative and you've seen the basic plot before. But sometimes, that's okay. I thought this one was quite well done. 

Joey (Daisy Ridley) is an ex-special forces soldier. She has a menial job washing windows on huge skyscrapers. One day she has to take her brother Michael (Matthew Tuck) to work. He's a special needs kid who's autistic, and just got kicked out of his residence. As (bad) luck would have it, a group of eco-terrorists led by Marcus (Clive Owen) decides to attack the building and take hostages that very day. 

The rest of the film focuses on Joey's efforts to prevent the terrorists from killing all 300 hostages while keeping her brother safe. The two of them eventually work together to foil the plot. It's a nail biter and even though you know how it's going to end, it's fun watching her and her brother foil the attack. I thought the movie was well shot, especially the exterior scenes on the upper floors of the buildings. I'm not big on heights, so it was a little unnerving. But it made for some great action scenes. About the only negative comment is I didn't like seeing Clive Owen play a terrorist--I'd prefer seeing him play a good guy.

3 1/2 out of 5 stars

Currently streaming for free on Kanopy (with your library card). Also on Prime Video and to rent on Amazon Video.