Product: xXx [VHS] (2002)
Rating: 4.0
Perfectly respectable spy movie
When I saw this movie I couldn't help but compare it to James Bond movies. Since Bond has pretty much set the stage for all spy movies, I wondered how this movie would stack up. Overall, I was impressed; Vin Diesel may be the secret agent for people ages 15-30 or so.The movie has all the necessary things you'd come to expect from a spy film: at least one special agent, at least one beautiful chick, fast cars, explosions, lots of gadgets, and a villan bent on taking over the world. While these things are pretty much standard issue in the spy film genre, they also weaken the movie a little.The action sequences are really what keeps the movie going. Xander Cage (Diesel) fits the role of an extreme sports athlete, and the opening sequence really sets the stage for the things he's willing to do. Everything is a trick to him, from the opening scene involving someone else's car and a bridge, to jumping out of an airplane and snowboarding down in front of an avalanche. These tricks move the storyline along better than dialog would do. Cage is an action man, not a man of words.The plot of the movie is what makes me give the movie 4 stars. It's one of your typical spy movie plots. In this case the special agent isn't smooth and refined, instead of ordering martinis and talking about intellectual things, he drinks cranberry juice and tells people to "stop thinking cop, start thinking Playstation and blow stuff up." He shoots people with tranquilizer darts instead of bullets. However, this is the primary difference between this spy movie and most spy movie. There's still the beautiful woman caught up in all the trouble who falls for the agent, lots of nifty gadgets, and the evil villain. In this case the evil villain is a defector of the Russian army who heads a group that wants world anarchy.Overall, the movie is good, it's a nice change from the suave suit and tie agent we're accustomed to. While the idea of an unlikely secret agent isn't new, people ages 15-30 can relate better to a guy with tattoos who hangs out with professional skaters and goes to clubs better than they can relate to a man who goes everywhere in a suit, drinks vodka martinis and seduces women without a second thought. I really shouldn't compare this movie to the Bond ones, it stands on it's own as a respectable spy movie.