Review of XXX! (2011) by Harry W — 08 Sep 2015

Boasting a blockbuster status as a Vin Diesel movie, xXx sounded like and exhilarating thrill ride.

XXx makes an attempt to cross the X-games over into action films as a means of creating a more global franchise, and because of this there is very much a feeling that the movie is one long commercial. It is clearly a very commercialized film aimed at the MTV crowd as it puts all the value on its action and soundtrack with little concern for the plot. For example, the use of Rammstein's "Feuer Frei" in the intro scene is awesomely intense and its a song that I love, as is the later use of "Bodies" by Drowning Pool. Yet in terms of narrative, the entire intro scene is rather confusing. There is just a lot of characters supposedly caught up in some kind of conspiracy at a Rammstein concert and I can't rap my head around it. But the fact is that in a film like xXx, story is not important. Yet though fans of good action cinema realize this, apparently Cob Cohen didn't.

XXx has a title with a total of three X's in it, clearly promoting a promise of X-game exhilaration in the quantity of three. But I must have read too much into it because the quantity of action in the film is the furthest thing from sufficient. The quality of them is decent because a lot of the ideas are cool, and even though some of them may end up overblown or not precisely captured with expertise, the genuine production values of them all are certainly a boost for the film's credibility. This just makes it all the more disappointing when they aren't utilized. After the intro action scenes, there is essentially no action on offer in xXx for about an hour. That should tell you just how lacking the film is. Anything between the action scenes in the film is just generic scripting and incompetent plot building, and Vin Diesel's charisma can only carry it all so far. All in all, they just get in the way of the action.

Frankly, the attempts to cross X-games sports into the spy thriller genre and actually craft a legitimate story are incredibly misguided. The former goes into the market of people looking for a guilty pleasure thrill ride while the latter is focused on audiences seeking competently intelligent writing. xXx attempts to deliver both but ends up supplying neither because the two styles do not merge. For one thing, the spy thriller aspect of xXx wants to take the film very seriously while the extreme sports side of it tries to make it a guilty pleasure. Either way, Rob Cohen fails to find the sufficient balance to make it work. The film carries over the gadgets and settings of a spy thriller which gives it some good action scenes to match, as does the extreme sports stunts. Yet they never amalgamate into a singular entity and rather end up leaving the film structured like a series of vignettes where some are serious and some aren't. Either way, they don't combine. Yet it is even worse that there is just not enough of them to distract forom the incompetence in the rest of the feature. For a film with such a practical action nature to boast about, xXx can't find anything sensible to do with itself and instead just wastes the time of viewers and Vin Diesel.

But even though the film is so shallow and bereft of character, I did find value in Vin Diesel's role in the film beyond strictly his presence.

Vin Diesel is a decent lead in xXx. Though Xander Cage is a poorly scripted character who leaves him more things to talk about than to shoot at, the film capitalizes on Vin Diesel's legacy created from The Fast and the Furious by providing the man with a character who has a taste for all things fast. Teaming him up again with Rob Cohen, Vin Diesel is given a role of more vocal relevance this time around. And though his character does not have much interesting to say, Vin Diesel lets the lines flow naturally from himself by simply saying it all as naturally as it comes to him. His hard edged nature is diverted into a more cocky persona this time around, it he is able to make it work because he is restrained but consistent with his line delivery and genuine energy. As well as that, his level of muscular physique makes it abundantly clear that he has the right stature for an action hero and his determination to engage with the tension of the film crosses over with the more intense scenes very well. Vin Diesel proves more than capable of kicking ass and delivering a large quantity of dialogue with ease in xXx, so it is effective in boosting his credibility in a sense.

Samuel L. Jackson is a good cast member to have on board because his instinctive persona integrates sophistication with a light touch of attitude that proves beneficial. Alas, the amount of screen time he receives if far from well-suited for an Academy Award nominated legend and cultural icon like him. His chemistry with Vin Diesel has its moment because the actor is instinctively talented, particularly when it comes time to establish a sense of tension. Samuel L. Jackson plays a very stereotypical role in xXx which is far from groundbreaking, but as a fan of his I can easily say that his natural charisma was a welcome touch.

The cameos from Danny Trejo and Tony Hawk are also welcome.

So despite a sporadic collection of competently staged action moments and a dedicated central effort from Vin Diesel, Rob Cohen ultimately smothers the potential of xXx with an excessive focus on talking instead of action, ultimately making the simplistic plot and tonal inconsistencies of the film all the more obvious.