List Price: $14.94You Pay Only: $8.49 You Save: $6.45 (43%)Prices subject to change.
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Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Binding: DVD
Brand: Sony
EAN: 9781404974531
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
ISBN: 1404974539
Label: Sony Pictures
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Sony Pictures
Region Code: 99
Release Date: July 26, 2005
Running Time: 101 minutes
Sales Rank: 37161
Studio: Sony Pictures
Theatrical Release Date: April 29, 2005
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Editorial Review:
Description:
In this action-packed sequel to the box-office smash xXx, Ice Cube stars as Darius Stone, a thrill-seeking troublemaker whose criminal record and extreme sports obsession make him the perfect candidate to be the newest xXx agent. He must save the U.S. government from a deadly conspiracy led by five-star general and Secretary of Defense George Deckert (played by Willem Dafoe). Only a renegade xXx agent like Stone has the Xtreme skills to stop Deckert's dangerous military splinter group from taking over the government in America's capital.
Amazon.com:
With a core audience of gameboys and hot-rodders aged 25 and under, xXx: State of the Union is the kind of action movie that requires literally no thought to enjoy. With Vin Diesel's original character just killed in Bora Bora (for details, see the uncensored unrated director's cut of xXx), Ice Cube steps in to play bad-ass, and the whole franchise takes on a hip-hop edge that's almost admirably absurd. The asinine plot is anarchy in Washington, D.C., as an insanely hawkish Secretary of State (Willem Dafoe) plots a Capitol coup just as the President (Peter Strauss, playing it straight) is giving his state-of-the-union address. All of this is prefaced by Cube's recruitment as a former Navy SEAL turned new-xXx, escaping from jail (Dafoe's character put him there), hooking up with an old flame who runs a chop-shop full of the world's hottest wheels, and reuniting with his old commander (Samuel L. Jackson) for a bullet-train climax that feels like Mission Impossible Lite. You could argue that Diesel's the smartest guy in the franchise for cashing out early, but xXx: State of the Union gets the job done in passable fashion, with action veteran Lee Tamahori delivering the goods while he waits for a grown-up script to come along. --Jeff Shannon
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - State of Confusion & Convolution
I haven't seen the original "xXx" , but I'm doing my best not to be prejudiced by the lazy mediocrity that is its sequel. As big and competitive as the modern action/adventure genre is, "State of the Union" brings surprisingly little to the table, with promises of big fights, big guns, big shootouts, and big excitement left unfulfilled by a director (Lee Tamahori, " Die Another Day" ) who seems to have thought that simply putting rapper/actor Ice Cube ("Three Kings") into the starring role would be good enough to account for everything the film lacks. When judged against everything else that was and is on the market, "Union" brought a peashooter to a gunfight and was swiftly and rightfully forgotten by most folks.
The story: when the xXx program is infiltrated by an insurrectionary splinter faction headed by a corrupt general (Willem Dafoe, "Spider-Man" ), a new agent is chosen in the form of an incarcerated Navy SEAL (Ice Cube). With aid from both new and returning allies, he must uncover the insurgents from within to thwart a plot to overthrow the US government and assassinate the president.
As I understand it, the original film's premise was to mix action with extreme sports. "State of the Union" has no such foundation; it's simply your run-of-the-mill "gotta-stop-the-bad-guys" take that has been done about a thousand times throughout cinema history. Absolutely nothing about the film stands out: no high-risk stunts, no extraordinary special effects, no revolutionary ... Read More
Rating:  - Great
I have to say it. Better Than The Original. More action, cool tech and a brand new XXX. The story was also very captivating.
Rating:  - Ice Cube as XXX
Suspend disbelief, or Alter your mental state, and roll with it. The plot is not particularly believable, but Ice Cube is the man on screen. His attitude and person take over the movie, and he makes up for major plot holes in the film. This one cannot be taken as realistically (?) as Van Diesel's XXX (Unrated Director's Cut), but this movie is fun and entertaining.
If you think of the film as Friday Collection (Friday / Next Friday / Friday After Next) meets XXX, its all good. However I will watch anything with Ice Cube in the flick. I think he was stretching it a bit on this one, but countless scenes compensate for the unbelievable aspects. Have a Margarita, and roll with the inconsistencies. The action and Tank Jacking are worth it.
Rating:  - How many levels of suck are there?
My brother bought me this DVD as a gag gift. I would have to say GAG fits my description of this movie very, very well. Firstly I should note that I wasn't a huge fan of XXX with Vin Diesel, but it is an Oscar winner compared to XXX: State of the Union. This movie was so ridiculous that it was down right funny. There were times I was laughing so hard I had to excuse myself to the lavatory.
Now for some reason good old Vin was not in this sequel. So who do we get to replace Vin? Ice Cube, yes Ice Cube. I don't know about anyone else, but it seemed like Ice Cube was lost this entire movie. As for the physical action he wasn't bad, but he just seemed to dim witted to know what was going on in this "want to be" 24 storyline.
There were things also that made me laugh so hard I was in pain. I also know that this wasn't the intention of the movie makers. Also general observations I made about my reaction to this film....
1) The CGI was so obnoxious in this movie it looked like a Playstation game.
2) In (at least) one of the stunt scenes an action figure is used. (Remember motorboat).
3) Ice Cube quotes 2Pac in the movie, too bad he can't act as good as 2Pac.
4) Helicopters are silent right before you jump on one.
5) Ice Cube is released from jail to save the USA, but never gets a pardon.
6) Ice Cube is supposed to save the USA.
7) The editing in this movie is worst that an Ed Wood movie.
8) Ice Cube made Vin Diesel ... Read More
Rating: - High Gloss, Low substance
Watching Ice Cube play the hard guy would-be spy makes you realise - wow! Vin Diesel actually DID have charisma after all!
All pretensions to the part being about spying and stealth are out of the window - the first movie had an appeal of being like a Bond movie on steroids; This one is just action, and could be any action franchise a few movies in. In fact, in terms of substance this could easily have been direct to video for all the weight the star and story carry... however, there are bangs for your buck on display here.. the actions scenes are as big budget as they are ludicrous. The opening scene has some promise with Samuel Jackson taking on the bad guys in his own headquarters, but when he steps into the wierd custom job car you know there is a franchise identity crisis on the way - is this XXX or Fast and Furious 4??
In short, this is brainless action - budget is on the screen, but not with the script. Ice Cube plods through the role giving it no heart, panache, or even self knowing parody. Daniel Defoe and Samuel Jackson should know better.
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