xXx: State of the Union (2005)

Good start, but then it gets ruined

Absolutely amazing

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

The action spy sequel returned without its leading man as Xander Cage was reportedly killed. The NSA is under attack and Agent Augustus Gibbons (Samuel L. Jackson) is a prime target as men from his old team are being murdered. He recruits a new member to the xXx program, Darius Stone (Ice Cube), a marine lieutenant from Gibbons old team that was imprisoned. After arranging an escape, Gibbons informs Stone of the new scheme. Stone uses his training and ability at extreme transportation to steal information and elude the authorities. Agent Kyle Steel (Scott Speedman) is on his tale as Stone finds himself quickly on the wrong side of the law and questioning of authority. A plot is revealed that the Secretary of Defense George Deckert (Willem Dafoe) is eliminated the team members and changing the direction of the country. These movies are never about the plot but State of the Union spends a significant amount of time on the political intrigue and Ice Cube's espionage. Check out more of this review and others at swilliky.com

I wasn't the world's biggest fan of the original xXx, mainly because I can't stand Vin Diesel, the biggest plank of wood to grace a modern cinema screen. When I heard he wouldn't be returning for this sequel, I was overjoyed; however, this film is much the same as the last one, and not in a good way. It's cheesy, preposterous and frequently unbelievable; if you don't mind these things you'll probably enjoy it. I know I did.Ice Cube is the miscast anti-hero of the film, and to be honest he's not a very interesting character; then again, his scripted lines are all cheesy. His only real outstanding scene is the bit where he breaks out of prison, where you get the feeling he's a real powerhouse. He kind of fades away after that. The rest of the film follows a pseudo James Bond-style plot, with lots of chases and stormings of buildings; there's a neat speedboat bit, some cool car chases and more. The flimsy plot involves a corrupt Secretary of Defence attempting to take over the White House with his own private army, and Willem Dafoe pops up, typecast once again as the sneering villain – but then he is good at it.This film's action pushes the boundaries of the low certificate, and there are some really brutal fight sequences with cracking sound effects – the kind you hear in a violent Jet Li flick. Samuel L. Jackson has always been good value for money, and he's given a slightly bigger role in this sequel, although he's still not in it much; still, he makes his character imposing and cool, as always. The ending, with the kidnapped president on the bullet train, is even cheesier than the ending of UNDER SIEGE 2! The CGI effects of the train and car make this look like a computer game, similar to weak moments in I, ROBOT. It's still fun, though; just disengage your brain, as, like TRANSPORTER 2, this is a modern Hollywood blockbuster that swaps integrity for excitement.

-10 out of 10 I should probably put in a joke to soften the blow of what this movie has done to you to bring you here (yes.. wipe off that puke already). This movie doesn't even need a spoiler button. you'll be left traumatized losing your ability to spell out 'wtf'.Ice cube as a lead? that just cemented the energy of the movie.. he really was a bad ass(not being a compliment). he should have just stuck with his gibberish in songs, it doesn't work when you randomly spaz out unendingly in front of the camera.The only disappointment is that Samuel l Jackson took part in conning the millions.. and millions.

Line - Witty Retort; Action - Witty Retort; Tough question - tougher answer with wit; Whoops, good acting by Samuel L Jackson for a second; Ice Cube - Close up, tough guy stare and one-liner; explosion, guns, stunts, boats, "grand theft choppers", girls, surprising villain (not too surprising); anti-hero makes tough guys seem like pansy boys - witty retortI got a copy of the script and just wanted to share a little bit with y'all. This movie's got all of the above, and gadgets! I'm trying to think of a situation where this would be worth watching ... and all I can come up with is if you're the curious type who's going to watch it anyways. One thing I will say, at around 39 minutes in, pop-violinists in a major motion picture never looked so good!Rating: 12/40 (just because it delivers on the very few promises it makes)