xXx (2002)

Director: Rob Cohen
Starring: Vin Diesel, Asia Argento, Marton Csokas

Synopsis:
An extreme sports enthusiast with a long rap sheet is shanghaied by the NSA to go undercover in Prague to investigate a gang of anarcho-terrorists.

Impressions:
This movie is an interesting take on the spy action subgenre that was very much a product of its time. Vin Diesel was cementing his credentials as part of the new generation of action stars and for that, this film is solid. Is it an incredibly deep or intelligent film? No, but that's not why you watch an action movie. The action set pieces are elaborate and having Xander Cage be an extreme sports adrenaline junkie gives a good in-universe justification for the crazy stuff he does. Asia Argento is quite good as his female counterpart and Samuel L Jackson warms up for his future role as Nick Fury in the MCU as Cage's boss Augustus Gibbons. Marton Csokas is decent as the main villain. Honestly, having your hero and the villains be largely on the same wavelength was an interesting take on this kind of story. If you like action, this isn't a bad choice. Give it a try.

Rating:
Watch It