The 355: Movie Review

Cast: Jessica Chastain, Diane Kruger, Penelope Cruz, Lupita Nyong'o, Fan BingBing, Sebastian Stan, Jason Flemyng

Director: Simon Kinberg

For a film that's supposed to be about empowerment and normalise female action heroes, Simon Kinberg's The 355 is a surprisingly limp affair that swings violently between meta-references and a ploddingly familiar plot.

Despite the star power attached to the movie, the attempt to launch a new franchise (potentially up there with The Expendables) disappointingly crashes to the ground before lift-off is even remotely achieved.

A solid Chastain is CIA Agent Mason "Mace" Brown, who's tasked with getting hold of a deadly computer drive that could signal the end of the world. But when Mace and her partner Nick (Stan) find their mission compromised by another female agent (Kruger) seemingly after the same thing in Paris, the drive falls into the wrong hands.

Forced to team up with Kruger's Marie, Mace is also joined by long time MI6 colleague Khadijah (Nyong'o, easily the breakout star of this depressingly average outing) and caught-in-the-middle-of-it-all therapist Graciela (Cruz, dulled in her attempt to play the deer in the headlights character) as they try to save the day - and work out who to trust.

There are a few fatal flaws in The 355, which hinder it from truly feeling fresh.

While a lack of chemistry between Stan and Chastain causes an early situation to stumble, it's mainly the  familiar script that lurches from exposition dumps to groanworthy dialogue that truly lets down The 355.

It's a mix of seen-it-before mesh of genres that doesn't help it either. Whether it's the Bond-esque global hopping, the MacGuffin that's in every Mission: Impossible you've ever seen or the terrible close up fight sequences that are choppily edited and don't let the choreography sing, there's not much in The 355 which would make a case for another outing for this multi-international squad of ladies.

And it's a shame, because there are moments that truly sing.

Despite being saddled with a cliched hacker character, Nyong'o makes every appearance on screen sing, imbuing every moment with energy, gusto and chutzpah to give you the feeling she'd be the best James Bond we'll probably never get. She's easily the stand out of an ensemble that doesn't quite gel because of scripting defects.

Equally, Cruz makes a reasonable fist of a terribly cliched action movie character - the untrained civilian thrust into the middle of conflict, who really doesn't want to be there. Usually the territory of the likes of Ryan Reynolds and his wise-cracking, Cruz has a reasonable arc as the mother who just wants to get home to her family because of how her partner's dressing the kids.

When the film's script settles for an ease of character, and tries to give them some much-needed depth, it's more successful. A bonding sequence post-mission hints at what could have been - and what could have helped make some of the more emotional moments land with a bit more heft. Instead they feel like moments designed to shock, but which are consigned to feel hollow, because those involved have had only the most cursory of characterisation thrust their way.

Ultimately, The 355 feels flat, its ass-kicking mantra more subdued by a growing number of minor misfires - and despite all the star power within, this action movie leaves more of a dulled afterglow than a sizzling kick off to a potential crowd-pleasing franchise.