The legend of Agent 355 is that she was likely America’s first female spy, in operation during the American Revolution, but that she died without anybody knowing her real name. But as CIA operative Mason “Mace” Brown (Jessica Chastain) reminds us, “Somebody knew her name.” And with that declaration, Mace essentially ends the origin story of a group of female spies she has assembled to fight global crime outside of the restrictive and corrupt intelligence agencies that have been running the game for, in some cases, hundreds of years. If only the film The 355 were as ambitious and filled with the same outside-the-box thinking as this rockin’ team made up of some of the finest actresses working today. All told, they include a pair of Oscar winners, another nominee, and a couple other women who just kick ass in most projects they’re a part of.
Image courtesy of Universal
It’s more than a little shocking that this action story that focuses on female empowerment and leadership has a low-rent director like Simon Kinberg (X-Men: Dark Phoenix) at the helm. Kinberg is better known (and had more success) in Hollywood as a producer and writer (he co-wrote this film with playwright Theresa Rebeck, Bernhardt/Hamlet). In fact, in the hands of a better director, The 355 screenplay is competent enough to have turned into something special. As the film is, however, it’s loaded with fairly generic action sequences, predictable plot twists, and uninspired dialogue. What the film does have going for it is a cast of fantastic lead performers that saves it from utter devastation.
Mace begins the film heading to Paris with her regular partner and best friend at the agency Nick (Sebastian Stan), where they are meant to retrieve a valuable piece of technology—a hard drive that can hack anything and turn it into a weapon. The weapon was taken by a member of the Colombian military (Edgar Ramirez) from a local drug dealer who was making the transition from narcotics to sellable tech (“the new drug,” he believes). He’s made a deal with the CIA to sell the drive for a small fortune, but the buy in Paris goes bust when German intelligence agent Marie (Diane Kruger) interferes. While chasing down the people they believe have the drive, Nick is killed (off camera, so that probably tells you all you need to know about the permanence of his death), devastating Mace but making her all the more determined to retrieve the drive. Marie didn’t get it either, and eventually the two decide to team up to not only steal the drive back but destroy it.
They pull in Colombian psychologist Graciela (Penelope Cruz) who was working with Ramirez before he got killed, the only one who knows how to open the drive once they get it back, as well as former MI6 computer expert Khadijah (Lupita Nyong’o). And since this is a spy movie, they are forced to comb the most photographable locales on the globe to seek out the drive and its potential buyers. When they arrive at a high-end auction, they add the final member to their team, the mysterious Chinese agent Lin Mi Sheng (Fan Bingbing), whose interest in the drive is more of a preventative measure (her agency hopes to draw out known criminals) than having any desire to use it. Each of the five women has suffered loss that gives them personal reasons for wanting to be a part of this team. Probably the most human and relatable of the team, Graciela is the only member with a family, so when one particularly nasty baddie (Jason Flemyng) threatens to kill her husband and kids in order to find the drive, she becomes especially motivated to seek revenge.
Despite the exotic locations (Morocco, Shanghai, Paris, D.C.) and these talented performers, The 355 is surprisingly listless and obvious in its execution. I never once believed any of the five women were going to die or get seriously hurt. Bullets seem to slide off of them or go around them or some such nonsense. Or when they do get shot, it’s the old shoulder graze. Far more effective are the hand-to-hand combat scenes. I’ll say one thing for the movie: it does not spare these characters from acts of physical violence. Naturally, they give as good as they get, and I’ll give the screenwriters credit for not being afraid to have two women fighting as viciously as a male-female battle royale. Chastain and Kruger have a particularly nasty punch-fest when they first meet.
There are times when things seem overly complicated in the drive retrieval process. Honestly, there are a couple of times where someone should have just walked into a room, said “Give me that,” and walked out. Too much intrigue just for the sake of intrigue spoils the fun sometimes. I suspect The 355 will land on a streaming service in the not-too-distant future, and if you have even a passing interest in seeing it, you can wait until it’s accessible at home to do so. This one isn’t quite worth a trip out in the cold.
The film is now playing theatrically.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SV0s2S9reT0Did you enjoy this post? Please consider supporting Third Coast Review’s arts and culture coverage by making a donation. Choose the amount that works best for you, and know how much we appreciate your support!