- Actors: Vin Diesel, Asia Argento, Marton Csokas, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Roof
- Directors: Rob Cohen
- Writers: Rich Wilkes
- Producers: Arne Schmidt, Creighton Bellinger, David Minkowski, Derek Dauchy, George Zakk
- Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Colour, Dolby, DVD-Video, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
- Language English, French
- Subtitles: English, French
- Region: Region 1 (US and Canada DVD formats.)
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9 - 2.40:1
- Number of discs: 1
- Classification: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) (US MPAA rating. See details.)
- Studio: Sony Pictures
- DVD Release Date: 31 Dec 2002
- Run Time: 124 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B00005JL3K
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 129,134 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)
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Amazon.co.uk Review
For a movie that would like to think of itself as the future of the action / espionage picture, xXx uses a surprising number of jokes and stunts lifted directly from the Roger Moore Bond era while the actual premise resembles a sex-change for Nikita. Vin Diesel's Xander Cage--an extreme sports daredevil recruited by spymaster Samuel L Jackson for a covert mission in Prague--may be Blofeld-bald, pumped-up with testosterone, tattooed like a graffiti-covered wall and given to driving sports cars off bridges for fun, but he turns out to be a disappointingly square goodie-goodie when the quips and bullets are flying. Even the slinky heroine (Asia Argento), a double agent within a mad ex-Soviet gang called Anarchy 99, laughs at the idea that a walking cue ball with three Xs tattooed on his neck could ever be a secret agent.
There's one stunt scene that will be remembered as a classic, as xXx triggers an avalanche and snowboards ahead of the fall. But there's too much of the falling-out-of-planes, straddling-and-defusing-jet-propelled-germ-bombs, blasting-every-baddie-in-the-place business that makes it too familiar. Enough material for several great trailers, but next time they'll need a script. --Kim Newman
On the DVD: xXx comes loud and proud to DVD, with Dolby 5.1 sound and the kind of sharp screen transfer you'd expect for a movie of this magnitude. From beautiful scrolling menus based on the tattoo artwork to the brash music, this disc epitomises everything an extreme sports release should be: special features are offered in the "Zander Zone" and include a whole host of behind-the-scenes action and commentaries, made all the more interesting by Rob Cohen's reluctance to use CGI and Vin Diesel's willingness to be thrown in at the deep end. If there's one thing you should avoid, though, it's the Gavin Rossdale music video--unless of course you want to see a grown man's vanity on screen. --Nikki Disney
Product Description
Columbia, TriStar, Region 1 2002 124 mins
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An entertaining thrill ride of a film,
By Daniel Jolley "darkgenius" (Shelby, North Carolina USA) - See all my reviews (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER) (TOP 100 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: xXx [DVD] [2002] (DVD)
I'm not a huge fan of action movies, but I've quite enjoyed both of the XXX films. The original, starring Vin Diesel, is chock full of things that go boom, and I don't think the story is all that bad. I was especially happy to finally get to see Asia Argento for the first time - she is, among other things, the daughter of one of the true greats of European horror. I must admit I'm still not quite sure what all the Vin Diesel hysteria is about, though. He's certainly a different breed of actor, but I thought he had a few moments of inconsistency here. One thing I really don't understand is the inevitable comparisons between XXX and James Bond. I would never have even thought of comparing them because I see them as two completely different characters occupying opposite ends of the secret agent spectrum. So, anyway, Vin Diesel plays Xander Cane, a rebel with an X Games mentality and a penchant for sticking it to the man. It's enough to get him noticed by NSA Agent Gibbons (Samuel L. Jackson), and - needless to say - Xander passes Gibbons' test and soon finds himself ensconced amidst a group of dangerous anarchists in Prague. The bad guys are your typical malcontented youths who oppose everything society stands for and revel in the idea of unfettered freedom. What makes them special, though, are the scope of their operation and the plans they are cooking up to make the whole world all but implode. The newly christened XXX knows how to walk the walk and talk the talk, and that puts him in a position to learn just what Anarchy 99 is up to. Naturally, there's a woman thrown in the mix - the mysterious Yelena (Asia Argento), a pivotal member of the organization who might very well be more than she seems. It is the special effects rather than the actual storyline that tend to dominate the movie, though - and that's fine because it makes XXX a pulse-pounding cinematic experience. Of course, if any of the bad guys could hit the broad side of a barn with their weapons, XXX would have been down for the count before he even got started. I thought the stunts and special effects were well above average. As the Filmmaker's Diary documentary and making-of featurettes show, director Rob Cohen relied on actual stunts rather that CGI whenever possible (one stuntman died during his work on the movie), making XXX more realistic than a lot of other action films. Xander himself is the proverbial anti-hero, and that always seems to appeal to audiences. The pumped-up soundtrack only adds more energy to the almost nonstop action on the screen. In essence, XXX has all the makings of a solid summer blockbuster - and that's exactly what it was.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
xXx A Modern Day Bond ?!,
By
This review is from: xXx [DVD] [2002] (DVD)
Well, after an hour or so of confusion I found myself deciding that this is an acceptable purchase. The confusion is clearly that it's got to be a spoof movie, this is an agent of crass comments and circumstances lacking the poise to really compete at the top of it's class (Bond). Theres something for everyone in there, it's going to take most people a while to find their something though?! I would talk about the plot but you know, that's not the movies purpose, the stunts are good and you just have to try to ignore the guy Van 'something' who plays the lead and it's a fun viewing. Set a couple of hours aside.
8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
i feel sorry for anyone who shells out for this film,
This review is from: xXx [DVD] [2002] (DVD)
i saw this film in the cinema and i dont have a positive word to say for it. the baddies are unconvincing, they have the traits of the baddies (they smoke and drink etc) but dont have the evil genuis mind we have been lead to expect from similar films like bond. vin diesil as a the hero is also not great, he stuggles to string sentecnes together and his lines lack any comedy value. the special effects are tacky and the extreme sprots link is awful. to quote from the film "stop being such a dick, dick" what kind of line is that? the writers of this should feel bad. l jackson adds a little class to the film but is unable to rescue this excuse of a film. it was an attempt to get out a film to stafsiy brainless people s desire for a tacky action film wwhile they waited for the release of die another day. as a fan of action films i was appauled by this. while people may disagree with my views this is what a honestly thought of the film
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