User reviews

The 355 is modern commercialism. It has little to say and is painfully generic, but it plays up its female-centric cast, hoping to make up for its thin substance. Diverse representation is a positive, but when it's solely a marketing gimmick for an underwhelming project, it's tainted. In fact, The 355 is fairly insulting because female led movies often get these poor efforts. Specifically, the film is a collection of cliches. Stock characters, predictable heel turns, unrealistic MacGuffins, exaggerated stakes, and some deus ex machina for good measure. Plus, the acting is bland (outside of Nyong'o, who brings legitimate emotion).

Technically, the camerawork is excessively shaky and the editing is overcut, fruitlessly compensating for dull action. The production design is uninspired and limited. The audio design is involved but sometimes misuses action sounds. The music is forgettable and the effects are overly sanitized. Lastly, the direction lacks unity, creating a mundane and inconsistent experience. None of this is necessarily terrible, but The 355 just isn't great. Overall, it feels like a halfhearted ploy that capitalizes on good-natured people who want to support minority empowerment. Unfortunately for those viewers, The 355 does very little for the female cause.

Writing: 4/10 Direction: 4/10 Cinematography: 5/10 Acting: 6/10 Editing: 5/10 Sound: 6/10 Score/Soundtrack: 5/10 Production Design: 4/10 Casting: 7/10 Effects: 6/10

Overall Score: 5.2/10.

I think The 355 is suffering from a bit of gender bias because it's definitely not as bad as the reviews say. I've seen many action films with predominantly male casts that are much worse than this but have higher ratings. Does The 355 reinvent the spy or action genres? No. But does it kick a lot of ass and provide for a fun Saturday night blockbuster? Absolutely! Sure the plot and antagonists are a bit shallow, but there are some impressive fight sequences, a couple of twists, and some raw emotion that provide enough substance for viewers.

Each of the cast members holds their own in this action-packed, international adventure (there are 3 Oscar winners in the cast!). You're not seeing anything new here, but what you are seeing is high enough quality to leave you satisfied and thinking "I'd definitely watch a sequel of these badass women taking down bad guys!"

Verdict: Watch it.

This movie is not as bad as all these bad reviewers say. It's an action movie, and a fairly decent one at that. It wasn't supposed to be up for movie of the year. So sit back, marvel at some kick ass seasoned actors (this comment directed at the ass who tried to make a crack about older women trying to look young and hot, smh), and just be entertained.

My wife and I watched this on Peacock streaming. The movie has received very mixed reviews, and I can understand why. Not all of it makes sense, and the "drive" that is being sought and auctioned is a mcguffin of sorts. It is the thing that unites the five ladies, from secret agencies of several different countries, to finally band together to keep it out of the hands of the wealthy oligarchs.

But as a "popcorn" movie, just for sheer action and entertainment, it is pretty good. As long as it isn't taken very seriously. My only complaint is the very heavy emphasis on guns and shooting, including several point-blank execution style killings. They could have been more subtle than that. We have too much of that in daily life already, we don't need to see so much of it in movies intended for entertainment.

The storyline was very predictable, like all of the twists were given away in the trailer. However, the characters were well cast and the action was well coordinated. The women had good chemistry.

Looking at the wattage of the cast one might wonder how on Earth a project like this could go so horrifically awry, but then you have to remember that it is directed by none other than Simon Kinberg. Kinberg who is a talented and successful producer unto himself has demonstrated once more that he requires a high caliber screenplay to be placed into his hands prior to rolling cameras.

The 355 is sort of a version of a mixture of a Bourne Identity flick without the gravity and a Mission Impossible movie without the craftsmanship. Lead by Diane Kruger, Penelope Cruz, Jessica Chastain, Fan Bingbing and Lupida Nyong'o, on paper, in a film with these performers operating at a high level and with a slick score by Junkie XL, one would think that this movie would be a hit with ease, but again we have to remember one thing, at least at this point Simon Kinberg does not have the wherewithal to be the helmsman of giant, globe sprawling action movie.

I thought this was about as good as any recent spy action thriller. Good action, plot twists and ending. It's a bit predictable and formulaic and not very believable in many parts. Overall pretty entertaining.

They did almost everything to kill this movie - a shallow story, a very slow pace, bad directing, flat dialogs, drunk cameraman, music video-like editing.

I went to watch this movie because Diane Kruger is a good actress and she acts in good movies and she delivers.

But this time something went very wrong. Although Diane Kruger delivers this time too and she is the strongest actor in the movie, the movie itself just doesn't work.

The plot has a lot of holes. The pace is very slow, I even almost fell asleep at some point.

The dialogs are lateral and don't add to the story.

The cameraman's work is just crazy - there might be a single actress in the frame, but she will be slightly out of focus. Extreme close-ups and choppy editing in fight scenes make them unwatchable. It feels like the movie was shot not for an anamorphic frame it is shown because the framing is very weird - a lot of sliced heads. And yes, the jagged drunk-man camera is in its glory.

