Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10299 in DVD
• Released on: 2003-03-10
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: Czech, English, German, Russian, Spanish
• Subtitled in: English, Hindi
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 119 minutes

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

Special Features
Director's Commentary
"XXX A filmmaker's Diary" featurette
10 deleted scenes
"Diesel Powered" featurette
"Building Speed - the vehicles of XXX" featurette
"Designing the world of XXX" featurette
3 Visual effects 'how to' featurettes
"Adrenaline" music video - Gavin Rossdale
Theatrical trailer
Weblinks
Anamorphic - 1:2.40
DolbyDigital 5.1 Surround

Synopsis
This amped action drama stars Vin Diesel as Xander (aka Triple X), a rebellious extreme sports star with a mission to defy authority and create anarchy. In the dramatic opening scene of the movie, Xander pulls an outrageous serious of stunts with the help of a band of similar-minded jocks, broadcasts the whole event live onto the Internet with a network of strategically placed digital cameras, and then avoids being captured by the squadron of police who pursue him. When Triple X is later taken into custody, Gibbons (Samuel L. Jackson), a representative from a government agency, hires the chiseled athlete and turns him into a secret agent with a mission to travel to Prague and collapse a dangerous terrorist cell operated by Yorgi (Martin Csokas) and the seductive Yelena (Asia Argento). Triple X is quickly drawn into Yorgi's lair, a stunning chateau situated in the mountains that is equipped with every high-tech modern amenity imaginable, along with a sizeable team of extra-large Slav bodyguards, a laboratory staffed by top scientists, and an always-ready gaggle of gorgeous concubines. Nonstop stunts, pounding hard-core music, elaborate sets, and inventive costumes make this Rob Cohen-directed adrenaline overload a visually exciting, aurally engaging, highly entertaining success.

Customer Reviews

An entertaining thrill ride of a film
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.

Rent it first...then decide.
This film could really be summed up in one word "Appalling". Van Diesel plays the archetypical 'action hero', yeah, you've got it, one whose only status is big muscles and has 'I can't act' written all over his face!

The trailer for the film looked absolutely awesome, which is the only 30 seconds worth watching for the entire film. This is why I have rated the film 1 star, which is more than an adequate rating for the 30 seconds of mesmerising stunts.

I would love to explain in more detail the story of the film, but quite frankly I was too busy laughing at how pathetic the plot was to even remember it.

Nevertheless, as taste is unaccountable, I can only recommend you rent this film from blockbuster or whomever!

Watch it!
This film is superb.But, like so many people have said, you'll either love it or hate it.Personally, I enjoy films like The Fast and The Furious, Swordfish, Blade etc. So if you, like me, are into the fighting-explosions-action-tongue in cheek-adrenaline fuelled genre of film, this is a must see. I don't really understand why people keep comparing this film to James Bond. The only comparison is that there is a secret agent involved-that is where the similarity ends. Vin Diesel could never be 007, but he is not trying to be...that is what makes this such a brilliant film. If you watch films and say things like "he could never survive that" or "that would never happen" then don;'t bother with xXx. But then again, do we not watch films to escape into fantasy, rather than compare them with reality? Watch it.