I still read, rate and comment but rarely write on here.
I still read, rate and comment but rarely write on here.
Member since:26.04.2001
Reviews:115
Members who trust:53
I doubt there is anybody reading this who has not seen a James Bond film. Bond flicks have been so successful and have proved to be guaranteed hits at the box office it is inevitable that their winning formula will be copied. Sometimes imitating the award-winning formula of Bond films has not worked, just look at some of the “unofficial” James Bond films, which have flopped. However, xXx or $$$ as some in Hollywood have dubbed it has the action, thrills and gadgets of a Bond film, but the hero of a Stallone or Schwarzenegger film.
If you want to see an original, inspiring and thought-provoking film then xXx certainly is not for you. It’s all pretty unoriginal and has been done before. There is a gadgets specialist who works for the CIA, although a little younger than Q (now R) from the James Bond films the similarities are incredibly obvious. Later on we see Vin Diesel driving around in a fast gadget-packed car. All very entertaining buts its been done before.
Although the cars and gadgets appear to have been taken straight out of a James Bond film, the hero of xXx
– Xander Cage (Vin Diesel) is everything James Bond is not. He hasn’t years of experience; he has only been a secret agent for a matter of days. He is in the process of learning how to use a gun, unlike Bond who is an expert on practically everything. Cage is a quick learner though and I think everyone who has seen xXx will agree with me when I say that Xander Cage could without a doubt beat Bond in a fight. Another big difference between Bond and Cage is their reasons and aims for being in it and “saving the world”. Bond is in it for Queen and country; Cage is in it because he has to be. CIA Agent Gibbons played by Samuel L Jackson is running out of good agents so he turns to extreme sports star Xander Cage. Agent Gibbons demands that Cage goes to Prague in the Czech Republic to investigate an anarchist terrorist group called Anarchy ’99. If Cage refuses to accept the mission Agent Gibbons promises him that’ll he go to prison. Unwillingly Cage accepts the mission.
Vin Diesel earned millions for xXx and is getting $20m for the sequel he has already signed up for. With Arnie, Sly and Willis – our favourite 80’s and 90’s action heroes well past their sell by dates Vin Diesel is the latest action hero. But does he deserve that status? No. True, he is a better actor than both Stallone and Schwarzenegger but he is still by no means a good actor. Just watch xXx and then compare it to any James Bond film and you will see the enormous difference. All of the James Bonds (even George Lazenby) are way, way better actors than Vin Diesel. Diesel comes across as wooden, unconvincing and false in his acting abilities. However, all credit to Diesel for doing many of his own stunts. And the stunts are for me and I am sure many others what made xXx worth seeing.
I will be quite surprised if xXx does not overtake The Fast and the Furious as being Diesel’s most successful film to date. xXx and the Fast and the Furious both have big similarities; firstly Diesel appears to be playing exactly the same character in both films, which I suppose merely, reflects his acting abilities. And secondly both films lack a plot. The Fast and the Furious relied on superb, muscle-engine fast cars instead of a plot, which admittedly worked for me. xXx meanwhile relies on the usual action film elements of guns, explosions, women and fast cars (again).
Like all action films there is of course a bad guy. However, surely the makers of xXx were pretty desperate at having to turn to getting a Russian as a bad guy. How many times have we seen that before? But they made him part of a terrorist group which reflects current affairs. An anarchist terrorist group though, I suppose that part is quite original. Terrorist group Anarchy 99 is led by Yorgi played by Marton Csokas. Yorgi speaks bad, broken English with a strong Russian/Eastern European accent. Disappointingly the makers of xXx could evidently not think up of an interesting bad guy and instead just took a blatant stereotype.
Then we have the beautiful Asia Argento who stars as Yelena. Yelena seems to be the sidekick of bad guy Yorgi but she is not who she appears. She is a strong character and her performance in xXx is good. There is some on-screen romance with Yelena and Cage – hardly surprising, considering xXx is loosely based on a Bond film the hero would inevitably end up with a girl....
xXx is rated 12A, a few seconds of a headbutt were edited to escape a 15 certificate. It’s quite clear why the studio wanted a 12A rating, xXx is an action film aimed primarily at a younger generation – say 11 to 30 year olds. Which is unlike Bond films, which appeal to a wider audience. The soundtrack clearly shows that xXx is being aimed at a younger generation; meanwhile look at the soundtrack of Goldeneye for example which has the likes of Tina Turner on it. xXx is basically a Bond film made a bit cooler, directly targeted at younger people and basically just brought up to date. Being a 15 year old though I much prefer Bond films to xXx.
With Die Another Day out next month it will be very interesting to see which film gets more at the box office.
Thanks for reading,
WRITTEN FOR CIAO.COM
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Production Year: 2003 - Action/Adventure - Director: Jan De Bont - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring:Angelina Jolie, Ciaran Hinds, Chris Barrie, Gerard Butler, Noah Taylor, Djimon Hounsou, Til Schweiger
Production Year: 2002 - Action/Adventure - Director: Vincenzo Natali - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Lucy Liu, David Hewlett, Anne Marie Scheffler, Joseph Scoren, Matthew Sharp, Jeremy Northam
Production Year: 2002 - Action/Adventure - Director: Rob Cohen - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Vin Diesel, Samuel L. Jackson, Asia Argento
Production Year: 1964 - Action/Adventure - Director: Cyril Endfield - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring:Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, Michael Caine, Nigel Green
Nothing beats James Bond. Hes a classic, a one off. - Mike
Sjen5en 21.02.2003 22:56
I personally loved this film for its blantant brainless absurdity. Being a film graduate it's nice to turn my critical brain off now and then and enjoy some complete nonsense! Great read
emsie25 16.02.2003 19:06
great op :) i think you sum it up well in your title! xx
For a movie that would like to think of itself as the future of the action / espionage ... more
picture,xXxuses a surprising number of jokes and stunts lifted directly from the Roger MooreBondera while the actual premise resembles a sex-change for Nikita. Vin D...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
For a movie that would like to think of itself as the future of the action / espionage ... more
picture,xXxuses a surprising number of jokes and stunts lifted directly from the Roger MooreBondera while the actual premise resembles a sex-change for Nikita. Vin D...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Xander Cage (Vin Diesel) is a notorious underground thrill-seeker who, until now, has been ... more
deemed untouchable by the law. But when crack NSA Agent Gibbons convinces Cage to infiltrate a ruthless Russian crime ring, this new breed of secret agent (code ...
![xXx [DVD] [2002]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78530909.jpg "xXx [DVD] [2002]")
Oct 26th, 2002
very helpful by (100%):
