“If MeToo were a production company”, it would be “proud” to have made The 355, said Brian Viner in the Daily Mail. This is an action movie in which all the biggest kicks are delivered by women, while the men are either “gentle stay-at-home types”, or duplicitous rotters. (The film’s title refers to the codename of a female spy during the American Revolution.) “I’m all for turning tables”, but regrettably, the “robust gender politics serve a preposterous plot” that is “as yawningly unoriginal as in any of the pictures it tries so hard to subvert”. A baddy has got hold of a fiendish piece of software with the power to hobble financial markets and bring down power grids; and it falls to “maverick CIA agent” Mace (Jessica Chastain) and her all-female team of spies (Diane Kruger, Lupita Nyong’o, Fan Bingbing and Penélope Cruz) to retrieve it.
The 355 is a mark of progress “only in how wholly unremarkable it feels”, said Clarisse Loughrey in The Independent. “An international, diverse cast of actresses can now make a mediocre spy film”, in which they “spout vaguely imperialist politics” fromahost of locations seemingly “picked from an in-flight magazine”. Still, the action is “slick”; and there are moments of “sparky chemistry and decent performances.
Films like this “live and die” by the quality of their action sequences, said Benjamin Lee in The Guardian; but while director Simon Kinberg ensures a “propulsive pace to proceedings” here, there isn’t much genuine excitement. The “first draft” script is disappointingly short on “surprise, suspense or humour”, leaving the film to coast along on its all-star cast and “good intentions”. The 355 won’t be the worst film of 2022, but it may prove the least memorable.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
What is China doing in Latin America?Today’s Big Question Beijing offers itself as an alternative to U.S. dominance
-
‘One Battle After Another’ wins Critics Choice honorsSpeed Read Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest film, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio, won best picture at the 31st Critics Choice Awards
-
Iran’s government rocked by protestsSpeed Read The death toll from protests sparked by the collapse of Iran’s currency has reached at least 19
-
The ultimate films of 2025 by genreThe Week Recommends From comedies to thrillers, documentaries to animations, 2025 featured some unforgettable film moments
-
Into the Woods: a ‘hypnotic’ productionThe Week Recommends Jordan Fein’s revival of the much-loved Stephen Sondheim musical is ‘sharp, propulsive and often very funny’
-
The best food books of 2025The Week Recommends From mouthwatering recipes to insightful essays, these colourful books will both inspire and entertain
-
Art that made the news in 2025The Explainer From a short-lived Banksy mural to an Egyptian statue dating back three millennia
-
Nine best TV shows of the yearThe Week Recommends From Adolescence to Amandaland
-
Winter holidays in the snow and sunThe Week Recommends Escape the dark, cold days with the perfect getaway
-
The best homes of the yearFeature Featuring a former helicopter engine repair workshop in Washington, D.C. and high-rise living in San Francisco
-
Critics’ choice: The year’s top 10 moviesFeature ‘One Battle After Another’ and ‘It Was Just an Accident’ stand out