For the female badass agents movie the body doubles substitute is very noticeable in every scene, highlighted with the edits when the actress is replaced with a double, which doesn't help to sell the realism at all.

The characters are dull and the story is just very basic and weak.

Wait for it to appear on streaming platforms. Don't waste your money on movie tickets.

I went into this thinking it would be somewhat like the female version of oceans 11 (which I did enjoy - it was cute and fun)

It is. (Because it is female lead)

Except it boring. (Which oceans 11 wasn't)

There is nothing original about it. The twists and turns are PREDICTABLE. The acting, completely phoned in. I've seen kindergarteners giving better performances. (I know there are multiple oscar winners in this but damn are they looking like they should be returned) The cinematography is meh. The sound/score is meh. The story is meh.

If meh was a film this would be it.

I cant believe I paid to see this and honestly I dont know why I did.

I am a woman. So i dont want to be accused of review bombing *because* women...

Do NOT waste your time with this movie.

I looked at some of the other IMDb reviews and I wonder if they were watching another film than the entertaining film I just watched. This film had some great entertainment value from start to end. There were some good twists and turns in the plot. Heck, even the end credit music score title "Super Clean" was fantastic. Kudos to the five main actresses, especially Jessica Chastain and Diane Kruger whose action scenes were just as good (if not better) than many of the CGI enhanced action films dominated by male stars.

I am a 66 year old male whose action stars of the past have been Bruce Lee, Clint Eastwood, Nick Nolte and Jackie Chan. It was nice to see a mostly all female action cast entertain so much and trust me they did not disappoint. These action stars were far superior to Charlies Angels or any of the female DC and/or Marvel Heroes.

I trust there will be a sequel or two and I am confident that this female ensemble is going to garner continued fan support and momentum over the next several years.

I truly enjoyed the film, the plot, and especially the music score. I look forward to seeing these Kick A$$ ladies in future films together. I give it a 9 out of 10 IMDb rating.

When a devastating weapon falls into the wrong hands, agents from all over must work together to find it and get it back. Nick and mace ( sebastian stan, jessica chastain) want it. But we're not sure which side they are on. And they will need help from graciela (cruz) and marie (diane kruger). No-one trusts anyone. And even when they think they have the weapon back, it gets taken... again! Lots of action, shooting, chasing. Lupita nyongo has her high tech gadgets that help now and then. But so much violence. Not so much blood and guts, but lots of shooting. Good stuff. Good spy thrilla. Directed by simon kinberg. Was nominated for martian. Its not perfect, but I rated it higher than some others have.

Jessica Chasrain supposedly turned down a role in the Tom Cruise Mission Impossible film series so it is easy to see where the idea comes from for the 355. Chastain tries to rectify her error by being involved in the creation of this wannabe franchise.

Unfortunately for her the film is a perfect example of bland. The pacing is pedestrian, the plot non existent and the characters, for the most part, cypher. Chastain, as the main character, is the least interesting character and is far less charismatic than Lupita, Cruz and Kruger.

All this could be compensated for if the film had spectacular action scenes like those performed by Tom Cruise in the Mission Impossible series. The action is unimaginative and the exciting bits are obviously performed by stunt doubles. When the actors.

I wonder if the manbabies complaining about the implausibility of the plot of The 355 also rolled their eyes in Die Another Day when 007 surfed around icebergs after driving an invisible car, or had a chuckle at the silliness of John Wick getting fitted for a bullet proof suit.

No, this movie is not realistic. So what?! It's no less believable than the average James Bond movie. The 355 is action packed entertainment and the cast is fantastic. Some of the writing is a little bit clunky, but that may be a result of editing decisions.

I hope they make a sequel, if for no other reason than to raise the ire of the giant sooks who start crying "feminism gone mad" every time an action movie features a woman not playing a secretary.

If you can get past the Ocean's Eleven and Jason Bourne comparison, this movie isn't half bad. Yes, it's an all-female cast set against a typical international espionage plot but it goes beyond the clichéd "femme fatale" image when things actually get serious midway through the movie. Yes, many of the parts are predictable and you already get an idea of who is playing for which side but there is lots of intrigue as things begin to unravel when you least expect it.

I like the idea of female espionage operatives working together (you don't see that a lot). Also with the exception of one main character, these women are not female operatives who kick ass. They're operatives who kick ass that happen to be female. I'm also not aware of many spy movies where the main team of heroes each represents their respective country and clandestine organization. I'm also impressed with how they added authenticity as operatives (e.g. Diane Kruger speaking in both fluent French and German).

They do show realism as you see character flaws, raw emotion, and visceral reactions to situations that many of us would easily crack under the pressure and duress. The action and fight choreography scenes are decent so don't expect dramatic Krav Maga or Jeet Kune Do one-on-one fights as the main focus of the movie is not trying to back track to figure out who the main bad guy is at the top of the food chain. This movie is worth a watch if you're looking for an espionage thriller that takes a different direction.

The Good : Diane Kruger is pretty darn good because of a decently written character, serviceable plot...... and that's it.

