4/5
Ultimate Popcorn Movie, and As Such It Works Well
by Tsuyoshi (Kyoto, Japan)
[Actually, my rating is 3.5 though I liked it pretty much.]
Contrary to many reviewers, I went to see "XXX" just to see Asia Argento, daughter of famous horror maestro Dario. Of course, I knew Vin Diesel and Sam Jackson, and a greta fan of the latter. Also, I have seen Vin's great sci-fi thriller "Pitch Black," but to me, she is the one to see.
Anyway, "XXX" proved two following things; Vin Diesel is the action star of the next generation (another candidate is, probably, the Rock), and his name will be much more famous than he is now. (Actually while I was watching Serie A games, Italian football games on cable TV, his name was shown extensively in the ads on the ground.) He deserves much attention from us, and his metoric rise of career surely comes from his charisma, which can be easily seen in this otherwise OK action film.
The plot of "XXX" about the instant-made spy with 'I-am-BAAAAAD' attitude is not new. Sam Jackson's role as a reluctant boss handling the most desperate case of international terrorism (and this hopeless novice spy) seems, or is, too clithed. But Vin Diesel fits so well in the key role of Xander Cage, most daredevil extreme sports expert, that no one cares many plot holes there, or the stunts and explosions obviously helped greatly by CGIs.
The other thing "XXX" shows is that, like many other James Bond films, the female parts are less effectively used. Asia Argento, herself already having made a long career as an actress and even a director (this part of career she and Vin Diesel both share), plays Yelena, a mystrious girl from Russia, standing next to the mastermind of the secret organization 'Anarchy 99" which contemplates something, but you soon realize the truth about her and her identity. Like any 'Bond Girl' you pick, she is there to help and love the hero, and maybe she should be so. But I wanted more from her part, just all right as it is.
Hyper-actions galore (on the rousing chase scenes on the river, on the snow-capped mountains, and even on the stairs of Prague ... the last one using some unique thing for skateboard), "XXX" delivers as much as any action flick fans expect. However, it is not the Bond-like gimmicks or action scenes that attract you most. It is Vin Diesel, whose unexpectedly soft eyes betray that this guy cannot be really evil. And the film finally proves that. That is what we call predictable, but in this case, Vin's presence barely makes you forget the fact.
4/5
Best of the summer blockbusters, to date.
by Robert P. Beveridge (Cleveland, OH)
XXX (Rob Cohen, 2002)
Here's a surprise: Rob Cohen, whose The Fast and the Furious was not only one of the biggest surprise hits of 2001 but also by far the biggest of Cohen's career, teams up again with Vin Diesel. The major lineup change here is the addition of screenwriter Rich Wilkes. Anyone familiar with the name should be ready to crawl under their seats right about now; Wilkes has been responsible in the past for such deathless cinematic fare as The Jerky Boys and The Stoned Age.
Whatever Cohen did to Wilkes, though, he did it right. XXX is absolutely typical run-of-the-mill shut-your-brain-off spy movie fare, so cut from the cloth of James Bond that the opening scene of the film features a nameless tuxedoed secret agent getting shot in the middle of a Rammstein concert. Cohen and Diesel threw down the gauntlet from the get-go to Albert Broccoli and Co. (and if the trailers for the new Bond film are anything to go by, "Bond"'s death at the beginning of this film is most welcome. Actually, it probably should have come after A View to a Kill. But let's not be petty.)
XXX goes right into the wonderful world of Bond starting soon after, including a scientist/weapons geek (relative newcomer Michael Roof, last seen in Black Hawk Down), a number of fabulous one-liners, and the most beautiful women in Hollywood falling at his feet, in this case Asia Argento. (Asia fans take note: you won't see nearly as much of her, in any respect, as you did in b.Monkey. Grieve now.)
So what is it about XXX that makes it the best of the big-budget summer films? The movie does exactly what it promises. You go into XXX looking for a mindless action movie, and you get a mindless action movie. Diesel is one of Hollywood's hottest properties right now, Cohen is finally hitting his stride after two decades of failed attempts to be deep and meaningful, Wilkes wrote a script that actually contains some humor, and the three of them will be back together again for the sequel in 2004.
