xXx
Tags: psychedelic, cult, comedy, action, murder

Plot synopsis:
An NSA mission to collect information on Anarchy 99, a mercenary group of former Russian soldiers goes awry when the agent's identity is discovered. Anarchy 99 has a biochemical weapon named "Silent Night," missing since the fall of the Soviet Union, and NSA Agent Augustus Gibbons believes the only way to get close is to recruit an agent that would not have any ties to the United States government or any formal training that Anarchy 99 would recognise. He selects Xander Cage, also known as X, an extreme sports professional and host of his own television show, who was recently captured by the FBI for stealing and destroying a prominent California senator's car as an act of protest. Gibbons puts Cage through two tests– stopping a staged diner robbery and escaping from a drug cartel's plantation in Colombia during an army raid, each test seeing Cage demonstrate both his physical and psychological skills as he both defeats his foes and rapidly assesses the situation before him– and offers Cage the mission. Cage is convinced to accept the mission after Gibbons uses a carrot/stick technique, with a clean slate as the carrot and a prison sentence as the stick.
Xander goes to Prague and meets with the NSA support team including Czech agent Milan Sova, who explains that Cage is only in Prague because Gibbons had put pressure on Sova and if he does anything wrong, he will be deported back to America. Cage flips this show of authority by saying that he doesn't want to be there and pointing out that he's never been under anyone's jurisdiction. While scouting an Anarchy 99 party, Xander purposely reveals Sova's cover, which allows him to gain the confidence of Anarchy 99's leader, Yorgi. Through Yorgi's brother Kolya, who is a fan of Cage's show, Xander gains critical information on the military background of Anarchy 99's members. Xander is attending a car deal with Yorgi at his invitation when Sova shows up and starts a firefight. Xander shoots Sova with a fake blood-splatter round to make it look like he is dead, which causes Yorgi to fully accept Xander as a member of Anarchy 99. Xander returns with Yorgi to their headquarters, a castle outside of the city, where he meets Yorgi's girlfriend Yelena. Xander finds Yelena trying to break into Yorgi's safe and, taking her to a nearby restaurant, tells her he is an American agent. Yelena gets a call from Kirill, a sniper working for Yorgi, who reveals they know of Xander's true identity before he starts firing on them. Yelena and Cage work together to help each other escape by staging a fight between them, which results in Cage knocking Yelena out with a serving tray. Cage is then kidnapped by the NSA team and taken to Gibbons, who tells Xander to return home since his cover is blown, but Xander refuses as he fears for Yelena's safety from both Yorgi and a planned attack on the castle by special forces. Xander learns that Sova purposely blew his cover.
Xander sneaks back to the castle and overhears Yorgi's plans to equip a waterborn drone named Ahab with "Silent Night" to release the biochemical in the middle of every major city, starting with Prague. Yorgi tests the weapon on his scientists, killing them. Xander rescues Yelena from Yorgi and kills Kolya. At a safehouse, Yelena explains she is an FSB agent, working undercover to get close to Yorgi two years ago, but six months after the start of the operation, her contacts abandoned her. Xander organises the rest of the NSA team in Prague for an assault on Yorgi's castle. Xander himself jumps out of a plane and snowboards to a nearby monitoring station which Anarchy 99 uses to secure the castle and destroys it by starting an avalanche, but is captured by Yorgi's forces.
Xander is taken back to Yorgi, who reveals he has captured Yelena again and has known about her true identity all along. As the special forces attack starts, Xander and Yelena use the opportunity to escape, killing Kirill and Yorgi, who already launched Ahab towards the center of Prague. Xander alerts Gibbons, who has the Czech military prepare to destroy the Ahab via airstrikes with the unfortunate side effect of releasing some of the biochemical agent. Xander harpoons Ahab from the car, grabs the hard drive containing the priming and targeting information and flips one of the primed bio-warheads, causing the drone to sink underwater. Xander is rescued from the freezing river and Gibbons promises Yelena American citizenship. Xander and Yelena are relaxing in Bora Bora when Gibbons calls, telling him there is another mission. Xander ignores him and goes with Yelena.

Review: The way they incorporate their "recruitment program" into the movie is fun and original, and though Vin Diesel doesn't really "act" in it, it's a lot of fun to watch.
For plot, xXx rates a 1.For acting, a 0.For action, a 10.This movie is unbelievably stupid, but somehow people (including me) like it.
Vin Diesel is a pretty good guy to play these new action-heroes.
