“The fate of the free world’s in the hands of a bunch of hustlers and thieves.” —Darius Stone
Today’s quick review: xXx: State of the Union. After an attack on his life forces him into hiding, NSA agent Augustus Gibbons (Samuel L. Jackson) turns to Darius Stone (Ice Cube), a former Navy Seal now serving time in prison, to take on the mantle of xXx, the latest in a series of deep cover agents recruited from outside the Agency. Together they uncover a planned coup by Secretary of State George Deckert (Willem Dafoe), the man who had Darius imprisoned.
xXx: State of the Union is an action movie and a loose sequel to the original xXx. State of the Union takes the premise and supporting characters of the first film but swaps out Vin Diesel for Ice Cube. Without Xander Cage, the extreme sports motif gets dropped in favor of more attitude, broadly put. Darius Stone combines a criminal attitude with military training for a character that fits much more naturally into the action genre than an athlete turned spy.
The swap helps with the movie’s pacing as well. With the xXx program already established, State of the Union is free to drop right into the main plot. The military focus makes the action in State of the Union feel more cohesive, but at the cost of some of the original’s more inventive stunts. What is left are the bread-and-butter action scenes, with guns, cars, explosions, and close combat, delivered in sufficient quantity and spread evenly throughout the movie.
Though a more consistent movie than its predecessor, xXx: State of the Union shares some of its flaws. The plot has good pacing and the right progression but treads very familiar ground for action movies. The characters are passable but not especially memorable, and neither Samuel L. Jackson nor Willem Dafoe are at their best. Likewise, the dialogue passes muster, but the lines are not as sharp as other entries into the genre.
Watch xXx: State of the Union if you are in the mood for a popcorn action flick with no strings attached. While not a standout in the genre, xXx: State of the Union makes for a fun watch with few iconic moments but few glaring errors. Skip it if you want a deeper action movie or one that takes more chances.
4.3 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.5 to 7.0 for enjoyable if conventional action.