Cleaner (2025) Film Review

Hoping to expose corruption, radical activists take 300 hostages at an energy company’s annual gala in a high-rise building. Their cause soon gets hijacked by an extremist within their ranks who’s ready to kill everyone. It’s now up to a former soldier who works as a window cleaner to save the hostages trapped inside, including her younger brother.

Cleaner is directed by Martin Campbell director of The Mask Of Zorro (1998), Beyond Borders (2003), The Legend Of Zorro (2005), Casino Royale (2006), Edge Of Darkness (2010), Green Lantern (2011), The Foreigner (2017), Memory (2022) and a lot of others.

Cutting right to the chase Cleaner is very much a Die Hard (1988) clone not a terrible one mind you but still a clone. It’s mainly thanks to the performances especially from Daisy Ridley and the action scenes that are decent enough that save this movie from not completely sinking.

As mentioned earlier the performances are great here, Daisy Ridley especially who is very committed to her role and is a lot of fun here. Her character Joey’s bond with her older brother Michael (played by Matthew Tuck) is genuinely touching, I do also give credit where credit is due they actually did cast an autistic actor in this case Matthew Tuck to play an autistic character. Tuck gives a solid performance who admittedly does not get a whole lot to do since he’s a hostage but he takes advantage of the time he gets. Ridley is also really solid in the action scenes as well, the role itself is kind of whatever but Ridley in the end makes it work.

Clive Owen and Taz Skylar are both pretty solid here as well, Owen is a bit wasted here unfortunately since he only gets a handful of scenes. Skylar however plays this sadistic character Noah who messes with Joey throughout the movie, it makes for a great standoff when they eventually do fight and creates some level of atmosphere and tension especially with the action scenes.

What weighs this one down is the script, Campbell attempts to tackle the theme of corporations and their impact on the environment but it’s tackled in such a bare bones way especially with how the movie goes about executing it. When you combine that with the movie just being yet another Die Hard (1988) clone there really is not any room to do anything completely interesting, it’s a shame to because the actors are really going all out with their performances. But unfortunately there’s just not a whole lot to work with and it ends up being a movie that isn’t necessarily terrible it’s just one of the many clones out there that’s doomed to be forgotten.

Overall you can do a lot worse than Cleaner but this one is largely forgettable. Great performances, decent moments and action scenes can’t save this movie from its very cliched beats.

Cleaner is available on all VOD platforms.

5/10 C

Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League (2025) Film Review

Batman and his allies battle to save Gotham from the Yakuza League, a group of superpowered individuals resembling the Justice League.

Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League is directed by Junpei Mizusaki and Shinji Takagi. Mizusaki previously directed Batman Ninja (2018) and Takagi previously directed Steamboy (2004). The film serves as a sequel to Batman Ninja (2018).

Batman Ninja (2018) I always found to be one of the better DC animated films to come out in recent years, so I was pretty interested (kind of surprised as well) that a sequel was actually coming out. While it’s not as good as the first movie simply because the idea was more fresh with the first movie. I do think Yakuza League is a pretty solid sequel that continues to use the bizarre idea in an interesting way!

Much like the first film the voice acting and the animation style is pretty great. The anime references thrown in this time around are charming and add to the style, it never becomes way too much instead it adds details to the characters which have some quite interesting designs such as Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and Aquaman with their Yakuza counterparts.

The story is just as fun as it was with the first film only I would argue this one is a bit more self aware, which does lead to some decently fun sequences and styles. Some editing styles reminiscent of Shonen anime and Japanese TV shows of the 70s and 80s, that does take away from some character arcs especially towards Batman’s family. But it’s a fair trade off considering that the rest of the film is quite decent with how the idea is executed.

The action scenes are fun, creative and pop out incredibly well, the dialogue holds the viewer’s interest throughout the film. There isn’t anything mind blowing going on here, some of the characters like Joker and Harley Quinn feel a bit shoehorned in (Joker really isn’t as interesting as a character as he was in the first film.) the movie does admittedly start to lose a bit of steam towards the end, but at the very least the movie does not overstay its welcome with a runtime of 89 minutes it’s enough to get to the point and wrap things up at a nice pace.

