Review 355
the 355 (2022) Movie Review, a movie directed by Simon Kinberg and featuring Jessica Chastise, Penelope Cruz, Diane Kruger, Lupita Nyong’o, Bing Bing Fan, Jason Flemyng, Pablo Scola, Marcello Cruz, Sebastian captain Viveros, Edgar Ramírez, Leo star, Sebastian Stan, Jeans Douglas Thompson, Sylvester growth, Jason Wong and Raphael Acloque.
The 355 is a lot of fun to watch from start to finish, but there just isn’t enough substance to the story of the movie. There’s little more than a basic outline for a plot here and it’s up to the terrific actresses gathered to go with the flow and entertain us with their gorgeous looks and charming personalities. However, it takes more of a passable action flick than what we get here. As directed by Simon Kinberg, all the makings are there for a fast-paced action flick except for the required plot development. There are some solid action sequences but never one that really “wows” us, unfortunately. Still, there is fun to be had here.
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I hate to see a mediocre movie coming out this time of year with performers waiting for potential Oscar nominations for their recent work. We have two in this movie. Jessica Chastain and Penelope Cruz would top the list for best actress for their performances in Tammy Faye’s eyes and Parallel mothers, but we get nervous watching the new movie, The 355, that these two wonderful actresses will be judged for their performances in the recent film more than for their Oscar-caliber work from last year. However, the roles of these two stars in The 355, are performed quite well unlike Eddie Murphy who won an Oscar for Dream girls with North or Anne Hathaway who cursed herself by appearing in Bride wars shortly after his grand tour Rachel is getting married. The January films will still be around, showing us mostly mundane work, but to the extent that The 355 is concerned, I only hope that Jessica Chastain and Penelope Cruz can come out of this unscathed and get their Oscar nomination next month. They deserve these nominations.
Chastain appears in the long-delayed film, The 355, as Mace, a CIA agent who, in the film’s gripping opening sequence, chases German Agent Marie (Diane Kruger) through a train station and onto the platform as the two characters compete for a bag. I won’t tell you what’s in the bag. Enter the hacker Khadijah (the formidable Lupita Nyong’o) who joins the movie trying to help Mace. There’s also Dr. Graciela Rivera (Cruz), a psychologist who ends up playing a central role in the development of the film. These four women, despite their differences, form a group that ends up working together to stop evil henchmen. Among those villains is Sebastian Stan’s character Nick, who doubles up on Mace. Stan’s Nick is simply the best villain in the movie and audiences can’t wait to see him get his desserts.
There are a number of issues with the new image, but focusing too much on them would be silly. For example, why mention the awesome outfits that Chastain puts on throughout the movie that are totally illogical but beautiful to watch? This movie doesn’t care about being an authentic movie because it just wants to entertain the audience and because of that it sometimes performs quite well. Another issue is Jason Flemyng as a mercenary named Elijah Clarke who is so relentless he ends up being cartoonish but, again, the movie doesn’t really try to score points for grainy realism. He just wants his audience to have fun. But, all the same, the plot needed more substance to keep the audience interested, especially since it is over two hours long with the end credits included.
Cruz is especially good here as a family lady who is over her head, but Chastain really steals the show from everyone and she is more than welcome since she is the star. Chastain looks great in every scene and that is perhaps one of the flaws of the film as well. The character of Lin Mi Sheng (the good Bingbing fan who also calls himself Fan Bingbing) is more or less the one who teaches each of the female heroines the importance of working together to save civilization as we know it. The entire female cast works extremely well together even though the plot plays against them with its lack of substance.
A movie like The 355 is definitely welcome in a market where you can only find entertaining action in the new Spider Man movie but it wasn’t a movie that was ready for big budget action treatment due to its underdeveloped plot. Yes, audiences have their twists and turns along the way, but more was needed to really recommend the image. However, if you want to see some awesome strong female characters on screen, don’t let me stop you from buying a ticket. It’s a ride that has its moments here and there for sure. Chastain and Cruz still deserve their Oscar nominations for their winning spins from last year and hope they get those nominations!
Evaluation: 6/ten
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