XXX (2002 film)

XXX (stylized as xXx and pronounced Triple X) is a 2002 American action film directed by Rob Cohen, produced by Neal H. Moritz and written by Rich Wilkes. The first installment in the xXx film series, the film stars Vin Diesel as Xander Cage, a thrill-seeking extreme sports enthusiast, stuntman, and rebellious athlete-turned-reluctant spy for the National Security Agency. Cage is sent on a dangerous mission to infiltrate a group of potential Russian terrorists in Central Europe. The film also stars Asia Argento, Marton Csokas, and Samuel L. Jackson. Cohen, Moritz, and Diesel had previously worked on The Fast and the Furious (2001) as director, producer and cast member respectively. The film grossed $277.4 million worldwide and was followed by two sequels, xXx: State of the Union (2005) and xXx: Return of Xander Cage (2017).
Russian terrorist group Anarchy 99 acquires the biochemical weapon "Silent Night", presumed missing since the fall of the Soviet Union. Undercover NSA agent Jim McGrath is assigned to recover the weapon but is killed by Anarchy 99 at a Rammstein concert.
NSA Agent Augustus Gibbons suggests sending Xander "XXX" Cage, an extreme sports professional wanted for unlawful protesting, citing his lack of ties to the US government. Under Gibbons' supervision, Cage passes two field tests and reluctantly accepts the job, as the other option is prison.
In Prague, Cage meets his team which includes his supervisor, Czech agent Milan Sova. While scouting an Anarchy 99 party, Cage identifies Sova as a police officer, earning him favor with the group and catching the attention of the leader Yorgi. Cage asks Yorgi about purchasing high end sports cars, and Yorgi's girlfriend and lieutenant Yelena, gives Cage an account number.
Gibbons calls Cage about changes to the plan but is impressed when he gives them information provided by Kolya, Yorgi's star-struck younger brother. Tech-specialist Agent Toby Shavers then provides Cage with gadgets including a revolver with special ammo, binoculars that can see through walls and explosives disguised as bandages.
As Cage attends the car deal he made with Yorgi, Sova attempts to intercede. Using the special ammo, Cage fakes Sova's death. Having earned Yorgi's trust, Cage joins Anarchy 99. Yorgi brings Cage back to a castle after a dance party at one of his nightclubs that serves as Anarchy 99's headquarters. Cage, while searching for the biochemical weapon, catches Yelena investigating Yorgi's secret safe. He takes her to a nearby restaurant to discuss the matter and reveals his true identity.
Sova betrays Cage to Yorgi, so he sends his trusted sniper Kirill to kill him. While watching the pair, Kirill, who is in love with Yelena, warns her. As Cage and Yelena stage a fight, the NSA suddenly appears to capture him, and Yelena is taken back to Anarchy 99.
Cage meets with Gibbons, who demands he return to America as his cover is blown and special forces are planning to assault the castle. He refuses, fearing for Yelena's life and bitter that Sova blew his cover. Cage sneaks into Yorgi's castle and follows him into a secret underground lab. Overhearing his plan to launch "Silent Night" from the water-borne drone Ahab; he first tests the weapon on the scientists who developed it, to Cage and Yelena's horror. Cage flees the area after killing Kolya. At his hideout, Sova is waiting for him, now with Yorgi. Yelena saves Cage, revealing herself to be an abandoned undercover Russian Federal Security Service agent. Cage relays Yorgi's plans to the NSA in return for Yelena's asylum.
Against orders, Shavers heavily arms Cage's car, who then parachutes from a plane on a snowboard near Anarchy 99's communication tower. The avalanche he starts destroys the tower but he is captured by Yorgi, who already knew Yelena's identity. As Yorgi prepares to kill them, the special forces attack. Cage and Yelena free themselves, but Yorgi launches Ahab before Cage kills him. The Czech military prepares to destroy Ahab with airstrikes, though this will release some of the biochemical agent. Cage and Yelena take his heavily modified car, to catch up to Ahab. Cage harpoons and disables the weapon moments before it goes off.
