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XXX
Directed by Rob Cohen
Starring: Vin Diesel, Samuel L. Jackson, Asia Argento, Marton Csokas
Running Time: 1:40
Country: USA
Year: 2002
Web: Official Site
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Finally a great comedy about spies. Here come XXX and Vin Diesel, the funniest action hero to hit the big screen since Chuck Norris and Steven Seagal.
Vin Diesel plays Xander Cage, an extreme sport specialist who after 2 days of field training becomes a secret agent. Sent to Prague to gather information about a clandestine group trafficking in car theft and prostitution, Xander will end up saving the world from destruction by a biological weapon.
One recognizes the real work of a genius in his spontaneity and not in his calculation. Austin Powers' calculated jokes never manage to create a true James Bond spoof, concentrating instead on bathroom humor. Casino Royale might have come closer but because it was released before Sean Connery took over the role, it faded in public memory. But with XXX, the screenwriter, director and star may have created the greatest—unintentional—spy comedy and the first postmodern action flick.
From the start, the lines between reality and fiction are so blurry that it's hard to determine if we're watching a movie about Xander Cage or Vin Diesel. In the opening scene, Xander is filming himself stealing a sports car and claiming "Welcome to Xanderzone", a scene that strangely echoes Vin's directorial debut,Short 5 - Diversity, where the actor whose head is as big as his biceps films himself in front of a mirror. Beyond the actor's obvious fascination for his own reflection, XXX is full of involuntary self-mocking scenes and one liners that could be applied to the picture and the actor(s). One key scene is the test in the diner. Xander discovers he is being set up and then explains in detail how he found out. His speech tells the audience "look how smart I am" but it's hard to figure out if it's Xander or Vin who's talking. Then he adds "Their performance wasn't good" and you ask yourself if he is indeed talking about the agents who tried to set him up or the ensemble cast. But the most powerful postmodern and hilarious scene is undoubtedly when he announces to Asia Argento's character that he is a secret agent. She starts laughing and you can't help laughing along since the idea of Vin Diesel playing a secret agent is indeed the funniest piece of comedy elaborated by Hollywood in recent years. Unfortunately the true touches of humor are never as funny as Diesel's sense of pride and seriousness in his acting craft.
XXX aims at being a James Bond for the new century and takes the crown from her Majesty's best agent, as the subtle reference of a tuxedoed spy being killed emphasizes. However, the script certainly doesn't mind recycling the best of James Bond stunts and gadgets as well the Goth setting of The Crow and the climax of The Rock. With a title like XXX and a desire to promote bad, extreme attitudes, an R-rating would have been logical. But in a world where PG-13 means big box office bucks, vicious punks don't mind killing millions of innocents but never swear and eroticism resembles a Victoria's Secret commercial.
The plot doesn't matter here but over-the-top stunts and high-octane action do. XXX is a non-stop ride. And at this level Vin delivers the goods, as most of these sequences are impressive. Rob Cohen has a sure sense for action and the cinematography is pretty nice for an action flick, taking advantage of the beautiful Prague scenery.
Whatever you might think about the guy, Diesel's presence fills the screen and he is up to the action hero job. Samuel L. Jackson is in overacting mode but Italian cult icon, Asia Argento, has the wild and dangerous side needed for her role and she also looks smarter than everybody else around her.
The film also manages to leave the spectator with a few mysteries that are-obviously-not part of the plot. In a club we can see a man playing the Third Man theme on a zither. Did the team behind XXX—trying to make some cinematic references—think they were actually shooting in Vienna (where the Third Man was filmed), or were they just assimilating one "exotic European capital" for another in the eyes of the American audience (since most in the audience will surely catch the reference)? But the greatest mystery of all remains in the title: XXX. Is that film to the spy genre what skin flicks are to regular films? Has Vin learned the fine art of acting (facial expressions) by watching X-rated movies? Does it refer to the size of his muscle tank? Or does one X stand for Xander, another one for eXtreme and the last one for the eXhaust fumes produced by the diesel combustion onscreen?
With its odd mix of over-the-top action sequences and unintentional irony, XXX is a lot of fun, especially if you think that movies like Missing in Action and Under Siege are part of the patrimony of modern cinematic comedy.
Fred Thom
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XXX review