Vin Diesel has the charisma and potential to be the next big action movie star and has a really cool voice.
It's never mentioned on screen but the implication is that the dead man is Bond, James Bond and throughout the movie where treated to an alternative universe where the world is no longer saved by sophisticated suave secret agents but saved by a loud crass extreme sports loving American Did I use the word " treated " in the above paragraph ?
Okay I disagree with many of the people claiming this was the worst movie of 2002 but Rob Cohen is a very shallow director while Vin Diesel is a laughably bad actor who makes Sylvester Stallone look like Anthony Hopkins in comparison .
The story structure mirrors that of the franchise of cramming in several different locations because it seemed like a good idea at the time , so much so you find yourself forgetting what the original plot was , there's a femme fatale and the bad guy wants to start effectively world war three .
If you enjoy extreme sports, action genre movies and bad guys with eastern european accents, sign up get ready to party.
Therefore they kidnap extreme sports enthusiast and counter culture hero Xander Cage, aka xXx, aka Vin Diesel playing virtually the same character he did in Pitch Black and The Fast And The Furious.
In fact before long they will be making films to appeal to people who think the xXx movies have too much dialogue and not enough nu-metal.
Furthermore, Xander is supplied with technological arms by an agent(Michael Roof), similar to Q-James Bond.The film contains high-energy action, noisy thrills, struggles, emotion and spectacular scenes.
If this is how desperate the government is for spies in the film, then just come out and say it.xXx. Starring: Vin Diesel, Samuel L.
He had some great potential showing in things like "Boiler Room," but he apparently felt that he found his niche in films like xXx, where lines are really corny and go something like: "Do you want some ice before your brain overheats?" It's a shame.This movie (movie, not film: film implies it's more sophisticated) threw away any opportunities for acting by making the characters larger than life (by a scale of about a trillion% ), so any potential care for the characters was instantly eradicated.xXx, in the opening act, offers Diesel's character as a, for lack of a better term, badbutt rebel (how original).
Sure, he was fine providing a voice for the underrated animated movie "The Iron Giant", but in live action he isn't anything like what I would consider a leading man.
But I'm not sure why, I kinda enjoyed "XXX" because it was very cool just to watch.I think just to watch these kind of sports are very exciting, so you just get into the groove of the movie and except everything that is happening.
That's the great thing about Hollywood movies, anything can happen and I love it- just like most of people do.The music is pretty cool, as usual in American productions and the action goes from the bottom to the top in a few seconds.Vin Diesel is probably one of the best American action-flick's actor, he rules in any movie where there're explosions.
One of the worst films I have ever seen.Vin Diesel plays Xander Cage a muscle bound extreme sports fanatic who becomes an agent for the NSA, an organisation so short of talent that they enlist tattooed 'Right said Fred' look-alikes.The plot is pathetic and predictable, the dialogue embarrassing and the acting truly awful.
One of the worst films I have ever seen.Vin Diesel plays Xander Cage a muscle bound extreme sports fanatic who becomes an agent for the NSA, an organisation so short of talent that they enlist tattooed 'Right said Fred' look-alikes.The plot is pathetic and predictable, the dialogue embarrassing and the acting truly awful.
First off, I think I was half-drunk when I saw this movie, and yet it still came through as another flashy, explosion derivative popcorn flick in the genre Schwarzenegger so nicely carved out for Hollywood.Vin Diesel is a half decent actor, but I wouldn't call this movie his holy grail.
XXX's strongest redeeming element is it's mindless action - you can just turn off your brain, because you won't have to think once while watching this movie..
A sort of "Bond for babies", "XXX" parallels every 007 movie ever made with eXtreme action in lieu of class, finesse, and sophistication.
In order to get the bad taste out of my mouth from the humorless, depressing Casino Royale, I treated myself tonight to XXX, which I originally thought was an excellent roughneck American version of James Bond anyway.This movie is just plain fun; the cast is great, the stunts and premises are imaginative, the music is terrific and the quirky humor gets me every time.I do wonder why any mention of Marton Csokas by name is so obviously omitted from the we're-all-one-big-happy-family "making of" material; was there trouble on the set?
Vin Diesel's performance is one the worst I've ever seen in a movie this big.
Asia Argento puts in a decent performance and Samuel L Jackson does what you would expect him to do in a crappy movie like this, plays on routine.
If that movie marks a change in the action genre, I am sorely ashamed to go to the theater today.XXX starts its failures by having an actor who couldn't act to save his neck.
