Secret Team 355

You always hear stories of producers interfering and taking over the directors vision. And here you have a producer, who has now directed 2 terrible movies that werent well done by him. Clearly they should just stick to supplying and making money and leave the art/skill of directing to the professionals.

This movie is not as bad as all these bad reviewers say. It's an action movie, and a fairly decent one at that. It wasn't supposed to be up for movie of the year. So sit back, marvel at some kick ass seasoned actors (this comment directed at the ass who tried to make a crack about older women trying to look young and hot, smh), and just be entertained.

I think The 355 is suffering from a bit of gender bias because it's definitely not as bad as the reviews say. I've seen many action films with predominantly male casts that are much worse than this but have higher ratings. Does The 355 reinvent the spy or action genres? No. But does it kick a lot of ass and provide for a fun Saturday night blockbuster? Absolutely! Sure the plot and antagonists are a bit shallow, but there are some impressive fight sequences, a couple of twists, and some raw emotion that provide enough substance for viewers.

Each of the cast members holds their own in this action-packed, international adventure (there are 3 Oscar winners in the cast!). You're not seeing anything new here, but what you are seeing is high enough quality to leave you satisfied and thinking "I'd definitely watch a sequel of these badass women taking down bad guys!"

Verdict: Watch it.

Looking at the wattage of the cast one might wonder how on Earth a project like this could go so horrifically awry, but then you have to remember that it is directed by none other than Simon Kinberg. Kinberg who is a talented and successful producer unto himself has demonstrated once more that he requires a high caliber screenplay to be placed into his hands prior to rolling cameras.

The 355 is sort of a version of a mixture of a Bourne Identity flick without the gravity and a Mission Impossible movie without the craftsmanship. Lead by Diane Kruger, Penelope Cruz, Jessica Chastain, Fan Bingbing and Lupida Nyong'o, on paper, in a film with these performers operating at a high level and with a slick score by Junkie XL, one would think that this movie would be a hit with ease, but again we have to remember one thing, at least at this point Simon Kinberg does not have the wherewithal to be the helmsman of giant, globe sprawling action movie.

My wife and I watched this on Peacock streaming. The movie has received very mixed reviews, and I can understand why. Not all of it makes sense, and the "drive" that is being sought and auctioned is a mcguffin of sorts. It is the thing that unites the five ladies, from secret agencies of several different countries, to finally band together to keep it out of the hands of the wealthy oligarchs.

But as a "popcorn" movie, just for sheer action and entertainment, it is pretty good. As long as it isn't taken very seriously. My only complaint is the very heavy emphasis on guns and shooting, including several point-blank execution style killings. They could have been more subtle than that. We have too much of that in daily life already, we don't need to see so much of it in movies intended for entertainment.