xXx: Return of Xander Cage

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Welcome to the human race...

"Sometimes your shallowness is so thorough, it's almost like depth." - Daria Morgendorffer

Humanity's capacity for resilience and reinvention has yielded results both positive and negative across the years (with a tendency towards the latter in recent memory). xXx: Return of Xander Cage can easily be interpreted as a negative example as it feeds into modern Hollywood's business-minded approach to the creative process that will gladly milk any available property for as much financial reward as possible, no matter how outwardly unlikely the prospect may seem. Prior to this, the xXx "franchise" (such as it was) consisted of only two movies. The first was an instantly-dated attempt to inject a juvenile passion for extreme sports into a Bond-like spy adventure, whereas the second came across as an empty coattail-riding rehash due to its brand-new hero and general lack of distinguishing features. It is all but certain that the existence of this new sequel can be credited directly to the extremely lucrative reinvention of xXx star Vin Diesel's other major action franchise, the car-centric Fast and the Furious series. The logic is relatively sound - if a moderately successful action series could eventually turn out a billion-dollar blockbuster with just the right degree of creativity and persistence, then maybe the prospect of making a much-belated sequel in a franchise where Diesel's main character supposedly died after one movie wasn't such an absurd one after all? This is Hollywood, after all. Stranger things have happened.

Plot's obviously not a major concern here as Return shamelessly bounds between riffing on established action tropes and borrowing heavily from the Fast series (with the most obvious instance being the "team of evil counterparts" premise of F&F6). There's a MacGuffin. Bad guys steal it. Good guys want it back. Enter Diesel as the eponymous rogue who is plucked out of his anarchic yet altruistic life off the grid by an NSA handler (Toni Collette) because he's the obvious match for the villainous gang of daredevils who took the MacGuffin (in this instance a mysterious black box of immense danger). In broad strokes, it's all familiar stuff to anyone who is well-versed in action cinema, especially movies involving spies and men-on-a-mission. If anything, it is that familiarity that will help one to enjoy this movie as it offers amusing twists on well-worn tropes with barely a hint of ironic detachment in sight. As with the Fast series, the hokey sincerity is the secret weapon that covers for any narrative weakness. The maturity can be detected in the ways that Cage has changed over the years. xXx started with him trashing a sports car that belonged to a videogame-hating politician; Return re-introduces him as he brings free cable to the poor of Brazil. The shift from empty rebellion to Robin Hood exploits demonstrates that the movie knows what it needs to succeed: a heart.

The heart definitely shines through when it comes to the rest of the characters and how they interact. Cage is the kind of character who would be very easy to hate in the wrong hands (and kind of was easy to hate in the original), but Diesel knows how to infuse him with the right mix of swaggering goofiness and emotional honesty that allows him to mug his way through many different types of scene. He's certainly given a fair few foils to play off against, whether it's Collette's world-weary handler or any of the allies or rivals whose outlandishness matches his own. The quality of individual performers varies quite a bit, though this depends on what material they're given more so than their strengths and weaknesses as actors. The obvious weak link for me would be Ruby Rose as a wise-cracking sniper; having her make constant quips would be okay if they didn't obviously suffer from an emphasis on quantity over quality and seem unsuited to Rose's generally laconic demeanour. That rapid-fire joke delivery is better-suited to the more broadly comical character of Nina Dobrev's adorkable quartermaster. Performers like Kris Wu and Michael Bisping are rather limited but are arguably saved by the movie not giving them too much to do. Still, there are a few people here who can rival Diesel in terms of charisma and physicality. Donnie Yen is an obvious stand-out as a coolly efficient criminal mastermind, though Deepika Padukone ends up being quite the surprise as his more righteous partner-in-crime. Rory McCann rounds out the cast very nicely as a charmingly gormless getaway driver who provides the greatest example of how having an embarrassing amount of heart takes clear precedence over vacuous coolness.

