XXX

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XXX ★★½ 2002 (PG-13)

Director Rob Cohen attempts to update the secret agent flick for the X Games crowd with this stunt-riddled explosion fest. Xander “XXX” Cage (Diesel) is a former extreme athlete recruited by NSA agent Gibbons (Jackson) after he's busted stealing a senator's car. Xander is given a choice between jail time or becoming a special ops agent. He then spends the rest of the movie jumping off, sliding down and blowing up plot devices. If you're looking for an introspective drama about feelings, move along. If you're looking to watch things go “Boom!” while a thick-necked mumbling guy acts like a jackass, then put it in and get some popcorn. Cohen and Diesel previously teamed up on the unexpected hit “The Fast and the Furious,” so the bets on the duo remaking “Steel Magnolias” as their next project have officially been taken off the board. 111m/C VHS, DVD, Blu-ray Disc, UMD . US Vin Diesel, Samuel L. Jackson, Asia Argento, Marton Csokas, Danny Trejo, Michael Roof, Tom Everett, Richy Muller, Werner Daehn; D: Rob Cohen; W: Rich Wilkes; C: Dean Semler; M: Randy Edelman.