Overall Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League is a bit weaker than its predecessor but still manages to keep the qualities of what made the first one great. If you liked the first film you will probably like this one as well.

Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League is available on all VOD platforms.

7/10 B

Captain America: Brave New World (2025) Film Review

Sam Wilson, the new Captain America, finds himself in the middle of an international incident and must discover the motive behind a nefarious global plan.

Captain America: Brave New World is directed by Julius Onah director of The Girl is In Trouble (2015), Cloverfield Paradox (2018) and Luce (2019). The film is the fourth installment of the Captain America films, a continuation of the miniseries The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021) and is the 35th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

While I don’t think Captain America: Brave New World is one of the absolute worst in the MCU, it is definitely one of the most bland. From the lack of character development from a lot of its characters, to saying next to nothing about its own politics. The movie is a giant mess that has its positives but ultimately is a misfire.

I will say that the performances here are not that bad, Anthony Mackie has always been pretty solid when it comes to the MCU films and here is no exception. While Sam Wilson does not get the development he deserved, Mackie has a lot of charm which is able to be shown at times which are easily some of the movie’s best moments. However the writing really stops him from building Sam Wilson further as a character, wooden dialogue and bland plot points really don’t do Wilson any favors at all.

Despite Danny Ramirez being benched during the later half of the movie I do think the scenes he shares with Anthony Mackie are genuinely great, they have nice chemistry and those moments (one in particular at the end) are genuinely touching. It’s such a shame Ramirez’s character Joaquin Torres is just tossed aside midway through the film and doesn’t really grow as a character, he does have his moments but it’s not really enough to say that his Torres grew as a character.

Harrison Ford as Thaddeus Ross or Red Hulk is not bad here, this is by no means one of Ford’s greatest performances. But I do think considering the script he was given he did the best he could with it and squeezed out some great moments, Red Hulk as a character was fun and the action scenes between him and Sam Wilson are by far some of the movie’s best moments. They aren’t anything crazy but they are simple and straight to the point, it’s filled with Hulk rage that leaves destruction basically anything you can really ask for. It’s just a bit of a shame this happens way too late.

As for the rest of the characters they are all either forgettable or don’t have the writing to back them up. Giancarlo Esposito gives a fine performance here but his character Sidewinder barely does anything, he shows up for a couple scenes and that’s it. Tim Blake Nelson as Samuel Sterns was nice to see but the movie fails to make him a compelling villain, a lot of the writing really makes him come off as a “generic bad guy with very typical goals”

The main issue here is the writing, the movie attempts (at least I think it does) to try and build Sam Wilson as a character but as I said earlier the movie lacks the firepower to do the job, instead he’s reduced to a very standard hero that really does not have any interesting character moments. Sure Wilson is likable but the movie doesn’t give any sort of reason to really care about any of these characters. The story jumps all over the place with several scenes feeling incredibly rushed and put together at the last minute, while the action scenes are actually great and put the movie back on track at some points. There’s just a lot of meandering that takes a lot away from these moments.

There really isn’t much else to say here, Captain America: Brave New World definitely had the potential to be a big step for Sam Wilson, instead it feels like a whole lot of nothing was said, with very little explored about these characters or their stories.

Captain America: Brave New World is available in theaters.

4/10 D+

Love Hurts (2025) Film Review

A realtor is pulled back into the life he left behind after his former partner-in-crime resurfaces with an ominous message. With his crime-lord brother also on his trail, he must confront his past and the history he never fully buried.

Love Hurts is directed by Jonathan Eusebio which is his directorial debut.

I was excited about this one because of Ke Huy Quan being in the lead role, he’s one of those actors where it’s next to impossible to not root for him. He seems like a genuinely nice person who clearly has a love for film and is very thankful, so it’s incredibly disappointing to see how much of a mess this movie really is.

