xXx

Meet Xander Cage, an extreme sports star and hero of rebels everywhere, recruited by the feds to be a spy. He's James Bond, updated for the new millennium and a hip new audience. And frankly, this new spy hero has a sex appeal Bond doesn't: the element of bad boy danger all but bursting out of actor Vin Diesel's tattooed muscles.

In xXx, Diesel (who also executive produced the movie) stars as a man who enjoys putting his life on the line as well as tweaking the establishment. After a typical stunt, Diesel finds himself in trouble with the law yet again. This time, the timing of his troubles nicely coincides with the NSA's need for a tougher brand of undercover spy. Offered the choice between serving his country and serving hard time, it's no real surprise when Xander Cage grudgingly opts to do the patriotic thing and infiltrate an anarchist group that's splintered off from the Russian military.

Though Cage isn't particularly fond of having anyone tell him what to do, he's true to his word and does what he can to provide intelligence to American authorities. Despite an inept Czech police officer who insists on overseeing the operation, Cage manages to meet local gang boss, Yorgi (Marton Csokas) and his girl, Yelena (Asia Argento) and gain their trust. From there, however, he's forced to improvise as the situation rapidly escalates beyond his control.

Vin Diesel has an ability to appear as tough as they come (he may actually be pretty tough - he was a bouncer before getting his break into show biz), and he's got a way with humor that's reminiscent of Bruce Willis in the Die Hard franchise but yet all his own. Cage's NSA handler, a man we know little about other than the story mutely told by his horribly scarred face, is played by Samuel L. Jackson. With little back story to go on with this character, Jackson still manages to convey an aplomb one imagines can only come from repeatedly cheating death - and laughing while doing it. Marton Csokas is frightening, and Asia Argento is both pretty and almost as tough as her leading man. A good supporting cast, especially an eager-beaver wanna-be field agent, is also worthy of mention.

The setting - Prague - is gorgeous. But it's overshadowed by stunts that are truly spectacular. Extreme sports fans will be open-mouthed at a snow boarding sequence, and action afficianados will see more than enough gun fights and explosions to satisfy even the most jaded of them. Though the script is sometimes predictable, the action is so well done and so exciting that I personally forgot to try to figure out what would happen next and simply lived in the moment as it unfolded onscreen.

I'm not much of a James Bond fan (though I adore Sean Connery), but I'll tell you this after spending an afternoon with Xander Cage: Moviemakers can bring Vin Diesel back as Xander Cage as often as they'd like, and I'll be right there, ticket in hand.

FAMILY SUITABILITY: xXx is rated PG-13. Though the violence is not particularly graphic, there is a lot of it and some of it is extreme. Because it is realistically presented (unlilke video games), and because the entire latter half of the movie is tension-filled, I'd recommend it only for those 14 and up.

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