Quartile rating: 6/10 · 1 rating
While working undercover as a bodyguard to arms dealer Harry, former-soldier-turned-secret-service-agent Ewan survives a bloody shootout with a member of an Islamic terrorist cell who steals Harry's briefcase full of Semtex explosives and escapes. Ewan's spymasters task Ewan with hunting down the cell members and retrieving the briefcase.
Cleanskin is a competent but uneven British thriller that attempts to explore radicalization through parallel narratives but struggles with tonal inconsistency. The plot has ambition in its dual-perspective structure showing how the bomber became radicalized, which elevates it slightly above generic action fare, but the execution is clunky and the pacing uneven. Sean Bean anchors the acting with a solid if unremarkable performance, while the supporting cast delivers serviceable work. Cinematography is functional at best, with workmanlike London location shooting that lacks visual distinction. The film covers well-trodden post-7/7 British terrorism thriller territory without adding much new to the conversation, feeling derivative of similarly themed films like Four Lions and various spy thrillers. The ending attempts moral ambiguity but lands with limited impact.