Ke Huy Quan really tries his best with the script but he can only do so much, occasionally there’s one or two jokes that land which is mainly due to Quan’s charm and I do appreciate the enthusiasm he brings to a very familiar character. But for the most part it’s a complete miss, the chemistry between him and Ariana DeBose is bland and fails to even really be romantic. Ariana DeBose is in another role that doesn’t allow her to show her ability as an actress, she’s given such a cliche and underwritten character part that ultimately the viewer forgets by the end of the movie.

Marshawn Lynch is quite honestly the film’s best part, sure his character is really nothing more than “funny henchmen” but he is clearly having a blast and he’s kind of just doing his own thing which leads to the film’s few good comedic moments.

The writing is what completely breaks this movie, it’s not romantic nor is it funny. It’s a huge mess that doesn’t utilize its elements, especially when it comes to characters. Most of the supporting characters are there for nothing more than terrible jokes, cliches or just to fill in some gaps.

Some of the action scenes are fine enough combined with violence there was actually a lot of potential to do something interesting with it here, but what ruins it is the sloppily put together set pieces that really don’t have any distinctive style. Nothing really stands out at all unfortunately, it very much feels like an early terrible 2D fighting video game where it has no really push to it at all. Quan’s fighting choreography can only do so much before the action scenes become incredibly bland.

Overall I’m just more confused than anything else, Love Hurts leaves a lot more questions than answers a couple of them being “what exactly happened here?” How does such a simple concept lead to such a cobbled together mess that wastes so many talented actors and actresses? By far the most disappointing movie of 2025 so far.

Love Hurts is available on all VOD platforms.

3/10 D-

Flight Risk (2025) Film Review

A U.S. marshal boards a small plane to transfer a government witness to New York. As they cross the Alaskan wilderness, tensions start to rise as not everyone on the flight is who they appear to be.

Flight Risk is directed by Mel Gibson director of The Man Without a Face (1993), Braveheart (1995), The Passion Of The Christ (2004), Apocalypto (2006) and Hacksaw Ridge (2016).

Say what you will about Mel Gibson as a person but as a director he can really direct incredibly well and he’s shown that quite a few times now…so what happened here? Flight Risk is a baffling mess that even when the trailer came out I could not believe this was from Gibson and the trailer was just scratching the surface.

The performances are already in competition for worst of the year Michelle Dockery is the best here but that’s not saying much at all, she’s still incredibly bland especially during what are supposed to be the more thrilling moments including when backstory elements are revealed. Topher Grace’s character is just annoying here, his back and forth with Mark Wahlberg was funny (unintentionally) for maybe about 5 minutes before it started to get old. Then there’s Mark Wahlberg who gives an atrocious performance combine that with an awful wig, with going way too over the top every 5 seconds and you have yourself a performance that makes you question how on earth did somebody approve of this. The line delivery, chemistry and such from all three of them is just not there at all, the delivery is terrible and somehow gets even worse as the movie goes on. The moments where the movie is trying to have some back and forth between the characters completely misses due to the huge lack of chemistry and all 3 failing to bounce off of each other.

The writing is horrendous, the line “Y’all need a pilot?” is as bad as you saw it in the trailer but would you believe me if I said that it somehow gets worse from there? None of it is engaging, suspenseful or striking it’s all incredibly awkward and does not have a lick of thought put into it, this leads into an atmosphere that is incredibly lacking. There is no suspense present throughout the movie, any sort of attempt to try and bring some suspense into the mix is almost immediately met with terrible dialogue that takes the viewer right out of the movie. This seems like the movie is trying to capture the classic cheesy one liners of 80s action films but completely misses the point on why those actually worked, where as those movies did not take themselves seriously. Flight Risk does and that’s the main issue, everything that happens in this movie gets more ridiculous after the next and not in a good or fun way.

Lastly the movie’s visuals, editing and pacing are terrible, the cinematography is ugly with several shots unpleasing to look at. The editing is choppy lacking a proper flow and the pacing is just a giant mess, it’s 91 minutes long but feels way longer than it really is. In fact there’s moments where the movie could have easily wrapped up but instead decided to pad out as much as possible.

