xXx: THE RETURN OF XANDER CAGE
US, 2016, 107 minutes, Colour.
Vin Diesel, Donnie Yen, Toni Collette, Samuel L.Jackson, Ice Cube, Deepika Padukone, Kris Wu, Ruby Rose, Tony Jaa, Nina Dobrev, Rory McCann?.
Directed by D.J.Caruso.
Satellites circling the Earth, one catching fire, plunging down into Hong Kong, enveloping Samuel L. Jackson in flames – action-packed beginning and, by and large, it doesn’t let up, certainly a strong fix for any adrenaline junkies. Then there is an extraordinary raid on a CIA meeting, athletic agents leaping from building to building, using all kinds of martial arts techniques, shootouts, rather large body count, except for Toni Collette as the steely and ruthless head of the xXx program once presided over by Samuel L. Jackson.
By this stage, the word that leaps to mind is “absurd� – and that really doesn’t go away. And, while there is a focus on an American intelligence agency, “intelligent� is not a word that leaps to mind.
Then there is Vin Diesel high on the transmission tower in the Dominican Republic, set upon by military, leaping off the tower, going down a cliff, landing with skateboards on rough terrain, down the mountains, eluding pursuit, and why? Because the authorities had switched off transmission for the television play of a football match – the gratitude of a nation!
And, on it goes, with Xander Cage (absent from the last xXx adventure with Ice Cube – spoiler, he does make a reappearance!) with Cage being hired by Toni Collette to track down Pandora’s Box, a device to control satellites and make them crash.
And, where is the gang who stole the books in the first place – in the Philippines! So, off to the Philippines, the whole area of illegal action that President Duterte might care to look into, and then, some more slam bang action as the military attack, Toni Collette in command. Despite the fact that most of the characters are introduced with some information, generally of a sardonically comic kind, ordinary citizens may find it very difficult to work out who exactly is who and on whose side they are, especially as a number of them change sides throughout the film!
And then on to London.
Cage is not very happy with Toni Collette and the military types that she has organised as his backup, so what is he to do! Bind them altogether, open the rear door of the plane and let them fall out… Fortunately, or unfortunately, they survive which makes them available for a final confrontation with Cage (spoiler – which they lose). This was unexpected as they thought they had shot him but nothing like some good body armour – and he goes out the back of the plane hanging onto a box and just releasing the parachute in time for a safe landing.
Actually, he recruits his own team, including a very tough woman who is on safari in Africa with lions in her sight but actually firing at hunters and poachers. She has an opportunity for some very accurate firing. Then there is the computer nerd, a pleasantly comic and attractive character who, to her final satisfaction, does get to handle a machine gun. Enjoyable is the big stunt driver, a Scotsman, who is desperate to chalk up his 200th crash, get it on video – and achieves it in spectacular stunt work.
The film is been financed by Shanghai movie company so Donnie Yen is there (after his turn in Rogue One) and Thai champion Tony Jaa, blonde haired and athletic, gets a chance to be active.
There is, of course, a political twist at the end, and a dramatic twist which indicates that you really can’t kill off an important security figure.
If this film makes money, and that will depend on the fans and their acceptance of the credibility of plot and characters, which is dubious, then there will be the return of the return of Xander Cage.
