xXx Review
by Steve Rhodes (Steve DOT Rhodes AT InternetReviews DOT com)August 6th, 2002
XXX
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2002 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): ***
XXX, as my wife so aptly put it, is "James Bond on Speed." An outrageously over-the-top action picture, it reunites THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS's hunk of a star, Vin Diesel, with its never-a-subtle-moment director, Rob Cohen. It's a fine line, but this popcorn flick is so bad that it's hilariously good. One suspects, however, that you won't have nearly as much fun as the movie's stunt men and pyrotechnic crew, who clearly had a blast, creating some truly amazing sequences with everything from motorbikes to snowboards.
The setup has NSA Agent Gibbons (Samuel L. Jackson) recruiting "the best and the brightest of the bottom of the barrel" for a super secret operation. He arrests Xander "XXX" Cage (Vin Diesel), a rock star of a criminal, whose antics appear on web cams around the world. Video game companies want to shower money on him in order to make a game about his exploits and crimes, but he refuses to sell out. After some tests under fire for XXX, Gibbons forces him to go to Prague on a mission for the government.
Once in Eastern Europe, XXX, armed with a Bond-like gaggle of gadgets, meets some Russian anarchists who have a scheme to kill millions and provoke World War III in the process. These villains, lead by Yorgi (Marton Csokas), have some redeeming qualities. Dressed in retro rave gothic, they throw some great parties. XXX easily blends in with them since one of his mottoes is, "I like anything fast enough to do something stupid with." (The dialog is a hoot.)
Yelena (Asia Argento), called "cold, intelligent and vicious," is Yorgi's girlfriend. No matter how many times she tells XXX to go away, you know that they'll soon be an item.
XXX isn't the sort of movie to be analyzed. Grab your popcorn and get ready to laugh. This is one fun flick that turns its stupidity to its advantage. And it's a real adrenaline rush.
XXX runs 1:52. It is rated PG-13 for "violence, non-stop action sequences, sensuality, drug content and language" and would be acceptable for kids around 11 and up.
My son Jeffrey, age 13, gave it ***, saying that it was funny and outrageous and that the stunts were really cool. His friend Kyle, also 13, said it was awesome and gave it ****.
The film opens nationwide in the United States on Friday, August 9, 2002. In the Silicon Valley, it will be showing at the AMC and the Century theaters.
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Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
