With an unfortunate title that seems more
appropriate for an adult film, XXX comes on to the scene as
an attempt to reinvent the secret agent genre.
This is what would be called a "high
concept" film. High concept is what happens when movie
producers think it would be a neat idea to take two or more
things that are popular and combine them. In this case, a combination
of the world of extreme sports and the secret agent / James
Bond genre.
The funny thing is, despite sounding like
a sure disaster, the high concept idea actually works.
What's surprising is that this film wasn't
made before now. The super spy genre, particularly the James
Bond films have always featured stunts bordering on X-Games
outrageousness, so the combination of the two seems like a no-brainer.
I would be remiss in my duty as a reviewer
if I didn't honestly report that this is a very silly film.
It's also highly implausible, often illogical and most certainly
absurd. Of course, the same thing can be said of the best of
the Bond films, too.
I keep comparing this to the Bond franchise,
because in many ways, that's exactly what this film is paying
homage to, in its own extreme way. Every Bond cliché
is served to us with an absurd, X-Games twist. Even the plot
of the film could have been taken right from Ian Flemming's
notebook.
The best of the Bond films are never remembered
for the quality of their plots, but rather for the charisma
of the characters and the spectacular stunts. Using that as
the standard, XXX contains some of the most eye-popping stunts
I've seen in a long time and is literally exploding with charisma,
most if it coming from the lead, Vin Diesel.
Vin Diesel is one of those rare stars who
can take over a scene simply by walking into it. He may look
like just a tough guy, but he's remarkably articulate and shows
great range as an actor. Perhaps XXX isn't the sort of film
that allows him to flex his acting muscles, but you can sense
his depth. He plays his role exactly right, as someone who doesn't
have all the answers. But what he's good at, he's prodigiously
good at and what he doesn't know, well, he can fake his way
through.
The character he plays is Xander Cage, an
extreme sports junkie with severe anti-establishment leanings.
He's an X-Box playing, base jumping, hard core punk who just
wants to do his own thing. He is recruited by the government
as part of an experiment. The government has become aware of
an anarchist terrorist group in the Czech Republic, but their
Bond-like spies have had no luck infiltrating the extreme lifestyle
of the terrorists. Cage is sent in with the thought that he
will be able to blend in and gain the trust of the anarchists.
Naturally, Cage meets the villains in secret
lairs, aligns with a beautiful woman (Asia Argento -- who reminds
me a lot of Uma Thurman, which isn't at all a bad thing), busts
out over-the-top stunts (including racing an avalanche) and
figures out a way to escape from overly elaborate traps and
defeat end-of-the-world devices that are far too complex for
their own good.
There are a lot of fun moments as we watch
Cage adjust to being a secret agent. For instance, he turns
out to be an excellent shot, but all of his experience is with
a light gun attached to a video game console. When the bullets
start flying, he has no clue how to work the safety.
The fact that this film is fun to watch is,
in many respects, some of the highest praise I can give it.
No, XXX won't satisfy your intellect, but it is an effective
form of escapism.
I'm sure that XXX will spawn a new franchise
of Xander Cage films. If they can maintain this level of fun
and energy, you can bet I'll be along for the ride.
