The 355 (2022)

The 355 is a slick, globe-trotting spy ride that’s most fun when it leans into the electricity of its ensemble—watching Jessica Chastain, Lupita Nyong’o, and Penélope Cruz trade suspicion, competence, and reluctant camaraderie gives the familiar espionage machinery a welcome human pulse. Director Simon Kinberg keeps the pace brisk, hopping between international set pieces with chases and close-quarters scuffles that feel sturdy and physical rather than weightless CGI noise. The vibe is glossy and propulsive, the kind of Friday-night thriller that doesn’t ask you to reinvent the genre—just to enjoy it done with polish, star power, and momentum. If you want a twisty, character-deep spy drama, this may feel more like a well-made mission movie than a revelation, but as a crowd-pleasing action thriller it delivers.

The 355 wants to be a slick, globe-trotting spy-team thriller that spotlights a powerhouse female ensemble, and on paper that’s exactly the kind of crowd-pleaser it should be. In practice, it plays like a checklist of familiar espionage beats—predictable turns, clunky dialogue, and plotting that asks you to ignore a lot of “wait, what?” logic leaps. The cast does what they can and there are a few solid action moments, but the movie rarely finds a distinctive voice beyond “generic international mission.” If you’re here mainly for Chastain, Nyong’o, and Cruz sharing the screen and you don’t mind a formulaic story, it’s serviceable; if you want sharp writing, clever twists, or a spy thriller with real bite, your time is probably better spent elsewhere.