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By Ryan Greis
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If James "007" Bond were 20 years younger, he might resemble somebody like Xander "XXX" Cage (Vin Diesel), an extreme sports athlete recruited by the U.S. government to join their team of covert spies. XXX, director Rob Cohen's high-energy spy adventure, aims to make Bond look outdated, but it follows an action formula we've seen countless times before.
Diesel, as brash as he is muscular, offers a fresh spin on the action hero model as Cage. His problem is a stale plot that offers few surprises. Basically, Rich Wilkes' uncreative screenplay, a reheated Bond adventure, is a punch in Diesel's wisecracking mouth.
Early in XXX, Cage's rebel life of snowboarding, grand theft auto and bungee jumping is brought to a close by a shady government agent named Augustus Gibbons (Samuel L. Jackson). Cage is offered a hard-knock proposition by Gibbons: Either go to jail for committing illegal stunts, or go undercover and infiltrate a Russian crime ring based in Prague.
Cage's target is Yorgi (Marton Csokas), an ex-Russian soldier whose nightclubs and mountaintop castle is a front for a plot to throw the world into chaos with attacks on large cities using biological weapons. Yorgi's pretty confidante, Yelena (Italian actress Asia Argento), looks to be Cage's best hope for gaining inside information.
Its terrorist story line keeps XXX current with news headlines. Still, Cohen has made a pulpy spy movie less serious-minded than recent hits, The Sum of All Fears and The Bourne Identity. Granted, XXX is far punchier than the last Bond movie, The World is Not Enough, but it still fails to deliver all of its youthful promises.
Jackson crackles as Cage's government boss with the mysteriously scarred face. When it comes to spunky attitude, Jackson is Diesel's equal. Surprisingly, Cohen gives Jackson little screen time. Instead of offering Gibbons and Cage as a twisted version on a father-son relationship, Cohen keeps Gibbons on the sidelines. Perhaps, Cohen feared that a more prominent Jackson would upstage the punky Diesel.
The best thing about XXX is feisty Asia Argento as Yelena. Claiming a tight-lipped snarl and angry eyes that pierce right through you, she strikes a pose far different from the typical spy girl Friday normally seen on-screen. Argento is sexy because she's also tough and vicious. Clad in thigh-high black leather boots, dark eye make-up and a meshed top, Yelena makes a powerful visual impact. More importantly, there is a spirited performance behind her long-legged silhouette. Even late into the film, she never dissolves into Cage's female accessory. Clearly, Argento is too hard-edged to play a girlfriend-in-distress role.
Larger-than-life heroes need colorful villains, but I can barely remember the name of XXX's Russian baddie (It's Yorgi ). Like Diesel, Csokas sports a youthful face and muscle-bound shoulders. Yorgi is the fittest evil mastermind in recent memory. He can handle Cage punch for sweaty punch. Yorgi's true enemy is a script that makes him look routine, predictable and unintentionally funny. Most importantly, the climactic face-off between the hero and his nemesis makes little impact.
Playing a hero for the first time, Diesel puts his hyper personality to good use as the bulkiest spy boy around. His gruff voice, multiracial complexion, tattooed arms and neck, wide chest and shaven head are only part of the XXX package: Diesel flashes an anti-authority attitude that complements his extreme sports talents. His wisecracking is clever, although a bit too glib for my tastes. He even looks tough in something as ludicrous as an ankle-length, fur-trimmed coat.
In the not-so-distant past, tough guys like Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis filled the movie hero roles. Recently, Matt Damon, Tobey Maguire and Ben Affleck have created a new breed of young, more sensitive, less muscular action heroes. Diesel falls somewhere between, forfeiting sensitivity for brashness, while emulating Schwarzenegger's bulk.
Cohen, who previously directed Diesel in the drag racing hit, The Fast and the Furious, does an adequate job keeping XXX's action fast moving. The film loses some of its spark when predictable spy gadgets overwhelm Cage's sports gear. The film's appeal, supposedly, is that its hero shares little in common with the tuxedo-clad Bond. When Cage sits behind the wheel of a car outfitted with the latest gizmos, XXX takes a step backwards.
To his credit, Cohen emphasizes exotic locations and outlandish stunts over digital effects. Everything looks incredibly real. The film's best sequence has Cage snowboarding down the side of a mountain while an avalanche crashes around him. It's the one scene that makes you smile in amazement.
A few years ago, XXX's distributor, Sony Pictures, was unsuccessful in its bid to launch a rival James Bond series. As a replacement, they have created the character XXX, and the result is impressive. Diesel has the street-grit charisma necessary to be a New Millennium hero. For the time being, Bond is experiencing slippery relevance. I don't know if Cage will fill the action hero gap. Story wise, XXX is a lackluster debut. Still, if given a second chance and a better plot, I'm confident Diesel can rise to the occasion.
CityBeat grade: C.
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