XXX (2002)
action thriller
directed by : Rob Cohen
featuring : Vin Diesel - Asia Argento - Marton Csokas - Samuel L.Jackson - Danny Trejo
running time : 2 hours 4 minutes
The director (Rob Cohen) and star (Vin Diesel) of the previous summer's hit The Fast And The Furious are reunited for this spy thriller billed as a next-generation James Bond adventure. Diesel stars as Xander Cage, a nihilist extreme sports enthusiast nicknamed "Triple X" because of a large tattoo covering his back and neck. Cage's illegal stunts and poor attitude land him in jail, where he's recruited/blackmailed into government service by the National Security Agency's Augustus Gibbons, who likes Cage for his skills and expendability. The new secret agent is assigned to infiltrate a Russian crime ring called Anarchy 99, whose access to biochemical weaponry is making the United States extremely nervous. With the help of some high-tech gadgets from weapons master Toby Lee Shavers (Michael Roof), Cage is able to make his way into Anarchy 99, where he targets the group's leader Yorgi (Marton Csokas) and falls for the organization's second-in-command, Yelena (Asia Argento). XXX is the first in a hoped-for franchise of sequels for the film's producer, Revolution Studios.

Cohen's XXX seems to be inspired by video games. Loud electronic European techno music accompanies Xander Cane, played with great tough-guy panache by Diesel, as he shoots guns, out-snowboards an avalanche, brings down a drug cartel, drives real real fast, beds Argento, and blows stuff up. Borrowing the plot points familiar to anyone who has ever seen a James Bond film, XXX certainly finds an energy that has been missing from those films. What sets this film apart from other films obviously aimed at the international action market is the lead actor. Diesel is a compelling figure. He appears to genuinely enjoy himself on screen without resorting to self-mockery that would pull the audience out of the movie. Like the most memorable Bond actors, he wants the audience to have as good a time watching the movie as he did making it. On that level the film is a success. There may not be anything original about XXX, but it is an energetic addition to a familiar genre.