XXX: State of the Union roles with a lot of muscle.

Has it gotten to the point where if you've seen one Triple X then you've seen them all? Apparently director Lee Tamahori and screen writer Simon Kinberg thought audiences needed another triple X, but this time it's xXx: State of the Union (2005). This time you guessed it; we are now dealing with domestic terrorism, which means things are going to get nasty. The film opens with Darius Stone an anti-hero who is in prison for something he did not do. The predictable plot spins around a bunch of military men led by former General George Octavius Deckert who is now the Secretary of State. Secretary Deckert plans to take the nation and presidency of James Sanford (Peter Strauss) by force.


xXx: State of the Union brings former Navy SEAL Darius Stone to the forefront breaking him out of a military prison as he is recruited as the new Triple X. His former military Captain, now National Security Agency chief Augustus Gibbons (Samuel L. Jackson) needs Stone’s help since his organization has been infiltrated by Deckert's men. Director Lee Tamahori brings all of the flamboyance of his 2002 James Bond, Die Another Day flick into this movie treating viewers to state of the art gadgets, glamorous women, attractive lead characters, car chases and risky stunts. I won't tell the rest of the plot, which unfurls like a highway shoot out, but I will note that justice is bitter sweat.


The cinematography and lighting in this film was excellent showing lots of modern and high tech detail. There are a lot of cars in this movie in fact when rapper Xzibit's character Zeke is introduced in a chop shop I was immediately reminded of his popular MTV Show Pimp My Ride. xXx: State of the Union is loaded with top-notch stunts that are down right amazing. There is a lot of computer-generated stuff, but there are other scenes where the action is real and this time some of the lead actors get their hands dirty. The dialogue is simple and easy to understand with one-liners and cheesy cliché's running through this film like a comic book. Samuel Jackson and Ice Cube worked well together with a lot of hip-hop flavor and the other bringing the theatrical performance that kept the film grounded. The lovely Sunny Mabrey’s who played the daughter of Eve in the film Species III delivers a lot of sparkle to her character Charlie, the Washington elite and corrupted senator’s daughter added that extra nick of deception into the films wafer thin plot. Ice Cube delivers his traditional scowls and groans as his beautiful love interest Lola Jackson (Nona Gaye) sparkles in a dark Le Fem Nikita kind of way.


The music and composed score by Marco Beltrami brings West Coast hip-hop, and the traditionally composed sound of the orchestra together providing a lot of unquestionable continuity through out the movie. On the whole, I think the music and sounds effects were awesome, especially if you have the right type of speakers or surround sound system, you will enjoy the aggressive beat thumping action that’s delivered into your living room. This movies soundtrack is a definite improvement over the first xXx outing, tying things together like a thick Windsor tie knot.


However no matter how much I enjoyed this film there were obviously some blemishes. For example, I did not like the fact that the original Triple X was killed off to make a way for a new one. Why not leave all of the agents alive and develop one big mega-sequel, and make a real sequel. One of the things that did not go over well with audiences when this was released was it violent military premise mixed with street savvy justice. Upon this films release back in April the critics had an expected field day with this one tearing into it like a hungry solider waiting to eat an MRE (military meals ready to eat). As if things could be worse this film did not break even at the box office. The production cost outweighed the films net gross at the box office. While I liked this film and purchased the DVD, it is clear that action junkie's like myself were not interested in paying the big bucks at the box office. Even though it did not gross the big bucks in theaters like the original 2002 xXx, personally I feel xXx: State of the Union divided audiences and critics. For a moment lets forget about Samuel Jackson and look at West Coast Hip-Hop icons Xzibit and Ice Cube. There is no secret that West Coast record sales have plummeted. Which could relate to Xzibit and Ice Cube’s marketability that once brought both artists a lot of notoriety is now overplayed, and over exposed. It is clear this one should have gone straight to video and relied strictly on its original fan base.



Final thoughts:

Ironically this film walks a fine line in developing real heroes, as the country is ultimately saved by car thieves and other riff raff's including Triple X. This film is not going to appeal to all audiences unless you enjoy watching mindless action that requires no real mental calculations. What I found interesting about this film when compared to the 2002 xXx, is not so much the similarities between Darius Stone and Xander Cage (Vin Diesel), but rather the differences. We clearly have a new look when it comes to our super heroes and villains in Tinsel Town. One of the things you'll enjoy with the DVD is the filmmaker's commentary, visual effects commentary, and the deleted scenes. Fortunately all of the deleted scene needed to be cut from the movie, since they don't add or take away from the overall film. This film is appropriately rated PG-13 and deserves at a minimum 4 out of 5 bold stars.