XXX (Full Screen Special Edition)

I love action films, however this one seemed to be made for 10 year old boys. Cheesy dialogue, bed story, lackluster characters and NO DTS AUDIO make this blu-ray a disappointing buy.

While "XXX" may be a movie for white suburban teenagers who listen to raprock and think they're rebellious, it manages to overcome this impediment and be an entertaining popcorn flick. It turns out to be a solid star vehicle for Vin Diesel as Xander "XXX" Cage, an extreme sports star impressed into going to Europe to spy for his country. Combining the bad action movie with the spy thriller (think Bond James Bond crossed with Schwarzenegger), "XXX" is a good deal better than it has a right to be. It is, as many before me have pointed out, a total ripoff of the James Bond franchise, complete with the unrealistic action scenes and outrageously lame one-liners. That said, the movie isn't without its redeeming qualities. Despite the its two-hour length, the plot, concerning XXX trying to stop a group of baddies with vague eastern European accents from nerve-gassing Prague, moves along pretty quickly. Of course the plot is basically just an excuse for lots of cool stunts and explosions, and the movie doesn't fail to deliver in this aspect. Although I'll be the first to admit that it's all pretty mindless, it's hard not to enjoy such scenes as XXX driving a sports car off a bridge, riding a serving tray down a railing, and outracing an avalanche on a snowboard. There are some pretty nifty visuals as well, most notably Asia Argento as XXX's Russian love interest (yet another plot point lifted straight from the Bond series). For the most part, the acting is pretty good, certainly better than that of most of the bad action movies of the '80's (not that I don't like those movies). Deisel is clearly a talented actor, as he manages to keep his dignity even when uttering lines that would make Sean Connery and Roger Moore wince. And of course, Samuel L. Jackson is always reliable, and he seems to be having fun as the government agent who may or may not be on the level. Overall "XXX" get my thumbs-up, even though it does cut it pretty close.

Continuing the dumb but "fun" formula started with THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS, the hotshot duo of director Rob Cohen and star Vin Diesel have combined their efforts to bring another silly, plot-lite action-fest to the screen. I saw XXX (Or Triple X) in the cinema with my expectations set somewhere between Fast and the Furious and James Bond, and I wasn't that impressed. Ok, don't get me wrong, I like brainless movies. After all, I think CON AIR is fantastic entertainment. But there is a standard rule: If the movie is dumb, then it has to be fun. This is not. Billed as competition for the James Bond franchise, it falls far short of such heights. Lacking both the wit, panache and subtlety of Bond and the fun silly action of Bruckheimer, it's going to have to set it's sights a bit lower. Oh, and what's with Vinny himself? the incredible hunk was good in PITCH BLACK and TFATF, but he looks like he's just sleepwalking through this jumbled mess. I actually give the film 2 1/2 stars but there are some good action set-pieces and Samuel L. Jackson is always cool. XXX is much more satisfying if you just want to watch endless stunts and fall asleep in the talky bits. But if the team of Mr. Cohen and Mr. Deisel are going to continue making movies together, how about letting Mr. Script join in?