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 ****.
Copyright © 2002 Steve Rhodes
