Daisy Ridley stars in the new action thriller “Cleaner” – following in the footsteps of two action icons: because on the one hand In “Cleaner,” she’d be scribbling around on the facade of The Shard skyscraper in London, just like she used to Tom Cruise in “Mission: Impossible – Phantom Protocol“ climbed the facade of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. And on the other hand, “Cleaner” is one of the many, many action movies out there at the van Bruce Willis in “That hard‘ based on the established ‘one against all’ formula.
Like the American industry magazine ‘Cleaner’ is set in contemporary London: a group of radical activists hijack an energy company’s annual gala in The Shard and take the 300 attendees hostage. Actually, they just want to draw attention to the fact that the company has a problem with it, but among the activists there is also an extremist who is not afraid to kill everyone present.
Only ex-soldier Joey Locke (Daisy Ridley) can stop the extremist (or the extremist), who now works as a facade cleaner (“Cleaner” isn’t a cool synonym for hit man, just her job) and at the time of the 90-floor robbery high on the outside of the Shard.
Incidentally, at 309.6 meters, the skyscraper is the tallest building in Western Europe, taller skyscrapers exist only in Russia. Whether “Cleaner” will actually be filmed on and in The Shard and around the building is out loud not solved yet. It is also interesting in this context that the real building actually only has 72 floors and not 90 (or more), as the perhaps somewhat euphoric synopsis of the film promises.
(Not) just another Die Hard clone
Manage cleaner Martin Campbellwho twice revived the “James Bond” franchise with “GoldenEye” and “Casino Royale” and (having started his career with sex comedies) also often distinguished himself as a talented action director – from “Die Mask of Zorro” to ” Vertical Limit” to “The Protégé” and “Memory”. This gives hope that “Cleaner” won’t be just another “Die Hard” clone off the shelf.
And “Cleaner” could also stand out from the template and its numerous imitators in two other ways: In a statement, Campbell promised that “Cleaner” would play a major role on the Shard’s facade. “I want the audience to be there with Joey and it’s going to be a nauseating and dizzying experience.” That certainly sounds like an exciting staged concept.
In addition, the synopsis promises a modern touch: Because according to the synopsis, Daisy Ridley in “Cleaner” should not only free the hostages and put a stop to the activists / extremists, but also “find a way to hold the corrupt energy tycoons accountable”.
The shooting of ‘Cleaner’ is scheduled for the late summer of 2023, which means that the film should hit theaters in mid-2024.