xXx: State of the Union

I loved the original xXx. In fact, I bought the DVD the day it was released. Sure, the story was implausible. But it was a whole lot of fun to watch! And the action was well done by a population of actors who fit their roles like a glove. Vin Diesel purportedly priced himself out of a reprise of his role as Xander Cage, the title character of the first film. I wasn't entirely sure that Ice Cube was the best choice to take over as the headliner, but I was prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt to see the franchise itself continue. Unfortunately, it was a terrible script rather than any actor that has put the future of xXx in doubt as well as jeopardizing the success of the current film.

Agent Augustus Gibbons (Samuel L. Jackson) remains the man in charge of a top secret government team that roots out threats to freedom around the world and eliminates them in clandestine operations. Needless to say, it's something of a shock when his hidden headquarters is itself the subject of a vicious raid by unknown — but very well armed and trained — assailants. After he and weapons wizard Agent Toby Lee Shavers (Michael Roof) barely escape with their lives, Gibbons determines he needs a man with attitude to go with his high level skills to deal with the dangerous circumstances. Fortunately, such a man exists not too very far away in the person of Darius Stone (Ice Cube) who is serving a twenty-year sentence in a military prison.

Gibbons visits Stone, but his invitation isn't too well received. Then Stone learns that a part of his compensation might include some payback for the man who landed him behind bars. General George Deckert (Willem Dafoe) is now the Secretary of Defense. But some years earlier, he was a military commander who gave an order so heinous that Navy SEAL Stone and some members of his team not only refused to follow it but actively worked to foil the plan. Since then, Stone has undergone a court martial, and many of his cohorts have disappeared. Needless to say, the opportunity to be both free and in a position to do something about Deckert is irresistible.

Meanwhile, President James Stanford (Peter Strauss) is working on his State of the Union address during which he intends to announce military cutbacks and peace overtures to some of the country's traditional enemies. Needless to say, Deckert isn't pleased to hear about the President's plans, and he does his best to talk him out of taking the planned actions. As Deckert considers his options and puts together some plans of his own, Agent Kyle Steele (Scott Speedman) is investigating the attack on Gibbons' NSA offices. The more he learns, the more Steele begins to fear that there's far more to the attack than originally believed, and that the powers behind it aren't those he might have originally suspected.

Ice Cube is okay as Darius Stone. Frankly, Vin Diesel is no great shakes as an actor, either, but he has an undeniable charisma onscreen which Ice Cube lacks. Samuel L. Jackson, who is a fine actor, seems to be going through the motions here. Scott Speedman and Michael Roof appear to have some enthusiasm for their roles, and they both do just fine. Willem Dafoe is very good; Peter Strauss is only okay, but that's less his fault than it is a substandard script. Nona Gaye (who plays a beautiful former car thief) is gorgeous, but her looks can't overcome her need for more acting classes. Sunny Mabrey, however, acquits herself well as Charlie, a woman who may or may not be willing to help XXX succeed in his mission. In short, the acting is uneven. But the direction and the script are both consistent. Unfortunately, they're consistently bad.

The original xXx was implausible, but a lot of fun; the storyline in the sequel goes well beyond implausible and into the impossible. Tanks on the streets of Washington DC as security measures for the State of the Union address? Please! A bullet train underneath the Capitol that can travel at speeds upward of 250 miles per hour? Oh, sure. Agents guarding a top secret facility all run to the scene of an explosion leaving valuable equipment and information completely unguarded? Yeah, right. And to add insult to injury, the script offers up far more than its fair share of triteness to boot.

The firefights and explosions are very cool (though the special effects crew blows it on a scene involving the aforementioned bullet train that clearly shows model work). And those who are into some seriously souped up cars will find some scenes of great interest. But none of that can make up for the terrible script, poor direction, and largely lackadaisical performances. It's too bad the moviemakers, in an apparent fit of pique, chose to mention (several times) that "Xander Cage was killed in Bora Bora last night." A return to the original star might have helped a little; and new scriptwriters might help even more. As it is, xXx: State of the Union may have blown its chances for the franchise product the first film was intended to start, and given the interesting premise and its many possibilities, that's a real shame.

POLITICAL NOTES: It's patently obvious that the writers support the idea of a president who would largely disarm the US and try to turn its enemies into allies by talking. It's just as clear that the writers have no real idea that there's just no talking with some people, and that America (like most countries) will always have its enemies. To encourage drastic military reductions, especially in a time when we are at war, is certainly irresponsible at best. There's also a real slap at the military mind set between the lines.

FAMILY SUITABILITY: xXx: State of the Union is rated PG-13 for "sequences of intense action violence and some language." People do die with disturbing regularity in the movie, but none of the deaths involve any detail or much blood. Much of the language has an urban flavor, but again, it's largely unobjectionable (there's worse in much hip hop and rap songs virtually every junior high schooler has heard). Still, this isn't a movie for younger kids. Tweens and teens, especially boys, from age 12 or 13 and up should be fine, though the older the kids get, the less I suspect they'll be willing to suspend belief long enough to watch this thankfully short film.

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