If there is a genuine problem that I have with Return, it's to do with the technical side of things. I'm not necessarily speaking about the special effects - the movie's blatant invocations of digital artifice are thankfully of the endearing kind. No, my real concern has to do with that most dreaded of modern action staples - the shakycam. Considering the rather stacked cast of action performers, I'm disappointed that Caruso and co. lean way too hard on the easy tension provided by disorienting camerawork and choppy editing. This becomes even more pronounced in visually drab settings such as a torch-lit nightclub or a concrete overpass. It's interesting to note that the most severe instances of this journeyman approach happen within the middle part of the film. It's as if the creators know that they have to spin the wheels in order to avoid undercutting the climax in any way - or maybe they just think that they're able to coast after the heady mix of sequences within the first act. I suppose I can understand the logic at work here - you don't want to risk putting the best action sequence in the middle of the movie. The problem is that this tiresome technique serves as a reminder that Return, for all the wildly entertaining ways in which it plays fast and loose with the action genre, still has its limits. Considering what kind of movie Return wants to be, the idea that it has limits at all is certainly a disappointing one.

Of course, even the scrappy action of the middle third or so isn't enough to sink Return. While it hits some notable lows, its highs are good enough to make up for it. There are a few solid set-pieces in here that manage to overcome the prevailing technical issues or even make them work. A good example is the scene that introduces Yen and his crew where the rapid-fire approach works well at selling their ruthless efficiency at pulling a heist, to say nothing of the ways in which each of these characters get to play around with action-movie staples such as bar brawls, stakeouts, or chases across land, sea, and air. I do have to give some credit to the appropriately ambitious finale that intersperses the movie's most implausible action sequence (which is saying something considering what comes before) with its most grounded, yet the two manage to find a balance thanks to the work that has gone into establishing all the important factors, even if that does extend to honouring some outwardly hoary clichés. Rendering your hero as an unstoppable force of nature is always a tricky prospect when it comes to setting up dramatically satisfying narratives - even by the disbelief-suspending demands of light-hearted action movies. To this end, the ways in which the other principal characters and their respective arcs and stakes are developed (or not developed, as the case may be) prove surprisingly remarkable. Their interplay doesn't just serve as amusing window dressing for the action but actively informs the development of the action itself without slowing things down - I was honestly surprised at times when I checked my watch and realised that more time had passed than I had thought. In the case of a movie like this, that's got to be a plus.

I'm hesitant to refer to xXx: Return of Xander Cage as "dumb fun" even though that is arguably the ideal way to describe it. Much like the recent Fast movies, the reluctance is mainly to do with how it establishes some actual core standards to back up its superficial adrenaline-junkie inanity, which seems simple enough but isn't as easy to do as you'd think. I have quite a few gripes with the state of modern action cinema; while Return does fall prey to a couple of the more noteworthy technical issues, it compensates with its strangely competent textual element. I've been getting burned out on action movies that favour cleverness over substance, so Return's simple yet earnest approach to its inherently silly set-up ends up feeling refreshing as a result. The plot is a simplistic genre pastiche but still manages to take on greater significance thanks to its diverse cast of characters who have their standout moments but are still greater than the sum of their fairly wacky parts. I still feel like there's some seriously untapped potential here that may yet be explored in a follow-up - it definitely needs someone on the team whose ability to capture action favours aesthetically amusing artifice over dull semi-professionalism that renders far too much of this movie a chore to watch, to say nothing of creators who can do something worthwhile with these kooky characters. Still, I'm not going to complain too much and act like this movie didn't prove an entertaining little breeze. If all of Hollywood's attempts to revive any old piece of fiction for easy profit managed to at least reach this one's level, that would be X-cellent.

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Iro's Top 100 Movies v3.0



This makes me miss your reviews, Iro. I suddenly realized I was missing my daily dose of Irosistable reviewing...

Anyways, quite a write-up there. I haven't seen the movie so it's hard for me to comment. It looks like a movie I will hate, despite my love for the Fast-franchise. I will say a few set pieces and shots from the trailers looked good. Still, it mainly looked like an empty action cash grab and franchise fundament. I'm still surprised to see you throw a rating like this for a film like that. Guess it proves that you are human after all.

I'll probably first get it watched myself once it hits digital...



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2017 just keeps on taking.

But seriously, I think it's roughly on par with the last few Fast movies and manages to offer its own twists for both better and worse. Wouldn't have thought that an avowed Fast fan would expect to hate this - it seems like that fanbase would be the target demographic.



2017 just keeps on taking.

But seriously, I think it's roughly on par with the last few Fast movies and manages to offer its own twists for both better and worse. Wouldn't have thought that an avowed Fast fan would expect to hate this - it seems like that fanbase would be the target demographic.
It's hard to explain. But it's partly the strong bond I have with the characters over this long period of time, and the obvious focus on it, and the action, obviously. But because of the scale and budget the action set pieces are amazing in Fast. From what I have seen, XXX3 gets a little too silly, even for Fast standards so that's saying something, plus it looks lower budget-ish and the characters seem ****. But again, not seen it, might love it. We'll see.



