There have been many famous spy movies throughout the years; from James Bond, Mission Impossible, and Jason Bourne. These three movie franchises have dominated the spy genre since the beginning, becoming the true definition of what makes a spy. Each of these characters has at least five movies dedicated to them having the world over and over again, but out of all of these amazing men, there are only a few movies that show female spies doing daring missions and saving the world. However, there’s a new female empowerment spy movie that shows a group of highly intelligent, highly skilled, daredevil group of females saving the world. “The 355” is the new hope of female spies to run the spy genre while the men take their well-deserved vacation.

Unlike James Bond who is a one-man band, ‘The 355’ is a female group that tries to get back a world-destroying computer chip before it gets into the wrong hands. There are five members within the group; CIA agent Mace, German agent Marie, computer expert Khadijah, and psychologist Graciela, along with enigmatic Lin Mi Sheng who, in a way, all portray the five characteristics of what it takes to be a powerful woman. Mace is physical strength, Marie is independent, Khadijah is intelligent, Graciela is graceful and Lin Mi Sheng is mischievous. When working together, they illustrate not only a powerful group of women but great role models for girls of all ages to not be afraid to fight for what is right. 

According to Sarah Lester, one of GCHS’s English teachers,“it’s always nice to see women in leadership positions, and women who are valued for what they can contribute. I think that was what the movie seemed to be inspired by. It is a good movie for young girls to see.” 

Although its main focus was to follow a group of female spies on an action packed adventure, the film also did a great job of including the real world into its plot, from exploring the character’s cultures to the places they travel to. In an interview with CBR, director and co-writer Simon Kinberg said “approaching this movie, it had to feel global. That’s something spy movies don’t do that often. They certainly travel to places all over the world, but usually, they are a white guy from the UK or U.S. I wanted it to feel like it lived in the real world, that it resembled the world in which we live.” 

“The 355” isn’t just a fantasy movie title to grab the audience; at the end of the movie, it is revealed that “the title is a code-name to a real-life female operative who conveyed key information about British troop movements to American generals in the Revolutionary War,” according to ‘The 355’: Film Review by David Rooney. It goes to show that women have been doing this business a long time, longer than James Bond has. It is a really impactful movie that shows the life of female spies and teamwork during stressful situations.