Though movies about spies have been created many times over through the years, xXx still carries an auro of uniqueness.Xander Cage (Diesel) is a character that doesn't nessecarily want to save the world.
I'm not generally a big fan of action-packed films, but after seeing "The Fast And The Furious" I really began to like Vin Diesel and had my mind set to go see "Triple X." Although my main reason to go was to see him, I enjoyed the movie very much.
Too bad that XXX represents a third rate Michael Bay movie, with appallingly soulless action, unexciting villains and a hero so dense that one can't believe such a worthless movie was thought of as a good idea for the man shooting it through his camera.
Watch a real Bond movie for the real thing, don't watch this poser.As far as action flicks go, working your way down from Schwarzenegger to Diesel, is almost as much of a valley as working our way from heavy metal to emo.
Yet again Rob Cohen tries to direct a film for an audience he thinks he understands, and he does it again by trying to make it as flashy, noisy and as incredibly stupid as he can.Logic it seems has no place here and we're thrown every generic character ever to have existed in action movies.
The reluctant hero recruited to take down a mad terrorist, the hard as nails boss, the love interest who has a few secrets of her own, the absolutely nonthreatening Russian bad guy and not forgetting the geeky, and very annoying comedy side kick who provides Vin with his tools.It's got plenty of action, and while I do like a good dose of mindless violence now and again, there is a limit to how much bullet time style, CGI manipulated action scenes I'm willing to sit through before they all start looking the same.
And I don't know what Samuel Jackson was thinking when he decided to star in this, but not even he puts on a half decent performance, only really there to add some star power.How I miss the days of the old, violent 80's action movie, where heroes where believable and action scenes where genuinely on the edge of your seat stuff.
To one of the hairless action guys to come along in years since the heydays of Yul Brenner or Issac Hayes for that manner,Vin Diesel looks and dresses like a bouncer and his reluctant non-acting recalls the insouiciance of little-missed bruisers of yore,such as Jean Claude Van Demme,Chuck Norris,Steven Seagal,Sylvester Stallone,and Dolph Lundgren and others in that category.
With his tattoos,his shaved head and his hyperactivity he's an action hero for the generation weaned on extreme sports,Playstation and Ritalin with a flair for fast cars,secret gadgets,beautiful women,and villains bent on world destruction(the producers copied the formula of James Bond to the exact tee).Since his target is very young,it looks like we'll be stuck with him for a while.
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.
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.
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.
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.
"xXx" is an entertaining spy/action film because it puts a nice twist to the genre by including an outcast as a main character & featuring some impressive stunts.
Vin Diesel also reminded of what he was like in the Riddick movies, it seems he was always the guy flying around cutting bad guys to shreds.
This is an action film that the young and old will enjoy, Also alivable in a Two-Disc Unrated Director's Cut. Followed by xXx:State of the Union without Vin Diesel.
The film in my opinion is actually well done, has a good story, plot line, decent acting, and plenty of action to keep you entertained.
I never found myself wanting to turn it off although a lot of the scenes had me feeling truly embarrassed for Vin, who plays a much better Riddick than Xander Cage (I mean, come on, the lead character's name should give you a clue as to what kind of movie this is).
I have read all the bad comments about XXX - knocking the movie's unfounded comparisons to the James Bond films, slamming Vin Diesel's acting ability, charisma and screen presence, and thoroughly lambasting the film's cookie-cutter Euro-baddies and illogical story line.You know what?
STAR RATING:*****Unmissable****Very Good***Okay**You Could Go Out For A Meal Instead*Avoid At All CostsIt's hard to believe nearly ten years down the line after directing the moving Bruce Lee biography Dragon director Rob Cohen is churning out a movie as mindless and uninspired as XXX.Promoted heavily upon it's release and with a sequel already in production,it's obviously the type of movie that Hollywood has thought up to get audiences running in droves.And,like cattle,it's box office performance in the US would suggest this has been so.As you watch the film,you can see it's been made-up like a crowd pleaser.But if you look past the eye-floss,all you see is a very tired and weak story ,podgily garnered from your average James Bond film.Vin Diesel is admittently a very credible action hero,and could well have a career ahead of him starring in similar movies.And some of the action and stunts are breath-taking (the scene where he causes the avalanche near the end has to be seen to be believed,especially on a THX sound system).But in order to fully succeed,an action film needs a good script,an engaging story and really catchy dialogue.XXX lacks these three vital ingredients probably more so than any other recent action movie,and it certainly shows.So sadly,in it's case,it's more like two strikes......then you're out.**.