Eighteen films from now, hopefully, someone will shoot Xander Cage in the middle of a Rammstein concert, and there will be a new superspy. Until then, sit back and enjoy the ride. *** ½
1/5
Rated XXX-Not Suitable For Anyone!
by M. Bartfeld (Tamarac, Fl United States)
With last year's 'Fast and The Furious' and now 'XXX' Director Rob Cohen and his team have come up with a new kind of movie franchise; take some bad acting, sophmoric dialouge, surround them with a heavy metal soundtrack, a lot of special effects and tired stunts and hope for the best.....
Vin Diesel was fine in supporting roles in "Boiler Room" and "Saving Private Ryan" but he ain't no James Bond, and as an action superstar in "XXX" he displays as much charisma as yesterday's bed of lettuce.
Even the great Samuel J. Jackson is crippled by the deadly screenplay..you can almost hear him saying to himself "let me get my check and get the hell out of here"...
The DVD is loaded with special features, but when a movie is this bad, it's kind of like puttting a Lexus hood ornament on a Dodge Dart.
3/5
xXx One-Ups Bond This Year
by Steven Y. (Marvel Universe 616)
2002 saw the release of a new James Bond movie that was the best Bond movie in years. However, surprisingly Die Another Day was not the best secret agent film of 2002. That honor goes to xXx. Vin Diesel stars as Xander Cage, an underground daredevil recruited by Gibbons (Samuel L. Jackson), a National Security Agency administrator, to infiltrate a European terrorist ring. All the conventional James Bond-type secret agents have failed in their attempts to carry out this mission so the unconventional Xander is the next men thrown into the fire in a move that some say is desperate, but which Gibbons says is inspired. Xander of course does not warm up to the idea but comes around when faced with the prospect of spending his time in prison instead. What follows is a series of gunfights, car chases, and audacious stunt pieces all with an "extreme sports" slant. For all intents and purposes, this mishmash of a movie shouldn't work, but work it does. Director Rob Cohen doesn't always stage the action effectively but Vin Diesel elevates the film by infusing the right amount of detachment and irrelevance into his character. Xander is not the self-assured secret agent that Bond is, but rather a fish out of water who can't help but admit that he's over his head at times. It is this degree of vulnerability that makes xXx a much more interesting film than the James Bond films. Bond long ago turned into an indestructable superman who couldn't be bothered with even a wrinkle in his tuxedo. Xander is a real person who is placed within an atypical situation and acts accordingly in response to it. It's true that Xander does not possess the refinement or suaveness of Bond, but if you want a secret agent with more of a mean streak then xXx is the man for you.
1/5
XXX makes Showgirls look like an Oscar winner
by S. Kelly (Massapequa Park, New York United States)
I have to admit I am picky in the movies I like but I sat through XXX with a friend just waiting to see how bad this would be. Boy how I wish I had the two hours of my life back that I wasted watching this. This was the most awful movie I ever saw. I thought Queen of the Damned was bad but XXX takes the cake as the worst movie ever. Vin Diesel looks like a deer in the headlights trying to get his lines right. The confusion on his face just oozed out when trying to say a three syllable word. The movie was aimed at the teen/MTV world who do not like any dialoge in thier movies. The stunts were old, tired and cheesey and defied any bit of reality. And the effects looked like a cartoon. They used so many digital effects it was hard not to notice. Does anyone use really explosions anymore ? Yes it is a movie but when someone jumps 40 to 50 feet in the air on a dirtbike something is going to break. But neither Vin Diesel or the bike had a scratch. Just another bad line after every action sequence. I would rarely think of writing a review here but I just wanted to warn my fellow movie fans of this horror of a film. I like action movies like The Matrix, T2, Total Reacall that have great action and a good story. XXX was just one long commercial for motor bikes, the X-Games and sleeping pills
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