“You’re in the Xander Zone. ” – Xander Cage
Number of Times Seen – 2 (23 Mar 2003 and 16 May 2017)
Brief Synopsis – A secret branch of the government hires an extreme sports enthusiast to be a spy when they need to infiltrate a Russian terrorist group.
My Take on it – This film is apparently what a modern day version of a James Bond film using extreme sports could look like.
They take the extreme sports aspects of the film to a very high level and we are constantly bombarded with some great extreme action sequences.
Unfortunately, the plot and premise of this film just don’t work as well as they should and we are left with a lackluster idea filled with so many holes that it’s possible to snowboard through them.
The casting of Vin Diesel in the lead was a good one and the fact that he was able to perform many of the extreme stunts himself make things feels a bit more realistic.
The best character in this film tho is by far Augustus Gibbons (Samuel L. Jackson) who steals every scene that he appears in (which isn’t too enough IMHO).
His delivery and mannerisms are superb here and in some ways, the character is even better suited for him than Nick Fury (in the Marvel Universe films) and he keeps things fun and interesting every time he shows up.
Bottom Line – Action packed film that takes the idea of extreme sports to a whole new level. Unfortunately, the plot is quite silly and doesn’t make as much sense as it should. Diesel was a good choice as the lead character here and the fact that he did most of his extreme stunts himself says a lot about how authentic he wanted to make things. Jackson is the better character tho and it’s unfortunate that he isn’t given more screen time because he is the real star of the film.
MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – Stunt player Harry O’Connor was killed when he hit a pillar of the Palacky Bridge in Prague, para-sailing during one of the actions scenes. The accident occured while filming the second take of the stunt; O’Connor’s first attempt was completed without incident and can be seen in the completed film. (From IMDB)
Rating – BAFTA Worthy
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MovieRob 
This is something of a guilty pleasure.
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