The Mask of Zorro Creator Just Released a New Action Movie With the Star Wars Actress
This is a worthy representative of the girls-with-guns genre.
Director Martin Campbell continues to develop his beloved girls-with-guns genre. The heyday of female action came in the 1970s and 1980s, when the spy series Charlie's Angels aired and action movies starring Pam Grier, Michelle Yeoh and Cynthia Rothrock were released.
The new movie Cleaner, starring Daisy Ridley, falls into this category.
What Is Cleaner About?
Armed environmental activists crash a lavish party at a major corporation. They demand that the rich confess their crimes on camera.
Only window washer Joey Locke (Daisy Ridley), who is in a cradle high above the ground, can save the people. She has a vested interest in the case because one of the hostages is her brother Michael (Matthew Tuck).
Cleaner Is Inspired by Classic Action Movies
Many compare Cleaner to Die Hard, but the director did not limit himself to the classics of John McTiernan. He borrowed motifs from many action movies – from The Matrix to Skyscraper.
There are also aesthetic allusions. The last name of the main character, Joey Locke, a special forces soldier discharged from the army and trying to start a new life, refers to the English philosopher John Locke, who claimed that a person gains experience by reflecting on his feelings.
Cleaner can easily be accused of being derivative, but it can also be considered an interesting example of a postmodern action film. It is difficult not to admit that the director used the baggage of motifs and images accumulated by his predecessors quite cleverly.
Cleaner Has Bright and Well-Thought-Out Characters
The character of Daisy Ridley, with her charisma, resembles the characters of Michelle Rodriguez from Resident Evil and SWAT.
But the trio of screenwriters were not content with creating a flat superheroine, and came up with a psychological background in the form of an unhappy childhood and a difficult discharge from the army. Daisy Ridley, on the other hand, imbued Locke with charm and femininity.
Her brother has problems with socialization, but at the same time the young man is a genius hacker, capable of hacking any computer system.
The main villain, wonderfully played by Taz Skylar, is like the trickster Neo from The Matrix. And Clive Owen will remind the viewers of Morpheus with his artistic philosophical monologues.
Cleaner Is a Worthy Film from the Creator of The Mask of Zorro
Cleaner is not without its flaws, but it is a significant improvement over Dirty Angels, Campbell's previous film. It convinces us that the 81-year-old director of such action films as The Mask of Zorro and Vertical Limit has not lost his touch.
Moreover, thanks to a good script and the talent of Daisy Ridley, Joey Locke has become a charismatic protagonist with whom it is difficult not to sympathize.