Overall Flight Risk is atrocious, outside of a few unintentionally funny moments this movie has nothing going for it. I’m not exactly sure which is more baffling, the film’s quality or the fact this was directed by Mel Gibson.

Flight Risk is available on all VOD platforms.

1/10 F

Dark Match (2025) Film Review

A small-time wrestling company accepts a well-paying gig in a backwoods town only to learn that the community is run by a mysterious cult leader with devious plans for their match.

Dark Match is directed by Lowell Dean director of Wolfcop (2014), Another Wolfcop (2017), 13 Eerie (2013) and a few others.

I had no idea what to expect going into Dark Match, the premise intrigued me enough to check it out. While there are some flaws here I do think it’s a genuinely interesting execution on the ideas the film is going for.

Ayisha Isaac gives a solid performance here who turns it up to eleven quite quickly as the film goes on, the rest of the performances such as Steven Ogg are decently fun as well. There really isn’t anything groundbreaking here it terms of performances but there really does not need to be, you can tell that the cast had a blast creating this interesting story that does get the viewer invested early on.

The mix of wrestling and horror is what makes the film standout mostly, it’s executed in a way that has just the right amount of atmosphere and even has a surprisingly heartfelt look at wanting to survive in the world of amateur wrestling. Granted the screenplay’s pacing does have its issues where it does take a bit to really get into the point of the film. But the film does reward the viewer for their patience with some genuinely strong scenes that you soak in while watching.

The film does feel a lot like Jeremy Saulnier’s Green Room (2015) and while that is very much the case the film also does manage to do its own thing and executes it’s ideas in its own way, the cinematography from Karim Hussain is absolutely gorgeous and the focus on gore blended with it really matches the atmosphere and world this film is going for. There’s some shots here that do a lot of the talking, they aren’t grand moments by any means but they do compliment what you are seeing on screen.

The character development does feel a lot to be desired and I do wish we got to explore a bit more of the film’s world. However as it stands there was clearly a lot of love put into the film and the end result does few like a nice little tribute to wrestling!

Dark Match is available on Shudder.

6/10 C+

Den Of Thieves 2: Panera (2025) Film Review

Lawman “Big Nick” O’Brien gets embroiled in the treacherous and unpredictable world of diamond thieves as he pursues career criminal Donnie Wilson to Europe.

Den Of Thieves 2: Pantera is directed by Christian Gudegast who previously directed Den Of Thieves (2018). This film serves as a sequel to Den Of Thieves (2018).

Den Of Thieves 2: Pantera could have easily been one of those sequels that felt like it came out way too late and just end up being forgettable. In some ways it is but for the most part I do think this is a pretty solid sequel, that may not do a whole lot different but there’s actually some surprisingly great bits here worth acknowledging.

For starters I do think the acting this time around is actually quite great, a large part of what the film focuses on is chemistry which may seem odd given that the previous film was filled with action and such but it works here. Gerard Butler and O’Shea Jackson Jr. are given a real lot to work with here in the dialogue and they go all out. This is definitely one of Butler’s better performances in quite awhile, he’s able to really into his character Nicholas O’Brien (or Big Nick) and expand upon the character from the first film. There’s a decent amount going on here with the chemistry of the two and the conversations they have, it feels like natural progression for these characters and the film’s direction of where it takes these two characters is quite interesting. The supporting cast while great don’t have a whole lot to work with, this is very much the Butler and Jackson Jr. show, which in this context isn’t necessarily a bad thing but it would have been nice to see the rest of the cast have bigger moments and be more involved.

Pantera is less action filled than the previous film, the action scenes that are here are very well done and take advantage of the atmosphere that the film builds. They aren’t quite as over the top or expansive as the first film but they are fun in their own way, especially the third act’s big heist showdown that is grand and really makes all the build up the film was creating worth it in the end. The suspenseful atmosphere and the chemistry between Butler and Jackson Jr. make it all the more satisfying when the third act rolls around.

