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The 355 Blu-ray Review

“The 355” is a waste of talent.

Written by Theresa Rebeck and Simon Kinberg, “The 355” is a globe-trotting action-spy film that begins with a Colombian DNI agent (Luis) stealing a dangerous digital device after a drug raid. He attempts to sell it to 2 CIA agents (Mace and Nick), but the operation goes south as Nick presumably winds up dead and a German BND agent (Marie) tries to steal it. What follows is a mad dash to recover the device from those who wish to obtain it (namely a powerful drug lord named Elijah). Only Mace and her allies (including Marie eventually) such as cyberintelligence expert Khadijah, a DNI agent/psychologist friend of Luis (Graciela) and later an MSS agent (no spoilers on who that is) can hope to recover the device from falling into the wrong hands.

Simon Kinberg has had success as a writer and a producer, but his directorial vehicles have fallen flat. “The 355” is his latest dud. It’s clear Kinberg was trying to position this feature as a new female ensemble action film franchise, but he fails in every regard. Not only is this a 2 hour plus bore, but the plot is little more than one long chase for a device that can be weaponized. Sure, there are plenty of shootouts, explosions, plot twists, and some occasional character centric moments, but they are so dry and generic that you won’t care. Even the action itself is so bland (the dreadful shaky fight cinematography doesn’t help either). 

The only thing “The 355” has going for it is an all star cast comprised of Jessica Chastain, Penelope Cruz, Diane Kruger, Lupita Nyong’o, Bingbing Fan, Sebastian Stan, Jason Flemyng, and Edgar Ramirez. With the exception of Diane Kruger (who is the only one with a relatively dimensional character), everyone is completely wasted in their roles. The all-star cast deserves so much more than this.

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 2.39:1 1080p. How does it look? Say what you will be about the movie itself, but the hi-def transfer delivers.

Audio Track: 5.1 DTS-HD MA. How does it sound? The 5.1 track certainly puts the speakers to work in all the right ways.

Extras:
* DVD copy
* Digital copy
* Nearly 6 ½ minutes of deleted scenes
* “Chasing Through Paris”- A featurette about filming in Paris.
* “Action That Hurts”- A behind-the-scenes look at an action sequence filmed in England.
* “Reconstructing Marrakesh”- The title says it all.
* “Chaos At The City Of Dreams”- Another behind-the-scenes look at an action sequence/explosion.
* A 2 part VFX Breakdown of sequences that compare the shooting scenes with the final CGI additions.

February 21, 2022 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Action Movie, Jessica Chastain, Penelope Cruz, Sebastian Stan, Spy Movie, The 355 Blu-ray Review