Welcome to the human race...
Yeah, I will give you that. It definitely feels like it's trying to rush the construction of a Fast-like ensemble over the course of a single 100-minute movie and it definitely shows at times. I think xXx can afford to be silly in ways that Fast can't (and that's a series where a military operation actually involves parachuting muscle cars) so I appreciate them actually leaning into the goofiness.



Yeah, I definitely got the impression that XXX was embracing the silly and goofy elements more. That said, despite Fast 6's almost too serious approach at times, Fast Seven really embraced an ironic, sarcastic, self aware attitude that I really loved. It was like a classic late 80s/90 feel at times, but in a modern era. I still remember the one liners and that's rare for modern action films.

But it does seem Fast Eight are once again going down darker routes. I was hoping it would continue the fun, since the action is easier to adapt to if the tone isn't too serious (as you say it yourself with XXX). We'll see...



Welcome to the human race...
I tend to bristle at self-awareness in otherwise dumb action movies because it gives me a vibe of insincerity, as if the filmmakers are either embarrassed by what they're making or just really smug about how Smart they're being with their dumb action movie and how much they know they're getting away with here. The latter in particular is especially grating because it ends up feeling like a smokescreen of sorts to deflect criticism of the movie's genuine flaws through a reductive defence mechanism of "if you take this seriously then you're missing the point". The obvious example of this thinking at its absolute worst is, of course, Crank: High Voltage. I figure if a movie is going to own its silliness then it can't draw too much attention to how it "knows what it's doing" or else it sets up greater expectations that it may struggle to overcome (which is arguably the case with Kingsman and its many cracks about spy movies).

As for Fast Eight, it would be interesting to see if it could pull off going "darker". Paul Walker's death couldn't help but cast a shadow over the fairly light Furious 7 since Brian was the closest the series had to a main "heroic" protagonist. Losing Walker/Brian won't ruin the franchise but there's no telling how it'll have to adapt to his absence in order to go forward, so F8 embracing the darkness with a "rogue Dom" plotline in a way that will allow them to deconstruct and presumably reconstruct the franchise could be interesting (and necessary given the longevity of the franchise).



I would agree. Though luckily, I think Fast found the balance, alas better in some entries than others. I never thought 7 degraded itself because of it. It was still intense and stuff like the skydive/mountain chase/bus fight/mountain crash was still one of the best action (/action set pieces) I have seen. That whole scene is like 30-40 minutes long. And in no way does it ever try to brush off itself like stupid comedy. But it's there from time to time and I like that. It's never silly though, even though Roman can push it.

But yeah, it's only because of 6 and partly 4 that I'm nervous if they can pull off a darker tone without making itself look "too important" for its own good. I'm excited though. Always. And yes, indeed, I hope it's gonna work sort of as a reconstruction of the franchise into a darker and more evolved territory.



I'd gladly watch a movie that had a heavier involvement of Donnie Yen's character. His action scenes were the highlight of the film for me, and I hope to see him in more things in the future.

I'm hesitant to refer to xXx: Return of Xander Cage as "dumb fun" even though that is arguably the ideal way to describe it.
Not long into the movie, my room mate leaned over and said that this film seems like it was written by a 13 year old, a statement I immediately and wholeheartedly agreed with. But not long after, we were laughing instead of rolling our eyes, and having quite a bit of fun. Later in the film, he admitted that he was kind of loving it now, and I was definitely on board as well. "Dumb fun" is definitely an appropriate term.



Welcome to the human race...
You should do a reviewer's cut.
Yeah, but I won't out of spite.

I'd gladly watch a movie that had a heavier involvement of Donnie Yen's character. His action scenes were the highlight of the film for me, and I hope to see him in more things in the future.


Not long into the movie, my room mate leaned over and said that this film seems like it was written by a 13 year old, a statement I immediately and wholeheartedly agreed with. But not long after, we were laughing instead of rolling our eyes, and having quite a bit of fun. Later in the film, he admitted that he was kind of loving it now, and I was definitely on board as well. "Dumb fun" is definitely an appropriate term.
This is kind of what I was getting at earlier - it may be outwardly immature but at least it's not mean-spirited about it, which definitely goes a long way towards making it tolerable.



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Oh my god. They're trying to claim another young victim with the foreign films.