The main flaw mostly comes from the exact same problem the first film suffered from and it’s going on for a bit too long, to be fair this film isn’t as bad when it comes to that but it’s still a very noticeable problem. There’s filler here that really doesn’t serve the plot all that much that could have easily been trimmed.

However between the chemistry, third act and the surprisingly solid acting Den Of Thieves 2: Pantera at least has a lot going on here, it’s a film I may not ever return to (much like the first one) but I still do think it’s a satisfying film that accomplishes what it’s sent out to do!

Den Of Thieves 2: Pantera is currently in theaters.

6/10 C+

Back in Action (2025) Film Review!

Former CIA spies Emily and Matt are pulled back into espionage after their secret identities are exposed.

Back in Action is directed by Seth Gordon director of Four Christmases (2008), Horrible Bosses (2011), Identity Thief (2013) and Baywatch (2017).

I don’t think anyone should be surprised that a Netflix January action comedy ends up being terrible, the whole selling point of this movie was that Cameron Diaz came out of retirement from acting. Which that’s great we all love Cameron Diaz but coming out of retirement for this movie really leaves me with a lot more questions than answers.

Cameron Diaz isn’t terrible here and is trying her best with the script given, but her performance is not exactly great here either. She’s capable of far better performances and here it just seems like we get almost absolutely nothing, a lot of what people love about Diaz as an actress is absent and feels more like “we got Cameron Diaz but everything that audiences love about her acting is not here.”

Jamie Foxx falls in the same boat, while the chemistry between Diaz and Foxx isn’t bad and has a few sweet moments, it’s not quite enough to really save the movie. Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz are stuck with such a terrible script that tells horrible jokes and throws as many sequences at the wall with none of them sticking, Glenn Close is just kind of here and is nothing more than a poorly written side character.

The movie itself as I said before is so poorly written, this is about as dull as you can get when it comes to action comedies. Everything that you expect is going to happen unfolds almost immediately, there’s no sense of direction with the plot being strangely convoluted for such a straightforward premise. The movie is also Spy Kids (2001) but instead of kids it’s adults, which doesn’t work mainly because 90% of spy films are already like that. Spy Kids at the very least had an audience in mind and is goofy fun even if the movie doesn’t hold up well, Back in Action is just a mishmash of terrible ideas and cliches thrown into a blender nothing more and nothing less.

There really isn’t a whole lot else to say about Back in Action it’s a movie you are going to remember 30 minutes after watching and then move on. The only reason why this movie is known is because of Cameron Diaz coming out of retirement, without that this movie would not have gotten a single ounce of advertising.

Back in Action is available on Netflix.

1/10 F

Sonic The Hedgehog 3 (2024) Film Review!

Sonic, Knuckles and Tails reunite to battle Shadow, a mysterious new enemy with powers unlike anything they’ve faced before. With their abilities outmatched in every way, they seek out an unlikely alliance to stop Shadow and protect the planet.

Sonic The Hedgehog 3 is directed by Jeff Fowler who previously directed Sonic The Hedgehog (2020) and Sonic The Hedgehog (2022). This film is the third installment to the Sonic series.

Sonic The Hedgehog 3 is the best of the series so far, it improves on the already incredibly solid Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (2022) and adds in elements that fans will instantly recognize and people who haven’t played the games can still really enjoy.

In terms of performances this is the best they have ever been. Jim Carrey this time around is in a dual role Ivo Robotnik (Eggman) and Gerald Robotnik Ivo’s grandfather. Once again he does such a fantastic job, he’s able to balance the two performances incredibly well, one doesn’t take away from the other. Gerald as a villain is quite great, the couple flashbacks we do get do a solid job of explaining his character without needing to over explain.

Keanu Reeves as Shadow The Hedgehog was an absolute genius casting decision, right from the moment he appears on screen he already hits it out of the park. Reeves captures the spirit of the character and really works in the whole emotional core of Shadow’s story as well. For those that don’t know the film takes elements from Sonic Adventure 2 (2001) and Shadow The Hedgehog (2005) and part of those elements is Shadow’s emotional story, it’s a story that absolutely needed someone who could play a strong Shadow and luckily Reeves went all in.

