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SpyTalk at the Movies: ‘The 355’ Kills—With Female Operatives Galore

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SpyTalk at the Movies: ‘The 355’ Kills—With Female Operatives Galore

The starpower of 355's leading women almost saves a Jason Bournian action flick

Peter Eisner
Jan 22, 2022
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SpyTalk at the Movies: ‘The 355’ Kills—With Female Operatives Galore

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The 355 is in some ways a classic knock ‘em-sock ‘em spy flick, with the twists and turns, daredevil chase scenes and larger-than-life action  figures you would expect. The problem is that the film leans so much on formula that director Simon Kinberg (X-Men) and co-writer Theresa Rebeck (Catwoman and Harriet the Spy) appear to have worked from a checklist. 

No surprise, then, that there’s a smorgasbord of bad guys (check), a turncoat CIA agent (check); a nasty, short-lived Colombian drug dealer and son duo (double check); and a panoply of ill-fated, head-shaved, nondescript Middle Eastern everymen (check, check, check). 

What distinguishes The 355 is that its defenders of humanity are tough-ass women, whose rate of kpm (kills per minute) is up there with Dirty Harry, Jason Bourne and The Terminator. 

At the outset, a bad CIA dude or two, pretending to hunt down Colombia drug dealers in the jungle (why CIA instead of DEA, we don't know), are actually going after a portable device develope…

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