There is more action in this movie than I can remember in most of the classic Bond films put together.
I had been waiting for this movie since Vin Diesel's last film, Fast and the Furious, and I gotta tell you, I was not disappointed.
The action sequences were awesome, Vin Diesel was, of course, amazing, and I thought the movie itself was great.
but yes, overall I definitely recommend this movie to anyone who loves great action stunts, extreme sports, spy movies, cars, and Vin Diesel..
The movie describes the story of a sports daredevil, Xander Cage (Diesel)who is just about at the end of his free ride in the world, with all the s*** he gets away with.
I've seen all 20 of those James Bond films, and "XXX" puts them all to shame!As far as Action/Adventure movies go, in "XXX" the Action is hotter, the sex is hotter, the humor is funnier, and Vin Diesel is much more masculine that Sean Connery!
This is a much better movie than those classic Sean Connery Bond flicks.I prefer Van Diesel's performance of Xander Cage even to any of the Action/Adventure roles of Arnold Schwarzenegger or Sylvestor Stallone.I grew up in the 60s, and the American spy films such as Dean Martin's Matt Helm franchise, or James Coburn's two Flint movies were "cool," but they were never quite as good as the actual James Bond films.Thus far, I'm finding the 2002 spy films, "Minority Report," "Austin Powers in Goldmember" and "XXX" to be much, much better than the James Bond films.The coming attractions trailer for Eddie Murphy's "I Spy" also looks like it will put the Bond franchise to shame, as well.It wouldn't surprise me at all if the latest Pierce Brosnan Bond, "Die Another Day" doesn't even come in first place at the Box Office.MGM should begin sending out an "SOS," because all the cookie cutter Bond films are so locked into that James Bond formula that it's just "Same Old Stuff," "Same Old Stuff," "Same Old Stuff," "Same Old Stuff...."The fact that People magazine named Brosnan "Sexiest Man Alive" this year means little more to me than being named "Employee of the Month."Let's face it, James Bond shouldn't be played by an actor who keeps turning down invitations to join the AARP.Vin Diesel and Sean Connery also have something in common: They're BALD!
But you will also be an idiot.If you go to this movie expecting to see lots of stuff blowing up, and Vin Diesel doing all types of stuff that could never actually happen, you will get everything you want and more.
I love action & Vin Diesel, so this was a movie I'd been waiting several months to come out.
I ask what better reason to go see an action movie?James Bond = boring, XXX = XTREME!.
If you like action, if you like "The Fast And The Furious," and if you like Vin Diesel, then you'll love "XXX."
There were some very thrilling action scenes (the avalanche was well done, just like the bridge stunt) and the plot was a 'best of' every Bond movie you've ever seen.
Asia Argento should stick to the movies of her daddy, and the villain was a carbon copy of (again) every Bond villain you've ever seen.I'm not sure if I like the idea of Diesel becoming the new action hero.
Anyway, Diesel was good in Fast and Furious (a movie way better than this one)but I really don't think he's leading man material.If you want to go to XXX, you'll probably have a fun time, but chances are you'll start to forget the movie before the end credits role.
I love big budget action movies as much as the next person, but this is so shallow and poor, its not possible.I almost wish I could turn back the time ten years, cos then this film would be the best I've ever seen.Asia Argento, and the villian are hardly villianous.
Vin Diesel needs something much better than this to start a career and Samuel L Jackson is wasted.The only good bit was the snowboarding bit, but it was too little too late.The submarine looked like a childs toy...and I could go on and on about how dire this film is, but I won't.If you're over the age of 15 and really have to see it, then wait till rental...otherwise go and rent Con Air or Face/Off and see how action movies should be done..
If anyone thinks this movie represents a good action flick, then may I assume that they haven't been alive for very long and so haven't seen the real thing.Cheap and obvious effects, one-dimensional acting and a ridiculous plot serve to make even the tired clichés of the Bond films seem like art by comparison..
It has laughably unbelievable action sequences, no matter how experienced XXX (Vin Diesel's title charater) is at extreme sports.
As Xander Cage, Vin Diesel is tolerable...can't say if Samuel Jackson is running out of work, though...for most of the movie he just walks around clapping his hands and ....
Vin Diesel may well be the next big thing in leading men of action, but this sure wasn't the vehicle.