Dir. by Rob Cohen - 2 hrs. 4 min.
Official Trailer
by Clayton Hollifield
Vin Diesel movies always cheer me up. And there's something so perfectly 2002 about "xXx" that I just can't resist re-watching it every now and then. I'm not saying it's the best Vin Diesel movie, but it's up there. Who doesn't want to watch an X Games-style James Bond? That's perfect!
Xander Cage (Diesel) is an underground website star, and we're introduced to one of the reasons why, with him stealing a California State Congressman's expensive car, and then flying it off of a bridge while Cage parachutes to safety. Unfortunately, these kinds of stunts have consequences, and Cage is taken into custody by a S.W.A.T. team. Once he passes a couple of tests (one involving a diner being held up, another involving a drug cartel in Columbia), Gibbons (Samuel L. Jackson) offers Cage the opportunity of a lifetime: become a government agent in exchange for ignoring his criminal indiscretions. Cage's first assignment: get thee to Czechoslovakia and infiltrate a terrorist organization called Anarchy 99.
There's so much to love about "xXx" if you're willing to let go of your need for a movie not to be dumb. As far as the action goes, there's no shortage of very good action pieces and interesting visuals. Everything from the initial grand theft auto to the long chase at the end of the film works well, and visually makes sense. Plus, lots of things explode, which is pretty important when you're dealing with a big, dumb movie. Xander even deliberately causes an avalanche, and then attempts to outrun it on a snowboard. Why? Screw you, why not! Even better are the scenes where Xander jumps things on motorcycles - not only does he get major air, he also does kick-tricks while shooting guns. The only thing missing from this film is a sponsorship from an energy drink.
As far as the rest of it goes, the acting isn't bad. Diesel's kind of underrated as an actor; just because his most famous roles don't usually involve sleeves of any kind doesn't mean that's not really good at these kinds of roles. He's got a level of charm that raises him above some other action stars, and that helps this movie cruise along between explosions. Even though he makes a really silly "uh-oh" face while atop Ahab (the submarine that... just watch it, okay), he carries "xXx" pretty well. Yorgi (Marton Tsokas) and Yelena (Asia Argento) are fun foils for Xander, and beyond that, there's an endless supply of (barely clothed) eye candy, floating around the film. The plot isn't particularly innovative; the entire point was an updating of James Bond for a hyper-caffeinated generation, and it uses the standard "unleash a virus" terrorist threat that was inescapable in movies of this ilk at that exact period in time. It feels like things might have gotten more interesting if there had been a sequel involving Xander's character (I'm still trying really hard to ignore the Ice Cube version of xXx), as everything outside of the visual treats feels lightly sketched out, and like the sort of thing that might have been expanded upon in future installments.
As big and dumb and extreme as "xXx" is, it's still a really fun movie. It's the sort of film I feel like requires an apology prior to admitting that I like it; this isn't health food for your intellect. But then again, I like being able to check out and watch some guy drive a GTO really fast, watch stuff explode, and watch hot chicks just be hot without apology. Can't I just enjoy something without having to feel guilt for it?
3 / 5 - Streaming
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