After an attack on the NSA's secret base of operations by a rogue splinter group of the U.S. Military, Agent Gibbons (Samuel L. Jackson) escapes and goes off the grid. With the original xXx (pronounced Triple X), Xander Cage, dead, Gibbons must find a new agent to help track down the group that destroyed the base. He immediately turns to Darius Stone (Ice Cube), a former Navy SEAL who served with Gibbons. Together, they begin to piece together a conspiracy led by the Secretary of Defense, General George Deckert (Willem Dafoe).
As I said earlier, if you liked the original movie, there's no guarantee that you'll like the sequel. The plot is good enough, though anyone with at least a C minus knowledge of Civics will probably figure out Deckert's plans long before Stone and crew. The more interesting aspect is the relationship between Gibbons, Stone and Deckert, who was their commanding officer while the former were SEALS, though this element isn't explored as much as it could be. Instead, most of the focus is placed on Stone's former life on the streets. Though this turns up a nice picture of Ice Cube from his days as a rapper, it also results in a plot twist that quickly earned the nickname BROCOM.
Although the plot is thin, the acting is halfway decent. Samuel L. Jackson is really just practicing for his upcoming role as Nick Fury, and Willem Dafoe is as creepy as ever. Ice Cube is a good actor, though as an action star, he doesn't work. Except for the final sequence, the action segments are pretty tame and Cube's face is permanently set on "Angry Scowl".
I love the behind the scenes features, especially when they involve visual effects and scene breakdowns. xXx: State of the Union does not disappoint on either front and delivers two excellent features. The first is the visual effects commentary, which is a lot of fun for VFX nuts and a breakdown of the film's final action piece, a harrowing fight on a bullet train. These are complemented by deleted scenes, another less interesting "Making of..." featurette and additional commentary by the filmmakers.
When approached for what it is, a cheesy action movie, xXx: State of the Union holds up well enough to be entertaining. If this was a DVD release, it might warrant a purchase, especially if you enjoyed the first movie. However, as a Blu-ray movie, it is a better rental.
