The 355

Combining brains and brawn, the quartet of leading ladies in The 355 have the sharp wit and physical toughness to match any of their male action-hero counterparts.

What they lack, however, is a screenplay worthy of their efforts. As a gender-reversed variation on the sort of high-tech globetrotting spy saga we’ve seen before — the Mission: Impossible franchise, for instance — the ambition of this stylish yet formulaic potboiler outshines the execution.

The story revolves around a superpowered hard drive that bounces around the world, in and out of the hands of authorities and terrorists, and others with conflicting loyalties.

Mace (Jessica Chastain) is a strong-willed CIA agent whose mission to secure the technology in France finds her paired with a colleague (Sebastian Stan) with romantic feelings. Except disgruntled German operative Marie (Diane Kruger) gets there first.

Uncertain whether Marie is an ally or an adversary, Mace reaches out to Khadijah (Lupita Nyong’o), a British surveillance specialist who has retired from MI6 field work. Also joining the fray is a Colombian psychologist (Penelope Cruz) who reluctantly leaves her family back home to help a friend.

Once they exchange pleasantries, Khadijah catches the characters up with moviegoers: “The only way we’re going to accomplish anything is if we join forces.” Along the way, they find strength in sisterhood despite their individual checkered pasts and vulnerabilities.

The 355 coasts on the charisma of its multicultural ensemble. At least the actors have fun showcasing their bravado and physicality as they take turns in the spotlight. But they can only do so much to elevate such a generic plot.

As the resilient and resourceful crew overcomes bureaucratic obstacles and preconceived biases in a testosterone-fueled landscape, the film lacks the suspense to match, with nondescript villains and contrived stakes. Pretty much every male character is evil to some degree, in case you missed the point.

The multilingual script by Theresa Rebeck and director Simon Kinberg (X-Men: Dark Phoenix) stumbles while trying to generate meaningful character development and emotional complexity from its feminist underpinnings.

The collection of adrenaline-filled shootouts and chase sequences yields some visual flourishes and modest intermittent thrills without adding up to much in the end.

Of course, the protracted finale leaves the door open for a sequel, which could produce a similarly cryptic title, but hopefully also give its stars a vehicle they deserve.

Rated PG-13, 122 minutes.