Diesel Powered Carnage (xXx (DVD))

Member Name: utero

Product:	xXx (DVD)
Date:	28/03/03 (67 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great Action, Very Silly, Diesel

Disadvantages: Un-Original, Dodgy Plot

Remember those Arnie and Sly movies of the 80's where they brought an entire crime world by themselves and a big gun. Those movies on the whole were incredibly stupid but they were also very entertaining and harmless fun.

Well the high concept 80's are revisted with xXx, all you need to know is that Vin Diesel plays extreme sports star Xander Cage who is enlisted by the secret service to take on some bad guys who naturally want to take over the world. Along the way Cage takes part in some crazy stunts, dodges bullets and naturally gets the hot women. It's Bond but for those who like Nu-Metal and Playstation 2 Games.

At face value this film is really very stupid and contains very little originality. But it gets by by being very loud and actually not taking itself too seriously. Vin Diesels gravel voice and strong build mean that Cage is someone you can buy as a secret agent who likes Extreme Sports. He's also very cool and imposing on the screen. Naturally there are some hard casting choices, who could you get to be the boss of Xander. Only the coolest actor on the planet will do and that's Samuel L Jackson who steps up in a glorified cameo as the absurdly named Augutus Gibbons.

Asia Argento vamps things up as the love interest and it's refreshing to see the female rol actually be just as bad as the main star. The villains of the film are incredibly eurotrash and could have been from any action film but that's what makes this film enjoyable, it's glorified stupidity and it knows it!

The action is where the film really sells itself. Director Rob Cohen stages some very huge set pieces which start with the base jump from a falling car and then an explosive romp through a columbian drug farm which is loud on the eyes and the ears. It takes in all manner of extreme sports skills along the way while being backed by a rock soundtrack.

Don't watch this film if you're after some thoughtful d
rama as you won't find it, instead crank up the sound system, get some beer and switch off the brain.

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