XXX [2002] Vin Diesel, Samuel L. Jackson ; Rated 12A

After Vin Diesel made his name in last years adrenaline fuelled street racing flik 'The Fast and the Furious', everyone was waiting to see what he was going to do next. 'XXX' is the result and with Diesel teaming back up with 'Furious director Rob Cohen everyone knew from the start that 'XXX' was going to be a adrenaline fuelled ride much like well... 'Furious. Diesel plays Xander Cage an extreme sports athlete who is picked by the government to become a secret agent, a new breed of secret agent to be totally accurate. The concept is simple and the story line is even more so but that doesn't stop this action fest from being an extremely enjoyable no-nonsense vehicle for it's lead to stretch his muscles. This Friday night crowd pleaser has everything from James Bond style gadgets to the infamous magic bullets which never seem to hit our hero. The soundtrack is pro-dominantly rock based which I imagine will suit most people down to the ground and it certainly helps add to the already smouldering attitude which the film oozes of. This refreshing piece of film making though does have room for improvement, a bit more comic relief and a little bit more plot would have made this film a hands down masterpiece within it's genre, but this time around doesn't manage to fill all those angles. There will however almost definitely be a sequel, which should give Xander Cage another chance to fulfil his potential as a secret agent. All nit picking to one side though... there are some sequences in the movie which will have you in awe and are in themselves a good enough reason to see this film. So if you're in the mood for a bit of miraculous bullet dodging... then this is the right choice for you.

4/5