xXx (2002)

User Rating:

5.5/10   

Director:

Rob Cohen

Writer (WGA):

Rich Wilkes (written by)

Release Date:

9 August 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

If you want someone to save the world, make sure it's someone who likes the world as it is.

Plot:

Xander Cage is an extreme sports athelete recruited by the government on a special mission.

Plot Keywords:

Agent | Spy | Extreme Sports | Machete | Poison Gas

Awards:

4 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

Vin Diesel	...	Xander Cage
Asia Argento	...	Yelena
Marton Csokas	...	Yorgi
Samuel L. Jackson	...	Agent Augustus Gibbons
Michael Roof	...	Agent Toby Lee Shavers
Richy Müller	...	Milan Sova
Werner Daehn	...	Kirill
Petr Jákl	...	Kolya (as Petr Jakl)
Jan Pavel Filipensky	...	Viktor (as Jan Filipensky)
Tom Everett	...	Senator Dick Hotchkiss
Danny Trejo	...	El Jefe
Thomas Ian Griffith	...	Agent Jim McGrath
Eve	...	J.J.
Leila Arcieri	...	Jordan King
William Hope	...	Agent Roger Donnan

Also Known As:

Triple X (USA) (informal English title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for violence, non-stop action sequences, sensuality, drug content and language.

Runtime:

124 min | 132 min (unrated director's cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German | Spanish | Russian | Czech

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:Unrated (director's cut) | Taiwan:R-12 | Iceland:12 (video rating) | Iceland:14 (original rating) | Malaysia:18SG | South Korea:12 | Canada:14+ (TV rating) | Brazil:14 | India:UA | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Austria:14 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:18A (uncut DVD version) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) (director's cut) | Finland:K-15 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:NC-16 (DVD rating) (director's cut) | Singapore:PG (original rating) | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:16 (canton of the Grisons) | UK:12A (original rating) (cut) | UK:12 (video rating) (2003) (cut) | UK:15 (director's cut) | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Auburn, California, USA

Company:

Revolution Studios

Trivia:

When Xander enters Yorgi's club, the musician outside is playing the theme to The Third Man (1949) on the zither.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the "care package" takes Xander to the basement to show his tools to him, a wedding ring is visible in some shots of the "care package's" hands, but not in others.

Quotes:

Toby Lee Shavers: Knocked over a few 7-Elevens, have we?
Xander Cage: Nah, I had my leg in a cast for about three months. All I did was play first-person shooter video games.
Toby Lee Shavers: That's a really sad story.

Movie Connections:

References Frankenstein (1994)

Soundtrack:

The Third Man Theme

XXX DELIVERS EXTREME FUN! PUT YOUR BRAIN ON HOLD AND ENJOY!

Have you seen the trailer for this film??? Then forget about reading my review or anybody else's for that matter! It doesn't take 2 brain cells rubbing together to know what you are going to get here, and you get PLENTY of it! This was not a typical movie choice for me (my guy's turn to choose), but I had some idea what to expect and I think you do too. Having said that, here is a BIG SURPRISE - this was one of the MOST FUN, simply enjoyable movies I have seen in months, maybe a couple of years!!! This film is wonderfully unpretentious. It doesn't take itself too seriously, and we shouldn't either. Does XXX provide deep intellectual insights, an elegantly constructed production with soul-searching performances, an air-tight plot with masterful dialog, gritty realism, completely true-to-life action scenes, brilliant editing? Although the answer is obvious (in case you haven't seen the trailer, the answer is NO), a much better question is, WHO CARES?! This movie is all about fun! Crazy, mind-blowing, awesome (and in some cases,of course, obviously impossible) extreme stunts! Diesel is charismatic and charming, the girl is sexy and engaging and the bad guy is appropriately nuts. The plot is good enough. The way they take out a communications tower doesn't make much sense, but otherwise we'd miss out on another amazing stunt scene so once again, who cares! (Hey, check out 'Signs', a supposed new masterpiece by a supposed great director, if you want to see a film that really makes no sense!) There's some humor and a few decent one-liners, too. One of the Bond spoofs is even smartly hilarious (a car stuffed Bond-style with gadgets that end up being virtually useless). The way this film is NOT extreme is also refreshing. There is just basic shoot-em-up and action stuff - no extreme violence/gore, no extreme profanity, no extreme sexual content, and no extremely 'important' artistic message. In other words, nothing to detract from the great fun of a fast-paced, amazing stunt-fest that is light, refreshing, and visually awesome. The perfect summer action flick!