When Richard first told me that we were going to see a film called “triple x”, I thought he’d finally lost it and was taking me to see a porno movie! As it turned out, it was one of those “action adventure” films that boys like so much. Although it does have something for the girls too – it’s “Diesel-powered”!!!
PLOT: --- Xander Cage (Vin Diesel) is an extreme sports dude who is rather popular in the X-games fraternity, but he has a problem. After pulling a spectacular revenge stunt on a senator, he’s facing a long jail sentence. Enter Augustus Gibbons (Samuel L Jackson), who offers Xander an offer that he has to accept – become a secret agent. Cue lots of Bond-type gadgets, explosions, far-fetched plotlines, and the obligatory attractive girl. It’s a bit like James Bond on steroids!!
The film is very, very far fetched, but I can’t really say much more without giving too much away.
It would be fair to say that the action is almost relentless, and although it couldn’t be described as a fast-paced film, it is certainly never boring. There are a couple of small twists, but you can see them coming, and this helps quite a bit. After all, this is the kind of film where you leave your brain in the car park!
ACTORS: --- I have to admit that I didn’t recognise any of the “lesser” players in the film, and even the main bad guy was a bit of a waste of space. After all, I can’t even remember the character or the actor’s names! It’s fair to say that the entire film is dominated by the colossus that is Vin Diesel. After all, the film was made as a Diesel vehicle (no pun intended), so he gets the lion’s share of the screen time, which is no bad thing, as his presence fills the screen very well indeed! And as for those biceps....
Sam Jackson does what he always does, and plays himself, although this time there’s a slight menace about the shady character of Gibbons, scars and all. The final main character (who again has a name that I can’t remember) is played by Asia Argento (Dario’s daughter, horror fans), and is Vin’s main love interest in the film. She doesn’t do anything particularly special with her part, but she is utterly convincing as Vin’s main squeeze.
SPY STUFF: --- Richard pointed out a lot of “Bond homages” throughout the film, which I didn’t really understand as I’ve only seen a couple of Bond movies myself. One thing I did recognise was the obligatory “Q scene” (Richard called it that anyway) where Xander gets given all his ultra-smart spy equipment! The best gadgets are a pair of X-ray binoculars that let him see through walls and women’s dresses, and a gun with different types of bullets. There are a couple of very cool moments where Vin has one of each type of bullet in his revolver, and selects the right bullet for the right moment – although he sometimes gets it wrong! And, as you would expect from a spy/action movie, he has a car with all sorts of special additions, with the manual sellotaped to the dashboard!
GOOD STUFF: --- As I said earlier, it’s not really my kind of film, but it’s still entertaining. Director Rob Cohen worked with Vin Diesel on The Fast And The Furious (Paul Walker – PHWOAR!), and the pair obviously like working with each other. There are lots of funny moments, and as far-fetched as the whole thing is, Vin Diesel makes the character of Xander Cage totally believable.
BAD STUFF: --- It’s a bit TOO far fetched, and as good as Xander Cage is at the spy thing, it’s a bit hard to believe that he saves the world after only a couple of weeks in the job!! Also, the film is obviously set up as the beginning of a franchise, with some slightly unnecessary padding added to the film in order to set up the obvious sequels. And it’s a bit long too, but then I get fidgety quite quick, so maybe it won’t matter so much to the rest of you!!
OVERALL: --- I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by this film – it’s not my cup of tea (and I don’t drink tea anyway), but it was still a lot of fun and very funny in places. If you don’t want to go and see it at the cinema then it would certainly fill a Friday or Saturday night if hired out in a few months’ time. And the best thing is, because Richard chose to see this one, he now owes me a Chick Flick! Hooray!!!
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
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
I didn't think this was that good, but worth it just for the lovely Vin Diesel! x
Mercury 15.05.2003 11:05
Not too much I disagree with here... must admit though my Bad points would far outweigh the good points... I can't really see what the attraction is with Vin Diesel for girls... (ok aside from his physique) everytime he comes into contact with women in this movie he looks decidedly uncomfortable... Simon.
Glorificus1 13.02.2003 15:33
ooooooooooooh I love james bond type stuff and Mr Jackson, but the name kept making me thing of Nicholas Brandon (Xander out off Buffy) crossed with Nicolas Cage which was confusing but rather pleasant.... Jo 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]")
Nov 6th, 2002
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