• Consequence
  • Music
  • Film
  • TV
  • Heavy
Menu Consequence
Menu Shop Search Newsletter
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Live
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Contest
Advertisement
  • Features
  • Film Reviews

The 355 Review: Predictable Twists Bog Down This Lady Spy Thriller

Finally, an answer to the question "What if the creator of NBC's Smash wrote a female-led James Bond movie?"

The 355 Review
B-

Directed by

  • Simon Kinberg

Release Date

  • January 7, 2022

Cast

  • Jessica Chastain, Lupita Nyong'o, Penélope Cruz, Diane Kruger, Bingbing Fan

Studio

  • Universal
Liz Shannon Miller
January 6, 2022 | 12:00pm ET

    The Pitch: There is a certain sub-genre of films, largely action films, that belong to a very specific time and place — an idyllic lazy Saturday afternoon, that post-lunch or brunch drowsiness kicking in as you nestle into your couch at home, searching for something to watch that won’t require too much effort to engage with on your part. The kind of movie you might watch with your dad over the holidays, just because it’s on cable.

    What The 355 offers up is a perfect Saturday afternoon dad movie, but instead of starring Stallone or Eastwood or Bronson, it stars five women with six Oscar nominations and two wins between them. (And was written by the creator of NBC’s Smash!) Approached with those sorts of low expectations, the new action drama starring Jessica Chastain, Lupita Nyong’o, Penélope Cruz, Diane Kruger, and Bingbing Fan is totally acceptable, at times pretty entertaining. If that sounds like damning with faint praise — yep, that’s exactly what it is.

    Jennifer Garner Did It First: At two hours and two minutes, The 355 has about the same amount of plot as a 42-minute episode of Alias, all of it Frankenstein’ed from other action movies. Mason “Mace” Browne (Chastain) is a badass CIA officer who, after a mission goes wrong, has to team up with several women from other international intelligence agencies to track down an all-important MacGuffin hard drive that has apocalyptic levels of control over the world’s electronics. (Pretty much 100% sure that that actually was the plot of an episode of Alias, at one point.)

    Advertisement
    Related Video

    The plot, of course, is all in service to the raison d’etre of the film, which is to bring together a cool group of actresses and give them guns so they can shoot a whole lot of people. At this objective, The 355 is actually quite successful, and it does a solid job as well of making sure that these characters are all tough and interesting in their own unique ways, from the ruthless focus of Kruger as Marie to Cruz’s Graciela, whose inexperience in the field offers a refreshing contrast to the jadedness of the other women.

    Nyong’o also once again proves that she is capable of nailing any role you hand her; of the assembled cast, she’s the one who feels most deserving of her own spinoff. Meanwhile, Chastain keeps things pretty close to her chest without offering up any other traits beyond a fierce self-reliance, which makes Mace a capable action hero, but also a less-than-memorable protagonist.

    The 355 Diane Kruger Lupita Nyong'o

    The 355 (Universal)

    Again, this film is co-written by Smash creator Theresa Rebeck, who is not a stranger to this genre (for one thing, she was one of the six to 12 writers on the 2004 film Catwoman). However, according to Deadline, the idea originated with Chastain, who pitched the idea of a female-led spy film to director Simon Kinberg while they were working together on X-Men: Dark Phoenix.

    Advertisement
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Reddit
Advertisement

More on this topic

  • Diane Kruger
  • Jessica Chastain
  • Lupita Nyong’o
  • Penelope Cruz
  • Sebastian Stan
  • Simon Kinberg

Sign up for updates

Subscribe to our email digest and get the latest breaking news in music, film, and television, tour updates, access to exclusive giveaways, and more straight to your inbox.

Advertisement

Popular Stories

Latest Stories

A-
werewolf by night review marvel disney plus special presentation halloween special

Werewolf by Night Is a Marvelous Monster Mash: Review

October 6, 2022

B
Hellraiser Review Jamie Clayton Hulu

Hellraiser Review: A True Reboot That's Pretty Darned Good

October 5, 2022

C+
david o russell amsterdam film first look release date

Not Even An All-Star Cast Can Save David O. Russell's Amsterdam: Review

October 4, 2022

B+
White Noise Review

NYFF Review: Noah Baumbach Delightfully Skewers Our Fear of Death in White Noise

October 3, 2022

B+
Till Review Danielle Deadwyler

Till Digs Into a Deeply Shameful, Deeply American Tragedy: Review

October 1, 2022

B-
Master Gardener Review Paul Schrader

Paul Schrader's Master Gardener Treads Very Familiar Soil: Review

October 1, 2022

A-
Decision to Leave Review

Chan-wook Park's Decision to Leave Is a Sizzling Romantic Thriller: Review

September 30, 2022

D+
Greatest Beer Run Ever Review

The Greatest Beer Run Ever Is a Pretty Likeable Movie, and That's a Huge Problem: Review

September 30, 2022

Advertisement

News

  • Music
  • New Music
  • Album Streams
  • Upcoming Releases
  • Tours
  • Film
  • TV
  • Pop Culture

Reviews

  • Music Reviews
  • Film Reviews
  • TV Reviews
  • Concert Reviews
  • Festival Reviews

Features

  • Editorials
  • Interviews
  • Cover Stories
  • Lists
  • Guides
  • CoSign
  • Song of the Week

Live

  • Tickets
  • Festival News
  • Tour Dates
  • Photo Galleries
  • Music Instruments & Gear

Heavy

  • News
  • Interviews
  • Concerts

More

  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Wellness
  • Giveaways

Other sites

  • Heavy Consequence
  • Consequence Media
  • Modern Drummer
  • About
  • Privacy policy
  • Advertising
  • Work For Us
  • Terms
  • Contact
  • Copyright
  • Do Not Sell My Personal Information

Download our app

  • Get it on the App Store
  • Get it on Google Play
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitch
  • Tiktok
Consequence
Current story

The 355 Review: Predictable Twists Bog Down This Lady Spy Thriller

Menu Shop Search Newsletter
Consequence
News
  • News
  • Music
  • New Music
  • Album Streams
  • Upcoming Releases
  • Tours
  • Film
  • TV
  • Pop Culture
Reviews
  • Music Reviews
  • Film Reviews
  • TV Reviews
  • Concert Reviews
  • Festival Reviews
Features
  • All Features
  • Editorials
  • Interviews
  • Cover Stories
  • Lists
  • Guides
  • CoSign
  • Song of the Week
Live
  • Tickets
  • Festival News
  • Tour Dates
  • Photo Galleries
  • Music Instruments & Gear
Podcasts
  • The Opus
  • Kyle Meredith With...
  • Stanning BTS
  • The Story Behind the Song
  • The What
  • Going There with Dr. Mike
  • The Rome and Duddy Show
Videos
  • Interviews
  • Two for the Road
  • First Time I Heard
  • When I Made
  • Battle of the Bandmates
  • Peer 2 Peer
  • Essays
  • Fan Theories
Heavy
  • News
  • Interviews
  • Concerts
  • Premieres
  • Culture
  • Beyond the Boys Club
  • Mining Metal
Shop
  • Shop
  • Giveaways

Follow Consequence

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitch
  • Tiktok
Close
Close
 

Loading Comments...