The Bad : it's too long, the fight/action scenes are awful, can't understand Bing Fanfan's accent, terrible ending, lots of China pandering, N'yongo has a handbag like the wardrobe to Narnia carrying everything they need for all the missions all the time, Chastain cannot do action scenes at all, woke plotting meant it was predictable because all the white men were bad. Poorly directed and overly edited fight scenes covering up the fact that 5 middle aged women can beat up dozens of trained assassins.

When a top-secret weapon (which has the capability of wiping out communications across an entire city) ends up falling in to the wrong hands CIA operative Mace Brown along with her partner Nick are sent to Paris with the task of retrieving it.

It's fast-paced, its action-packed and it has a stellar cast so I'm left scratching my head as to how and why this film only has a measly 5.5 out of 10 average rating on IMDB?

I can only think that some people object to the film on the basis that it is covering ground that has been covered before and some of the plot turns and twists can be seen coming a mile off. I too have reservations about such things in film, but personally speaking these things are only minor issues for me providing that the film is entertaining. With goodness knows how many films that have been produced over the 100 plus years of cinema it's difficult to come up with something entirely fresh and for that reason I think it's unfair to bash the film too much based on the aforementioned reasons.

As I've mentioned, the film boasts a good cast with the likes of Jessica Chastain, Lupita Nyongo, Diane Kruger and Penelope Cruz. Whilst they all eventually find themselves working as a team there's always an uneasiness about their alliance meaning that they are interesting to watch. If I was to levy any criticism on this aspect of the film then it lies with Penelope Cruz (not with her performance and most definitely not with her looks - she's gorgeous) it is more down to her character; her psychologist/therapist character doesn't sit well with our ass-kicking trio and she seems to spend most of the film running away and cowering (understandable given she has no field-based training). I just feel that she could have been used better (her psychology/therapy background could have been implemented more to make her character feel more important to the story). It was hinted at being used once when they were in Shanghai, but it never really happens which is a bit of shame.

Still big plus points lie with its energetic approach and its slick direction. Its globe-trotting nature could have meant that the film became over-complicated and began to tie itself in knots, but thankfully it pitches itself just right by benefitting from a zippy pace and a reasonably good story.

It's not perfect, but fans of action/espionage style films should find plenty to enjoy here.

Just simply 'bad.' Very hammy & cheesy, i just couldn't get into it. My wife fell asleep, had to keep waking her up! LOL Acting was wooden and dialogue campy and forced... I just could not figure out what direction it was going!

I'm sorry but i highly recommend avoiding this film, it's a lot of money these days & in this terrible economy.

I know that my review is going to get a lot of disagreements (down votes) but I'm going to say it anyway because I want to write it honestly.

When I thought of watching this film, I checked the rating here on IMDb. The rating did not even reach 5. So, I thought it was kind of bad film. But I watched it because of Fan Bingbing.

After I watched it, I'm glad that I didn't skip this film. This film is not that bad. Although it has some flaws, but it's enjoyable. While I was watching it, I didn't feel boring at all. So, I'd say it's totally enjoyable. And I've completely enjoyed.

P. S. Initially, I was going to give 6 stars because it has some flaws. But I gave one more star (total: 7 stars) for Fan Bingbing.

I actually really like the actresses' work in other genres', and think Chastain is fantastic. Having said that, did Hollywood really think anyone would want to see this? I feel like any regular movie goer would tell you they could care less. Nobody wants to see these talented ladies in an action film like this. It doesn't help that the story, action scenes, villains, etc. Are all bland. Hopefully they will learn their lesson, and stop flushing money.

This is an action packed movie with a bunch of kick ass ladies! It may not be high art, but it is a great action flick. Sorry if fragile dudes don't like to watch women kick ass, but I for one, enjoy it a lot! Also, these women are tough, smart, and also, they can act act.

3 out of 5 stars.

Decent action thriller. That tries to reignite a female action franchise like James Bond or Jason Bourne series. The cast ensemble is good. The action sequences are okay and forgettable. The plot is cliche and thin. Could have been better.

You always hear stories of producers interfering and taking over the directors vision. And here you have a producer, who has now directed 2 terrible movies that werent well done by him. Clearly they should just stick to supplying and making money and leave the art/skill of directing to the professionals.

The cast do great, just a shame the rest of 'The 355' isn't up to their level.

Jessica Chastain, Diane Kruger, Lupita Nyong'o, Penélope Cruz and Fan Bingbing all produce, all of them give enjoyable performances and never became uninteresting, irritating or whatever to me. They are the film's major plus. I'm struggling for other positives, cinematography at a push?

Unfortunately, I came away from watching feeling underwhelmed. The second half really drags, not helped by an extremely lame 'twist'. The first half isn't perfect but does hold potential, once the main bunch eventually team up it's more interesting. The editing is a little iffy, too.

There are quite a few talky scenes that aren't worthwhile at all, especially early on with Chastain and Sebastian Stan. Things improve when the action sequences get underway, not that they are anything extraordinary but what we see is satisfactory; it's the bits in between that let this 2022 release down.

6/10, despite the well performing cast; who almost made me give this 7/10.