The heist ensemble film is one of the most overdone and tired genres in Hollywood. No matter how strong the cast, the films always come off as a little generic due to the often-formulaic nature of their narrative. 'The 355' follows in the 'Ocean's' franchise blueprint of chucking names on a poster in the hopes of bringing in a quick buck.
'The 355' follows Mace (Jessica Chastain, 'The Eyes of Tammy Faye', 'Molly's Game'), Khadikah (Lupita Nyong'o, '12 Years A Slave', 'Black Panther'), Marie (Diane Kruger, 'Inglorious Basterds', 'Welcome to Marwen'), Graciela (Penélope Cruz, 'Pain and Glory', 'Murder on the Orient Express') and, later on, Lin Mi (Fan Bingbing, 'X-Men: Days of Future Past', 'Skiptrace'), a group of rogue agents from around the globe who team up to get their hands on a drive that, in the wrong hands, could end the world. It's a cyber threat at the highest level, and while the team members have their differences, they will stop at nothing to put an end to whoever is behind this - no matter how personal.
SWITCH: 'THE 355' TRAILER 2
'The 355' is an extremely paint-by-numbers crime film that, regardless of its star-studded cast, comes across as bland and forgettable. There isn't a single plot point that isn't easily predicted - and what makes the film the most draining is that it thinks it's being fresh and exciting when really it's nothing new.
Like many cinematic releases of late, 'The 355' was originally slated for a January 2021 release but was pushed back to 2022. It feels like the type of film that would be prime to release in a pandemic and would have done much better either on streaming or up against little competition. Now, even though the box office is still recovering, it's really going to get forgotten.
An extremely paint-by-numbers crime film that, regardless of its star-studded cast, comes across as bland and forgettable.
It's also one of those films that you can tell the cast really gets along and had a fun time filming, but that just doesn't translate on-screen. I'm glad this cast enjoyed making it, but it's a shame the audience doesn't get to share in it.
'The 355' is simply forgettable and bland; the second the credits roll, you've forgotten the past two hours. Its generic plot makes this instantly skippable - especially in the current pandemic world where people are being more strategic with their cinema trips.