The 355 movie review

MOVIE TITLE: The 355

This female-starring action flick is now available in theaters only. After the theatrical run, it’ll be available on streaming.

RATING: PG-13

LENGTH: 2 hours 2 minutes

IN A NUTSHELL:

When a top-secret weapon falls into mercenary hands, wild card CIA agent Mason “Mace” Brown (Jessica Chastain) will need to join forces with rival tough girl German agent Marie (Diane Kruger, In the Fade), former MI6 ally and cutting-edge computer specialist Khadijah (Oscar® winner Lupita Nyong’o), and skilled Colombian psychologist Graciela (Oscar® winner Penélope Cruz) on a lethal, breakneck mission to retrieve it, while also staying one step ahead of a mysterious woman, Lin Mi Sheng (Bingbing Fan, X-Men: Days of Future Past), who is tracking their every move. As the action rockets around the globe from the cafes of Paris to the markets of Morocco to the opulent auction houses of Shanghai, the quartet of women will forge a tenuous loyalty that could protect the world–or get them killed.

THINGS I LIKED:

The title gets its name from an unidentified female spy who fought for the Patriots during the American Revolutionary War.
Two of the beautiful ladies in the cast are also Academy Award winners: Penelope Cruz and Lupita Nyong’o. Jessica Chastain was nominated but hasn’t won yet. I’m sure she will someday.
I’m a huge Jessica Chastain fan. She was the one who proposed the idea for an all-female cast that would be similar to the popular Mission: Impossible franchise. Another comparison could be the Ocean’s Eleven (2001) series, although there isn’t very much humor in this film.
Diane Kruger is such a great international actress because of her gift with languages and now she’s an impressive action star too. I’ve been a fan since I first noticed her in National Treasure
The fast-paced action keeps things moving.
Junkie XL has been providing music for quite a few movies lately and it’s always noticeably very good!
It made me laugh when all of the lights went out in a particular scene. You hear a bunch of gunshots and a woman screams. That would be me screaming if I were one of the spies. ha ha
I love it when movies take you around the world. We get to see London, Paris, Morrocco, and Shanghai. I’ve been to all of those beautiful places in real life!
I appreciated the fact that the women had to juggle their families and relationships, just like working women in real life. And they have to do it in high heels!

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

Sadly, I personally know several people who were so bored with this movie that they actually left the theater long before the movie was over! Just so you know, I stayed and watched the entire film so I could give you a thorough review!
Too much was given away in the movie’s trailer.
The plot is predictable.
Some shaky-cam moments made me dizzy a couple of times.
Disappointing writing with cliched dialogue.
There are some weird editing moments.
Here’s a question for you: do you think audiences are harder on all-female casts than all-male casts? Comment down below!
Ultimately, this film is entirely forgettable.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Spanish and German are spoken with subtitles
Extremely high body count
Talk of drugs
Pre-marital hanky panky
A woman flips the bird
Profanity and 1 F-bomb
Lots of different kinds of weapons

THEMES:

Technology
Betrayal
Family and relationships
Sacrifice for the greater good
Friendship
Trust

FUNNY LINES:

* “You are the most screwed up of us all.” – Khadijah Adiyeme (Lupita Nyong’o)
“Are you under control?” – Marie Schmidt (Diane Kruger) “No.” – Mace (Jessica Chastain)
“What do we have?” – Marie Schmidt (Diane Kruger) “Please don’t say ‘each other’.” – Khadijah Adiyeme (Lupita Nyong’o)
“You got beaten by a bunch of girls.” – Elijah Clarke (Jason Flemyng)
“A girl really does need a guy to explain it all to her.” – Mace (Jessica Chastain)
“Hasta nunca!” – Until never! – Graciela Rivera (Penelope Cruz)

INTERESTING LINES:

“He convinced me this is the new drug: technology.” – bad Colombian drug lord
“The enemy of my enemy is my friend. We have a common enemy.” – Khadijah Adiyeme (Lupita Nyong’o)
“Is that a threat?” Mace (Jessica Chastain) “Yes. Yes it is.” – Marie Schmidt (Diane Kruger)
“Do you have children? It gets harder to lie.” – Graciela Rivera (Penelope Cruz)
“James Bond never had to deal with real life.” – (Jessica Chastain) “James Bond always ends up alone.” – Khadijah Adiyeme (Lupita Nyong’o)
“We put ourselves in danger so that others are not.” – Lin Mi Sheng (Fan Bingbing)