Viewers of XXX will feel that of someone who’s drowning, just less dramatically. In the heavy action scenes they’ll be able to grab a breath of air from the world above, but in the torturous scenes full of lame dialogue, they will not be able to breathe, trapped without any site of land. The war is in full fledge; will they stay alive or not? In this case, XXX puts up a good fight but doesn’t succeed. The movie is worth watching for the fun action bites that occur every so offend, but during the scenes that are flat, you feel like your strangling; with absolutely no one to turn to.

     XXX is about a criminal named Xander Cage who is the typical James Bond, just on the antagonistic side of things. He chooses not to obey the law, hence he is looking at three strikes for grand theft auto, reckless endangerment, and a “little bridge stunt” of his. Xander is a bad man, covered in tattoos and would’ve probably spent a good thirty years out of lifetime in a cell, locked away; that is if it weren’t for Gibbons, Agent Gibbons (Samuel L. Jackson), who offers him an undercover job in Prague “to pay back Uncle Sam for all the freedom he’s enjoyed”. The purpose of the job is classified, all Gibbons tells “X” is he must find out information about the underground, people like him. In return, all of his criminal charges will be erased. When he puts his mind to it, “X” turns out to be one of the best secret agents ever used, but the plot takes a dramatic turn when his cover is blown. Agent Gibbons orders him to travel home, but does he? He’s a criminal; he isn’t supposed to listen to law enforcement!

     I did like Vin Diesel. He did exactly what he was supposed to do, and fit the characters stereotypical personality perfectly. Sadly, his characters stereotypical personality was nothing short of a bland grain of flour. His one-liners worked, in a lame way, though most of them were spoiled in the first two trailers almost everyone has seen at some point in their life. It’s hard to pinpoint a position on his overall performance; I liked it, he followed what screenwriters wanted him to do, yet when I watched Xander Cage on-screen it wasn’t magical enough. I wanted more of the splice-and-dice action scenes that are one of the movies only good qualities.

     One of the things that helped saved this movie from an incredibly low rating from me was the exaggeration used in the sets. If they hadn’t used elements so farfetched, so unbelievable in the story, the film wouldn’t have been as fun to watch. Even though the characters were incredibly dry, I must compliment the screenwriters for their innovative stunt ideas that truly made XXX have a hands-on feel, like you could bend and mold the characters for the better. Although far from The Road to Perdition, this movie would be great told in the form of a graphic novel; simply because the story can be just as in-depth and easily told through pictures.

     Even though average in most areas of the map, XXX is still worth a trip. The exciting and exuberant action is enough to fulfill the average movie-going needs. If you don’t analyze the plot extremely thoroughly, and are able to sit back, relax and enjoy the thrilling action in this film, you will love it! But if you look at the stunts it contains as mindless and unbelievable nonsense, you will not. Turn off your brain for two hours and ten minutes and absorb XXX to the fullest; with the right kind of mindset you will be prepared for an extremely fun roller-coaster ride.

-Danny, Bucket Reviews