Cage and Yelena are recovered, and Gibbons follows through on his promises. Sometime later, the couple is relaxing in Bora Bora when Gibbons contacts him for another mission, but Cage ignores him.
To imply Xander Cage's credibility within extreme sport subcultures, various personalities make cameo appearances:
In July 2001 it was announced that Vin Diesel will receive in the neighborhood of $10 million to star in the film, with an initial release date of July 26, 2002. It is believed that before Diesel was cast, Eric Bana turned down the lead role of Xander Cage. In August 2001, Sony put up a large billboard advertising the film in Hollywood, before a script had been written.
Filming took place at three locations. Most of the film is set in Prague, Czech Republic. The Corvette jump was filmed at the Foresthill Bridge in Auburn State Recreation Area, Auburn, California. The final scenes were set in Bora Bora, Tahiti, and other areas in southern West Virginia.
Several Czech Su-22s were used for the film. It was one of the last actions of these aircraft – the Czech Air Force decommissioned Sukhois in 2002.
Vin Diesel did many of his own stunts, director Rob Cohen said: "I think the thing is that Vin did more than he should have, but less than he wanted to." Diesel took a fall during the avalanche scene, and landed head first and wasn't moving, and Cohen was worried the star of the film might have broken his neck. A scene where Cage base jumps from a Corvette was performed by Tim Rigby wearing a Vin Diesel mask. The motorcycle jump was performed by professional motocross rider and stuntman Jeremy Stenberg, and Diesel's face was later added digitally.
Stunt player Harry O'Connor, Diesel's stunt double, was killed on April 4, 2002, when he hit a pillar of the Palacký Bridge in Prague while para-sailing during one of the action scenes. The accident occurred while filming the second take of the stunt; O'Connor's first attempt was completed without incident and can be seen in the completed film, which was dedicated to him.
The first few minutes of the film take place at a concert of German Neue Deutsche Härte band Rammstein in Prague, performing the song "Feuer Frei". The same clip is available, but from the band's perspective (with only brief scenes from the film) in their video compilation Lichtspielhaus.
The film score was composed by Randy Edelman, a frequent collaborator of Cohen's. The film also featured a contemporary rock music soundtrack. Rammstein provided some of the music and was even featured in the film in the opening scene. During the club scene in Prague, Orbital can be seen playing their exclusive track "Technologicque Park" live before the dancing crowd. The soundtrack album also features Queens of the Stone Age, Drowning Pool, Flaw, Mushroomhead, Hatebreed, Nelly, Lil Wayne, N.E.R.D, Fermín IV and Moby. It was released on August 6, 2002, through Universal Records. It peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard 200, No. 16 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and No. 1 on the Top Soundtracks. The "Tweaker remix" of the song "Adrenaline" by Gavin Rossdale (the lead singer of Bush) was featured in the film, while the original version is included on the soundtrack. None of Edelman's score was included on the album, with a separate disc of his work released by Varèse Sarabande.
The film opened in 3,374 theaters and grossed $44,506,103 in its opening weekend. It grossed a total of $142 million, and a further $135 million internationally for a worldwide total of $277.4 million worldwide.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 48% based on reviews from 180 critics, with an average rating of 5.59/10. The site's consensus reads: "It has an endearing lack of seriousness, and Vin Diesel has more than enough muscle for the starring role, but ultimately, XXX is a missed opportunity to breathe new life into the spy thriller genre." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 48 out of 100, based on reviews from 33 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade A− on scale of A to F.
Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave it 3+1⁄2 stars out of 4, writing, "In its own punk way, XXX is as good as a good Bond movie, and that's saying something." Peter Travers of Rolling Stone wrote: "It's hard to hate a movie, even one this droolingly crass, that knows how to laugh at itself." Adam Smith of Empire called the movie, "Sporadically entertaining, but seriously hampered by a very choppy screenplay", and rating it three out of five stars.
This film was nominated for a Razzie Award for Most Flatulent Teen-Targeted Movie, but lost to Jackass: The Movie.