Product: xXx [VHS] (2002)
Rating: 5.0
The Next Big Thing�
Many have claimed that Vin Diesel (along with The Rock) may very well be the next big action stars in the vein of Arnold and Stallone. Diesel's latest entry, "XXX" may very well prove all doubters that he is in fact, The Next Big Thing.THE STORY:Xander Cage is a non-law abiding citizen, an extreme athlete/punk, who gets chosen by Uncle Sam as one of the next generation of secret agents. An unlikely hero, Cage gets sent off to the Czech Republic in pursuit of a group of former Soviet anarchists and winds up sampling the fine Eastern European big-money party life while raising Cain in between.THE COOL STUFF:Well my friends, if you love action, this has got action!!! Cohen and Diesel kick it up a notch outdo themselves VERY much from the "Fast and the Furious." Bond, Stallone, Arnold, Chan, Li, Cruise, Vam Damme, Segall or anyone else for that matter has nothing on Diesel in this one. The cool gadgets and the awesome action scenes will please just about anyone watching this.The coolest thing about "XXX" that does separate this movie from others in the action genre is the use of all the "Extreme Sports" mainstays (motorcross, snowboarding, hot cars) in the filming of all the action/fight scenes.The stunts and the cinematography of them are simply amazing and breathtaking. Cohen's filming really does put the XXX in XXXTreme. Awesome stuff!!!THE BEST STUFF:1. The snowboarding scene2. The motorcross scene3. The tons of cool "spy gadgets."THE COMMENTARY:Admittedly, if you are watching this for superb acting performance, etc, you really are watching the wrong movie/watching this movie for the wrong reasons. Sure, some of the plot was not that easy to follow and may have been a little confusing. Sure, Diesel will probably not be the next Tom Hanks or Mel Gibson which is alright because that's probably not his talent. A XXX franchise will probably NOT be the nail in the coffin of James Bond. However, the quality of the action in this flick and the pure adrenaline rush it exudes will help experts' claims that Diesel might be the next Arnold or Sly become all that more true.THE VERDICT:Again, this is just a great movie if you are looking for your action fix. I'll put the action right up there with anything Arnold or Sly's ever done plus a few bonus points for all the cool usage of the XXXtreme sports stuff. Sit back, relax and enjoy the ride!!!Highly Recommended