007 is the paragon of cool, no matter what your generation. He is suave, he is polished, he has that debonair flair that makes women swoon.
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Director: Rob Cohen
Cast Vin Diesel, Samuel L Jackson, Marton Csokas, Asia Argento
Classification: 13V |
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Xander Cage, the Diesel character, does not come close. He tries to be an anarchist and a patriot at the same time. He is both rough around the edges and a smooth ladies' man. Maybe the dichotomy worked on paper but Diesel doesn't pull it off, and once you lose your faith in the leading man the whole thing just kid of unravels. If you could swallow the plot that has the American government hiring the worst kinds of crooks to solve their thornier intelligence problems in the first place, that is.
The other actors don't manage to make up for Diesel's deficiencies. Samuel L Jackson is wasted in a role that should see his agent shot for embarrassing him and the relatively unknown Asia Argento (as the xXx girl) is suitably exotic, and totes big guns, but is seen too seldom to make any real impact.
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Vin Diesel getting to grips with the Prague underground scene |
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Still, it is worth the watch just for the action sequences. The movie, like the pornography it is named after, is mostly made up of extended action sequences with a thin plot and a tad of dialogue that barely slows the body count. Combined with a thumping sound track this makes it certainly the longest but also one of the better music videos you have seen. If that appeals to you be sure not to leave immediately when the credits roll. Some pretty impressive graphics, with back-hand acknowledgement of the movie's roots in 007 and The Fast and the Furious, are yet to come.
And it is set in Prague before the floods, so if you like architecture you may get a small thrill out of it.
If you are an action movie junkie you'll love it. If you need reminding why you normally patronise the Cinema Nouveau it will be excellent therapy. If you get charmed into it by a female significant other you had better start pumping iron real quick because she obviously likes the tough guys, you sun-starved geek you.
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Jason X
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Minority Report
Eight Legged Freaks
Lilo & Stitch
The New Guy
The Believer
Resident Evil
