By Greg Ursic
Mention the word "spy" and for most people it conjures up British accents, tuxedos and martinis shaken, not stirred of course. While I've been a Bond fan for longer than I care to admit, let's be realistic for a moment; it's pretty hard to relate to a polished pseudo aristocrat who beds supermodels, battles supervillains and saves the world on a weekly basis. Where are all the regular Joe average superspies?
Xander Cage is an attitude riddled adrenalin junkie who is always looking for the next big fix. His fun comes to an abrupt stop when his latest stunt catches the attention of the wrong person in the NSA and Xander gets shanghaied. It seems that a certain anarchist group, composed of earthy ex-Red Army regulars is intent on ushering in a new era, and suave, sophisticated spies stick out like, well, suave sophisticated spies. The NSA feels that this is a task that Xander, a tattooed delinquent, deemed to be the `best and brightest of the bottom of the barrel' would be perfect for. Well, with a few exceptions.
With Schwarzenegger contemplating a run for Governor, and Willis finally being accepted as a `serious' actor, the Action Hero genre has been left bereft of a genuine successor. Enter Vin Diesel, a man of few words, who first popped up on Hollywood's radar when his indie film `Multi-facial', which he wrote, directed and starred in received great reviews at Caanes. Most importantly, Diesel caught the attention of Steven Spielberg, who cast him in `Saving Private Ryan' as Private Caparzo. His breakout role as Dominic Toretto in `The Fast and the Furious' (a film intended to showcase Paul Walker) proved his power as a box office draw and he was soon being hailed as the go to action hero for the next millennia (Revolution Studios is betting huge that he will be- they signed him to a three picture deal and will pay him $20 million for the first sequel).
As Xander, Diesel is surprisingly low key he is pensive, humorous, growly and explosive when necessary - and there is no doubt that `XXX' is his vehicle. Diesel dominates every scene that he appears in with an understated cockiness, and those ever-bulging biceps. Asia Argento (daughter of horror meister Dario Argento) affects a Courtenay Love style persona her Yelena is tough, b*tchy, no nonsense and cold as ice. Yelena, like Xander, is edgy, rough, and quick-witted. The supporting cast, with the exception of Samuel Jackson as Xander's slick and slimy protégé, are largely unremarkable.
The action sequences are for lack of a better word, extreme: from the opening base jump (okay, technically it's not a base jump in the strictest sense of the term) with a twist sequence, to the amazing freestyle motocross sequence to the boarding, the stunts are amazing. I also appreciated the fact that neither the spies or the gadgets have much polish the Q equivalent in `XXX' is a total geek/frat boy wannabe whose gadgets lack subtlety, and are largely untested (XXX's retrofitted GTO requires a `Gadgets for Dummies' guide). There are several elements that hamstring the film however.
The actors are constantly hemmed in by lackluster dialogue it doesn't matter how charismatic a character is, they are ultimately defined by their writing. There were no pithy catch phrases or witticisms a necessity for any action hero. There are also too many lulls in the film I appreciated the action sequences but repeatedly found myself getting bored with the filler in between. Also, the `secret' plot elements were far too obvious and easily divined. Finally, I was largely unimpressed with the FX used in several sequences (especially the avalanche).
If you are looking to give the old gray matter and inject some excitement into your weekend, splurge on a matinee.
Mention the word "spy" and for most people it conjures up British accents, tuxedos and martinis shaken, not stirred of course. While I've been a Bond fan for longer than I care to admit, let's be realistic for a moment; it's pretty hard to relate to a polished pseudo aristocrat who beds supermodels, battles supervillains and saves the world on a weekly basis. Where are all the regular Joe average superspies?
Xander Cage is an attitude riddled adrenalin junkie who is always looking for the next big fix. His fun comes to an abrupt stop when his latest stunt catches the attention of the wrong person in the NSA and Xander gets shanghaied. It seems that a certain anarchist group, composed of earthy ex-Red Army regulars is intent on ushering in a new era, and suave, sophisticated spies stick out like, well, suave sophisticated spies. The NSA feels that this is a task that Xander, a tattooed delinquent, deemed to be the `best and brightest of the bottom of the barrel' would be perfect for. Well, with a few exceptions.
With Schwarzenegger contemplating a run for Governor, and Willis finally being accepted as a `serious' actor, the Action Hero genre has been left bereft of a genuine successor. Enter Vin Diesel, a man of few words, who first popped up on Hollywood's radar when his indie film `Multi-facial', which he wrote, directed and starred in received great reviews at Caanes. Most importantly, Diesel caught the attention of Steven Spielberg, who cast him in `Saving Private Ryan' as Private Caparzo. His breakout role as Dominic Toretto in `The Fast and the Furious' (a film intended to showcase Paul Walker) proved his power as a box office draw and he was soon being hailed as the go to action hero for the next millennia (Revolution Studios is betting huge that he will be- they signed him to a three picture deal and will pay him $20 million for the first sequel).
As Xander, Diesel is surprisingly low key he is pensive, humorous, growly and explosive when necessary - and there is no doubt that `XXX' is his vehicle. Diesel dominates every scene that he appears in with an understated cockiness, and those ever-bulging biceps. Asia Argento (daughter of horror meister Dario Argento) affects a Courtenay Love style persona her Yelena is tough, b*tchy, no nonsense and cold as ice. Yelena, like Xander, is edgy, rough, and quick-witted. The supporting cast, with the exception of Samuel Jackson as Xander's slick and slimy protégé, are largely unremarkable.
The action sequences are for lack of a better word, extreme: from the opening base jump (okay, technically it's not a base jump in the strictest sense of the term) with a twist sequence, to the amazing freestyle motocross sequence to the boarding, the stunts are amazing. I also appreciated the fact that neither the spies or the gadgets have much polish the Q equivalent in `XXX' is a total geek/frat boy wannabe whose gadgets lack subtlety, and are largely untested (XXX's retrofitted GTO requires a `Gadgets for Dummies' guide). There are several elements that hamstring the film however.
The actors are constantly hemmed in by lackluster dialogue it doesn't matter how charismatic a character is, they are ultimately defined by their writing. There were no pithy catch phrases or witticisms a necessity for any action hero. There are also too many lulls in the film I appreciated the action sequences but repeatedly found myself getting bored with the filler in between. Also, the `secret' plot elements were far too obvious and easily divined. Finally, I was largely unimpressed with the FX used in several sequences (especially the avalanche).
If you are looking to give the old gray matter and inject some excitement into your weekend, splurge on a matinee.