xXx (2002)

An extreme sports athlete, Xander Cage, is recruited by the government on a special mission.

Director:

Rob Cohen

Writer:

Rich Wilkes

Stars:

Vin Diesel, Asia Argento, Marton Csokas

4 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Vin Diesel	...	Xander Cage
Asia Argento	...	Yelena
Marton Csokas	...	Yorgi
Samuel L. Jackson	...	Agent Augustus Gibbons
Michael Roof	...	Toby Lee Shavers
Richy Müller	...	Milan Sova
Werner Daehn	...	Kirill
Petr Jákl	...	Kolya (as Petr Jakl)
Jan Filipenský	...	Viktor (as Jan Filipensky)
Tom Everett	...	Senator Dick Hotchkiss
Danny Trejo	...	El Jefe
Thomas Ian Griffith	...	Agent Jim McGrath
Eve	...	J.J.
Leila Arcieri	...	Jordan King
William Hope	...	Agent Roger Donnan

Storyline

Xander "XXX" Cage is a thrill seeker who until now has been deemed untouchable by the law. NSA Agent Gibbons forces XXX to cooperate with the government to infiltrate an underground Russian crime ring, and avoid going to prison. Gibbons sends XXX to enter this world of crime undetected where others have failed, using his natural athletic prowess and a whole lot of attitude. Xander must combat an organization led by a clever, ruthless and nihilistic Yorgi whose first target is the city of Prague.

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Plot Keywords:

thug life | premarital sex | tattooed trash | big boned woman | time bomb | 

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Taglines:

If you want someone to save the world, make sure it's someone who likes the world as it is.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Thriller

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Certificate:

14A

Did You Know?

Trivia

Many of the action sequences were shot with a 20mm Panavision anamorphic lens, of which there were only two in existence.

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Goofs

When Agent Toby Lee Shavers is showing Xander the kit of field equipment, a wedding ring on Toby's hand is visible in closeups of him showing Xander the bullets for the gun as well as the binoculars but is gone in other shots and continues to reappear and disappear in between frames.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Henchman: [in Czech] He stole the chip, he's inside.
Yorgi: I see him.
Yorgi: Kirill! Time to work.

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Crazy Credits

There are no opening credits except for the title.

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Alternate Versions

Up until 2017, all UK versions of the film were cut by one second to remove a head-butt to secure a 12A/12 rating. The BBFC waived the cut to the theatrical version on January 5th 2017 for its 15th anniversary Blu-ray release. The director's cut had the cut waived when submitted in 2005, but the release itself is still (pointlessly) censored, even throughout Europe as the same master was used. Although it carries an overall 15 rating, this is only due to bonus features - the film itself is a 12 as per the theatrical version.

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Connections

Referenced in Eulogy (2004)

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Soundtracks

Bodies
(Vrenna XXX Tweaker Mix)
Written by Dave Williams, C.J. Pierce, Stevie Benton and Mike Luce
Performed by Drowning Pool
Courtesy of Wind-Up Records

User Reviews

Lousy and incredibly entertaining

Let there be no doubt: The acting sucks. Even Samuel L. Jackson's performance is mediocre and definitely unexpectedly so. The plot is ludicrous, the characters unbelievable and the acting (oh, I mentioned this already) dilettante. Effects had gone overboard and factualities of science wildly disregarded. Yet! Yet, this movie was quite the entertaining one. Subtly (purposely?) funny at places completely overshadowing the dysfunctional slapstick that absolutely didn't cut it, and above everything else - it didn't hesitate. The action was brilliantly choreographed and impressively implemented.

• Thomas Nielsen

p.s. Samuel L. Jackson should really not have been here. He should've been sitting at a table in a bar talking to Quentin Tarantino over a cup of coffee about a prequel to Pulp Fiction or what not. He definitely should not have been here. Definitely not.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English German Spanish Russian Czech

Release Date:

9 August 2002 (Canada)

Also Known As:

xXx

Filming Locations:

Charles Bridge, Old Town, Prague, Czech Republic

Box Office

Budget:

$70,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$44,506,103, 11 August 2002

Gross USA:

$142,109,382

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$277,448,382

Company Credits

Production Co:

Revolution Studios, Original Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

124 min 132 min (unrated director's cut)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1