They say the third time’s the charm and when it comes to the xXx franchise, they’re right. Before I dive into what makes xXx: Return of Xander Cage a blast of an action film, I need to lay out all of my cards on the table. I am a Vin Diesel fan. Anytime the man works up a new project, I’m always rooting for it to be a winner. While this has served me well when it has come to The Fast and the Furious franchise, his Riddick films, and his involvement in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, stepping outside of those sandboxes places one in sketchier terrain.
For every fun (but not overly memorable) film like The Pacifier, one comes across multiple instances of dreck like Knockaround Guys and A Man Apart. Even Babylon A.D., which I have a soft spot for, is not a film that I would adamantly defend. The first xXx film is one that I’ve sat through a few times and try as I might, I just can’t get on board with it. Even revisiting it last week, I was cringing through half its running tie and bored to tears during the other half. It’s just not a good film and worst of all, it’s not even enjoyable on a “bad movie” level. xXx is just terrible. I’m also not too fond of the Ice Cube-starring sequel, xXx: State of the Union.
Still, despite all of this, I’d hoped all throughout development that xXx: Return of Xander Cage would turn out well. When the first trailer arrived last year and looked to be a ton of fun, my enthusiasm for the received a shot of adrenaline. The sheer insanity and goofiness of that preview gave me a high that has lasted until release night. Is the film as good as its previews? No. It’s better.
Ladies and gentlemen, Vin Diesel, Paramount Pictures, and Revolution Studios have not only managed to finally craft a watchable xXx film. They’ve also gone a step beyond and created a damn good one. xXx: Return of Xander Cage is the film we were promised 15 years ago with the first one and never actually received. Taking a page from his Fast playbook, the tone and genre of this franchise has been shifted. Instead of aiming for an extreme sports/urban James Bond, this series has become a Monster Energy-injected Mission: Impossible.
That’s right, Xander Cage (Diesel) has a team this time ’round. I won’t get into the set-up too much, as it’s standard spy movie stuff. There’s an elusive group of elite operatives (Deepika Padukone, Tony Jaa, Michael Bisping), led by the charmingly mysterious Xiang (Donnie Yen), who come into possession of a SUPER SPY MACGUFFIN. The NSA needs Xander Cage to retrieve it, so he drums up a team for himself. You’ve got a crusading sniper (Ruby Rose), a crash-crazy daredevil (Rory McCann), a mesmerizing DJ (Kris Wu), and some hyperactive tech support (Nina Dobrev). It’s a goofy team, but one that’s simply fun across the board. Fun is a word you will be reading a lot in this review, by the way.
We’ve also got Toni Collette as a NSA stooge Jane Marke and Samuel L. Jackson back as boisterous NSA Agent Augustus Gibbons. Both have fun chewing scenery in the scenes they are given, but they are outshined by both superspy teams. On the antagonist side of things, Donnie Yen is thankfully given just as much screentime here (if not more) than he was in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. It’s such a pleasure to not only see Yen showcased in a big Hollywood film, but also seeing him bring his action prowess, charisma, and sense of humor to audiences in a way that his previous Hollywood outings (Blade 2, Highlander: Endgame, etc.) did not allow a decade and a half ago. As in Rogue One, Yen basically walks away with the movie.
Martial arts guru Tony Jaa isn’t given near as much screentime as Yen, but what he has he plays to the fullest. A friend described his hyperactive, badass bouncing role here as “Thai Nicolas Cage” and he’s spot on. Jaa is constantly making insane gestures and facial expressions throughout, all of which fit both his character and the tone of the film. Padukone also holds her own very well amidst the likes of Diesel and Yen as the female lead. Here’s hoping she scores more leading roles in the future.
No one, I repeat, no one is having as much fun as Vin Diesel. I don’t know if I have ever seen him this giddy outside of interviews before. His two most famous roles, Dominic Torretto and Richard B. Riddick, are both dour silent types. They’ll crack a joke now and then, but they are mostly just broodingly violent. Diesel played Xander Cage a similar way in 2002, albeit with a tad more energy tossed into the mix. Here he might as well be playing a completely different character that happens to also be named Xander Cage. As with the film’s change in style and tone from the previous entries, this alteration is nothing but a good film. Vin Diesel is all smiles and charisma in this from start to finish. If the Fast and Riddick films are Vin in Stallone mode, this is him in Arnold mode. He’s enthusiasm for everything around him in the film is absolutely infectious. I can only hope that even if we don’t get a sequel to this, that Diesel plays a few more roles in a similar way in the future.
There’s loads more I could discuss about this movie, from the awesome hand-to-hand fight scenes to the absolutely ridiculous stunts showcased throughout. You’ve seen a good bit of both in all of the trailers and TV spots, but trust me when I say that you definitely haven’t seen it all. Beyond just the stunts and action set pieces, the film also has a great sense of humor about it, as well as a since of history. Ice Cube’s appearance as xXx: State of the Union lead Darius Stone has already been spoiled in the marketing, but without giving too much away, the franchise has a deeper unseen history at play here that I loved. It also makes me wish we’d received a few more one shot sequels in the interim, especially since this is the xXx franchise’s Fast Five, in many ways.
If you don’t like first two, that’s fine. Neither do I! In spite of that, I still loved this movie. If you’re on the fence about seeing this gonzo action romp, then I suggest you hop off of it and go buy a ticket. If you’re a fan of Vin Diesel and his particular brand of action cinema, I severely doubt that you will be disappointed. Unless either The Fate of the Furious or Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 manages to suck, which seems unlikely, Diesel has already pulled a glorious hat trick in early 2017.
