Adrenaline-pumping spy adventure stars Vin Diesel as an extreme-sports enthusiast who, in trouble with the law, is recruited by National Security Agency honcho Samuel L. Jackson to stop a former Russian soldier out to terrorize the world with biochemical weapons. Sent to Prague, Diesel calls on his skills in motorcycling, mountain-climbing, skiboarding and more to snag his man. With Asia Argento, Marton Csokas; directed by Rob Cohen ("The Fast and the Furious"). 124 min.

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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.

13 of 14 found the following review helpful:

"xXx" the review and why I loved itAug 19, 2002

Let me first tell ya why I loved this movie. I really enjoy Vin's other movies. I liked him in "The Iron Giant" (HE WAS THE ROBOT!!), "Pitch Black" (supposed to be filming the sequel right now), "The Fast and the Furious" (must I explain?!?) and his dramatic role in "Boiler Room" totally made him an actor to watch. I enjoyed his really sharp witted, sarcastic humor. This is a movie that I will be owning on the day it comes out on DVD (hopefully a 2-disc DVD is in the works with 5.1 EX surround and hours of bonus footage). There's enough action to make any Arnold fan happy, but guess what, VIN IS WAY BETTER! Now for my short review:

Xander "xXx" Cage is a daring, extreme athlete who is chosen by the NSA to go to Russia and find out information about some people. But what he finds out is very dangerous.

I also loved Asia Argento's (she needs to be in more American movies, she is already a hit in her native Italy) performance in this movie. She added a kinda Lara Croft-type girl presence to the movie. I wish there was a PlayStation 2 game in the works so I could play every single moment of this exciting movie. But for now we have to play a GameBoy Advance game, which I'm sure is okay. This is a great movie none the less. The soundtrack is great (look out for an appearance by Rammstein in the beginning, plus look out for Tony Hawk) check this movie out!

87 of 118 found the following review helpful:

Best of the summer blockbusters, to date.Sep 25, 2002
By Robert P. Beveridge "xterminal"
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

7 of 8 found the following review helpful:

A New Breed of Secret AgentJul 13, 2005
By Justice0309 "Justice"
What happens when you cross a little James Bond, extreme sports, Vin Diesel, Samuel L. Jackson, and the director of "Fast and the Furious", you get a fun-loving adventure film called, "xXx".

"xXx" starts with the CIA discovering that their current stock of secret agents are unable to get undercover with a new gang of international terrorists. The terrorists enjoy spending their time at a trendy dance club, enjoying fast cars, and even faster women. With no hope of placing one of the current CIA agents into this organization, Special Agent Gibbons (Samuel L. Jackson), decides to begin recruiting some "new talent" that would fit in to the terrorist's world. Enter Xander Cage (Vin Diesel), an extreme sports junky that hosts his own extreme show, The Xander Zone. After clashing with the law one to many times, earning him the three strikes penalty that will surely land him in prison, Gibbons offers Xander an opportunity to repay his country for the freedom he enjoys by inserting himself into the world of this terrorist organization, while trying to discover what exactly they are planning.

"xXx" is by no means a replacement to the 007 films, but it is an entertaining alternative for the new generation. With plenty of action and explosions, even a decent storyline and acting, this is quite an enjoyable movie. Critic's of Diesel saying that he was a poor man's James Bond, should realize that neither Diesel or the filmmaker's set out to replace James Bond, merely give audiences a new, uncoventional kind of spy movie. "xXx" had the makings of a highly successful franchise with the phenomenal box office success that this film enjoyed, sadly the sequel "xXx: State of the Union" was not nearly as good.

Even though the sequel was lackluster, "xXx" is quite enjoyable. If you are a fan of action movies that actually have a story to accompany the explosive action sequences, then "xXx" is the movie for you. Go check it out, you won't be disappointed.

"xXx: Unrated Director's Cut" contains violence, nudity, and language.

4 of 4 found the following review helpful:

XXX - Review on the actual Blu-RayJul 25, 2010
By Aaron Hart
First off, I like the film. But... the blu-ray is disappointing. The clarity is not what I expected and no better than the DVD. In a word, grainy. So, if you got the film on DVD, just keep than and enjoy a fun action film. The blu-ray has no further special features or anything else special.

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