The writing this time around is quite strong, maybe it’s because the film focused on Shadow’s story a part in the video game franchise that is among one of the most cherished moments by fans. The way the film goes about telling the story is quite excellent, it doesn’t feel skimmed and it doesn’t feel drawn out. It has this perfect balance that is able to please fans while also bringing people unfamiliar on board. Understandably there’s far less jokes which makes a lot of sense, but even when there are jokes there’s at least balance and those moments don’t take away from the serious ones.

Overall there really isn’t a whole lot to Sonic The Hedgehog 3 but there really doesn’t have to be, it’s a very strong installment to this franchise that is only going to go up from here!

Sonic The Hedgehog 3 is playing in theaters.

8/10 B+

Gladiator II (2024) Film Review!

After his home is conquered by the tyrannical emperors who now lead Rome, Lucius is forced to enter the Colosseum and must look to his past to find strength to return the glory of Rome to its people.

Gladiator II is directed by Ridley Scott (I don’t think I need to list what he’s directed) the film serves as a sequel to Gladiator (2000).

Gladiator (2000) is one of those films where even if you aren’t into film you have probably seen or heard of it referenced somewhere and rightfully so. It’s an iconic film that won Best Picture at the Oscars and is still talked about, examined and celebrated to this day. A sequel to Gladiator (2000) was always talked about but for one reason or another it never happened until it was announced officially in 2018. Gladiator II is one of those cases where it’s a prime example of just leaving the original as is, because outside of a few scenes and performance this was really a whole lot of nothing.

As you probably have heard by now, Denzel Washington is far and away the standout of the movie. He brings this interesting balance of this calm and collective villain behavior and mixes it with a chaotic one, he doesn’t going over the top with it which I think really makes his character Marcinus all the more intimidating. Washington is just also a blast to watch on screen and continues to show that here, his moments with Tim Mclnnery although small are actually quite fun. The two have this bond that strangely works well (I wish the movie explored Mclnnery’s character Thraex a lot more but that’s a common theme with this movie I’ll get to soon.)

Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger are also quite fun, their characters Emperor Geta (played by Quinn) and Emperor Caracalla (played by Hechinger) don’t have a lot of depth to them and the most we really get about their characters is that they are evil emperors but the way Quinn and Hechinger go about playing them is genuinely hilarious and chaotic. I’m not sure if I would call these “good” performances but at the very least they stood out in a movie that is painfully dull and get a reaction out of the viewer. Pedro Pascal is also pretty decent here, again we don’t get much on his character General Acacius but he does have some good moments such as the action scenes.

The rest of the movie however is a complete and total mess, it’s basically doing a lot of what the first film did but nowhere near as interesting. A huge problem I hinted at earlier is the characters, while the acting is strong for the most part. It’s the characters who get absolutely no depth to them at all, Paul Mescal’s character Lucius is very typical protagonist that really doesn’t bring anything new to the table. He’s a less interesting Maximus from the first movie and his journey is way too similar to Maximus’s, we get some flashbacks that try to give Lucius some more depth and explanation of his past but it’s very skimmed over. It ultimately does not lead to anything compelling or exciting for the viewer it’s just there to briefly try its best to try to fill in some holes.

The action scenes here are fine enough, thanks to the cinematography from John Mathieson who does a beautiful job with the filming. But unfortunately that doesn’t stop the CGI fights from being ugly, it’s a very weird mishmash between some genuinely great shots with some terrible CGI that easily takes you out of some of the action. It’s a shame because I do think the fights themselves in concept are neat and actually do have some solid atmosphere, but to say the CGI doesn’t take away from these scenes would be lying.

Overall there really isn’t much more to be said, Gladiator II is one of those sequels that exists that also doesn’t do anything better or interesting to its predecessor. It’s a shame because I do think with a far better script and a more focused direction this could have been something great.

Gladiator II is available on all VOD platforms.

4/10 D+