When a top-secret weapon falls into mercenary hands, wild-card CIA agent Mason “Mace” Brown (Jessica Chastain) joins forces with rival German agent Marie (Diane Kruger), former MI6 ally and cutting-edge computer specialist Khadijah (Lupita Nyong’o), and skilled Colombian psychologist Graciela (Penélope Cruz) on a lethal mission to retrieve it. The unlikely team must also stay one step ahead of a mysterious woman, Lin Mi Sheng (Bingbing Fan), who is tracking their every move as the action rockets across the globe.
For in-depth thoughts on The 355, please see my colleague Dom Fisher’s review from its original theatrical release here.
Video Quality
The 355 arrives on Blu-Ray courtesy of Universal Studios Home Entertainment with a stellar AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. The film has a natural color palette that expertly showcases the various lustrous settings that we visit around the globe. There are so many chances for vibrant colors to pop off the screen with brighter elements really standing out. Skin tones appear very natural across the entire cast with even the most minor facial details on display. The level of detail in this presentation remains as strong as ever, as all of the subtle aspects of the costumes and production design are razor sharp. Black levels are appropriately deep and give way to a nice amount of detail in shadows. The bright whites do not fall victim to any blooming in this presentation. There are no egregious instances of aliasing or compression artifacts detectable here. This Blu-Ray is simply gorgeous as Universal continues its steady work releasing quality transfers.
Audio Quality
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is extremely engaging, and it never fails to deliver something truly unbelievable. The soundscape on display here is very rich with a nuanced design from beginning to end. This film is a full-throttle action-thriller where nearly every sequence packs a bigger punch than you might imagine. The numerous instances of intense gunfire in the film packs a punch that will shake you to the core. The soundtrack and score hits really hard without being too overwhelming to the competing elements. Dialogue comes through crystal clear with none of the information feeling lost to the music in the film or the sound effects. All of the effects have a nice sense of direction within the mix with noises such as a bombs detonating really springing to life. The movie uses environmental sounds to great effect, and the track retains strong detail even in the more chaotic developments. The track is a powerhouse from start to finish.
Special Features
- Deleted Scenes: Six minutes of unused material is included here which consists of an additional extended scene between Graciela and Luis.
- Chasing Through Paris: A five-minute featurette which shows the production filming in Paris with comments from the cast and creative team about shutting down bridges, the labyrinth of the chase scene, crafting realistic stunts, the process of filming some of the most dynamic moments and more.
- Action That Hurts: A nearly six minute featurette which explores the intense sequence shooting in the fish market, the unfortunate weather conditions on the day of shooting, what the fights mean thematically for the characters, the stunts that the performers did themselves and more.
- Reconstructing Marrakesh: A nearly six minute featurette which explores the Moroccan set piece and how the production team recreated the experience on a set, the meticulous production design, the costumes, the team work and more.
- Chaos at the City of Dreams: A four-minute piece which explores the action-packed final set piece which involves explosives, pyrotechnics, wire work and more in the course of bringing these characters to a worthwhile emotional conclusion.
- VFX Breakdown: A two-part featurette totaling five minutes which shows off some of the digital enhancements that were added throughout the film.
Final Thoughts
The 355 does not break the mold when it comes to action films, but it works really well within the normal boundaries to deliver something entertaining. The point-of-view of the main characters are unique and refreshing enough to give the genre a shot in the arm, and the performances are fierce all around. The film could probably stand to shave ten or fifteen minutes off of it, but each set piece delivers its fair share of thrills. Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray with a terrific A/V presentation and a decent assortment of brief special features. If you are looking for a solid action film that shakes off the cobwebs a bit, this will mostly get the job done. Recommended
The 355 will be available to purchase on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital on February 22, 2022.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
