xXx (2002)

If you want to see a crazy action film with amazing stunts and great visual effects, this is the film to see. Sure it was a little off the wall, but Vin Diesel fit this role perfectly. Rob Cohen's directing was outstanding as was the cinematography/VFX and editing. The sound was also great as was the writing. It's an 8/10 from me!

This isn't really a film, rather a bunch of "Xtreme" sports stunts strung together under the pretense of a modern souped-up James Bond- style storyline. It's basically really, really dumb with plot holes so large that they might as well have driven the stunt cars through them, but then, that's par for the course with this kind of movie. It's chock full of all kinds of gear, weapons, vehicles and improbable physical feats. I have no idea of how many blanks were fired filming this for my entertainment, but I really wouldn't be surprised if it were upwards of a quarter million, given the two hour runtime and the prolific use of automatic weapons. Still, as long as you accept it for what it is, it keeps moving and holds together pretty well, although the particular examples of "Xtreme" action showcased in this film (and I use that term loosely) date this production pretty obviously to the early naughts.

Contrary to the typical connotations associated with these three letters, this is not a porn movie, nor is it any kind of high-strength beer. In 2002, it was a film that promised a new breed of action hero: Xander Cage, the US answer to James Bond, in a film that takes a typical spy movie and shakes it up a little.The film plays into all the same conventions as a typical Bond movie, complete with gadgets, a car with weapons, and maniac villains in secret lairs with elaborate plots to release some kind of elaborate superweapon. Right from the start, xXx blatantly takes all these tropes and jazzes them up with a hard rock veneer (literally, the film kicks off with an actual Bond lookalike that gets whacked in the middle of a Rammstein concert). In Xander Cage's world, the stunts are more extreme and sporty, the parties are harder, the girls are sluttier, the locations are scuzzier, and there's absolutely no civility. Also in Cage's world, it's completely possible to make motorcycles jump in the air and flip around in impossible ways, you can start an avalanche with grenades and survive, and a GTO can be decked-out with every weapon imaginable. Despite all the dirt and toughness that goes into the character and his world, there's no masking the film's absurdities, with all its unbelievable stuntwork and silly turn of events. But, the film never makes a pretense to be anything but silly, juvenile fun. The film moves at a fast pace, has plenty of cool scenes, and it is every bit as fun of a movie as other guilty pleasure favorites in the genre (such as Charlie's Angels or Die Another Day).The plot is pretty tight and it feels complete, but it doesn't necessarily feel all that original, despite the unique premise of hiring a hardened criminal as a spy. The story has a lot of twists, which can strain believability even further, and become rather predictable. The characters are a fun bunch that are easy to watch and understand, but they are ultimately thin cardboard cutouts standing in for familiar archetypes. There is a hint of characterization around Xander, the man who starts off as a deviant and ends as a true good guy. Overall though, the film is safe, familiar, and outright derivative.The film has some really neat camera-work with a lot of good angles. Some scenes are pretty fast-cut and some are poorly shot, but by today's standards, it looks sharp and punchy. Acting is a bit over-the-top, but Vin Diesel is a lot of fun to watch as the main character, the villains are really good, the love interest isn't bad, and everybody else is okay. Writing is okay. This movie uses some really good-looking locales (mostly in Prague), as well as some okay-looking sets, props, and costumes. Special effects are pretty bad (especially the avalanche scene). The music score is decent; the film does tend to bust out with a lot of obnoxious rock and metal, but it fits.xXx is one silly action flick that can't really be taken too seriously, but as an absurd guilty pleasure, it is quite entertaining and fulfilling. There might even be some alternate universe where xXx is a halfway decent franchise; the roots for one are laid down pretty well in this film. Action movie fans should give this a rent at least once; you might think it's stupid, but you're bound to have plenty of fun with it.On home video, this movie is available with an unrated cut that inserts a few new scenes, which really aren't necessary at all. One scene is also altered to show more naked girls lying around, which is nice, but also unnecessary. I prefer the theatrical cut.3.5/5 (Entertainment: Very Good | Story: Average | Film: Marginal)

I didn't expect too much from Cohen since he's a schlock meister like Emmerich, and Bay. But he give us Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, and not much worth mentioning. The premise is so ludicrous, if stuntmen can take on terrorists, then why are the terrorists so problematic instead of inept? Diesel makes a wooden performance not only stiff, but obnoxious. Like we're supposed to laugh at his "funny" & "glib" remarks. The whole movie fails on every level. It's not funny, too predictable, far fetched, it doesn't have revolutionary effects or give us anything we haven't seen before. Like Diesel says in the diner: "Their performances were terrible." Talk about breaking the fourth wall.