Review of:XXX (2002)
Director:Rob Cohen
Rating:PG-13 for violence, non-stop action sequences, sensuality, drug content and language
Starring:Vin Diesel, Samuel L Jackson, Asia Argento, Eve, Michael Roof
Let me begin this review by saying that XXX is not a porno. I laughed when I heard people discussing that fact when I went to check it out. What XXX tries to be is a new age James Bond type. In theory it works. Terrorism seems to be the choice weapon these days. You don't hear as much about spy vs. spy as you do a terrorist destroying a random target. Would a James Bond type be able to fit in with hardliners, and people fighting for a cause for whatever reason? Probably not, and that is where XXX comes in. He isn't your typical agent. He is more in the mold of an ESPN X-games sort of character.
Vin Diesel plays as Xander Cage. A man on the brink of the law who likes to do stunts in front of a camera for an underground website. When you think of the stunts you should think of Evil Knievel style bike jumping, mixed with extreme explosions. The stunts have brought him an extreme following and the notice of the NSA who want to use him to get close to a group called Anarchy 99. Anarchy 99's goal is to make the world free of government. The choices they use to accomplish their goals are what the government wants him to investigate. The leader of Anarchy 99 is a ruthless ex russian soldier who has seen the benefits of doing things the way he sees fit. He seems to represent what are hero could be if put in the right situations.
The conflict of the film is on our hero. Should he conform a bit to help his country which is actually forcing his hand or join a group that seems to fit his belief system. The answer. It's a movie. From Vin Diesel's previous films (Pitch Black, Fast and Furious) there is an air of originality to the action as well as the dialogue. On this film all I heard were little catchy phrases that belonged in a terminator movie. That being said the action sequences are ok, but the build up of the film led me to believe that I would be wowed out of my seat. That was not the case even though the last action scenes try to be extroadinary at times.
Thrown into the mix is the double agents, and the exotic looking women who don't quite seem up to the James Bond mystic. They are more like the girls you would visit after a night at the club when there is nothing else to do.
Unlike Vin Diesel's previous characters it doesn't seem like a relationship is established between the audience, and the movie. Even in Pitch Black where he plays the bad guy you find yourself waiting for his time on screen. Vin seems a little to old for all of the stunts that he is shown doing, and to me the age was very noticeable.
Samual Jackson's role as Augustus Gibbons could have added a whole lot to the film, but goes largely unused.
With all of that said the movie is great if you just want to sit down, and numb out for a couple of hours.
