A fun but cheesy thriller.

Cleaner is a throwback to my favorite kind of 80's action movies: filled with improbable action scenes, kind of cheesy, but with just the right mix of heart and high adventure to make it fun.

Daisy Ridley stars as Joey, an ex-soldier now working as a window cleaner. Perpetually on the verge of being fired, she is working late when eco-terrorists take a bunch of hostages in the building. Joey becomes the fly in the ointment for the bad guys, all while trying to protect her brother (who happens to be in the building too) and not get mistakenly killed by the police.

If you thought this all sounds a bit like Die Hard, you'd be right. But while the basic premises may overlap, Cleaner is different enough to stand on its own. Ridley brings some welcome depth to Joey, aptly portraying her desperation and resolve. She even does a good job with the action scenes, putting all that fight training from Star Wars to good use.

The best part of the story was the relationship between Joey and her autistic brother, Michael. I certainly wasn't expecting this B-tier action flick to have one of the more heartfelt portrayals of autism I saw all year. Joey is overwhelmed and frustrated sometimes, but she genuinely loves her brother and understands what accommodations he needs. They butt heads, but still look out for each other. More importantly, Joey (and the film at large) recognizes that Michael can contribute to the problem. He's not portrayed as a superhero savant; he's just got some useful skills. (Yes, it's a bit contrived that he happens to be a hacker, but come on—this is a movie where the window washer is a special forces trooper.)

The bad guys (divided into two bickering factions) are thin, but crazy enough to keep things interesting. The plot is competent, racking up the tension at appropriate moments. There's also an interesting side plot with a female police

Director Martin Campbell told The Direct, "I Just Wanted To Make a Film That Was Exciting and That Was Really Entertaining." I'd say he succeeded.

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