XXX: State of the Union
Encyclopedia
xXx: State of the Union, mainly released as xXx²: The Next Level outside the United States and Canada, is a 2005 action-adventure film
directed by Lee Tamahori
. It is a sequel to the 2002 film xXx
. The film was produced by Revolution Studios
for Columbia Pictures
.
Vin Diesel
and Rob Cohen
, the lead actor and director of the original had signed onto this film before xXx had opened, but both dropped out; Cohen remained an executive producer
. Actor/rapper Ice Cube
takes over the lead role as the new xXx and Tamahori was brought in to direct following the huge commercial success of the James Bond
film Die Another Day
which he directed.
Two different scripts were made for this film, and the one written by Simon Kinberg
was selected. The other script featured a radically different plot, possibly serving as the basis for another sequel. State of the Union underperformed at the box office, and was criticized heavily by critics (the first installment's reception was mixed) - mainly for its poor star, illogical story and overuse of CGI
-influenced visual effects for most of the action sequences as opposed to live-action stunts being filmed.
Then after escaping the attack Gibbons tells Shavers his assistant, the new XXX must be more off the grid than Xander Cage was, in other words, more attitude. So he meets up with Lieutenant Darius Stone(Ice Cube) who was jailed for 20 years whilst serving in the navy for disobeying orders and breaking Deckert's jaw.
Later, Gibbons poses as Stone's lawyer and makes a deal with him in prison. Stone, who had been in prison at Leavenworth
for assaulting Deckert, makes a daring escape. Stone is later told to recover a hard drive from the NSA bunker, while trying to escape Agent Kyle Steele at the same time, and is rescued by Gibbons' assistant, Toby Lee Shavers. Some time later, Gibbons appears to be attacked in his home and murdered, with Deckert covering up the plot. Afterwards, Stone meets up with Gibbons' contact, a beautiful blonde named Charlie, to get information and go to her safe house, but is framed so that it will appear that he murdered 3-Star General Pettibone, whom Cobb and Charlie actually killed.
Police arrive, and Agent Kyle Steele enters the house and makes a deal with Stone, while Toby later hacks into the NSA to retrieve Deckert's plans. Afterwards, Stone infiltrates Deckert's troops aboard the USS Independence
and discovers Gibbons is not dead, but being held prisoner by Deckert. Apparently Deckert is setting them up. Stone is discovered by Charlie (whom he knocks out). Gibbons orders him to escape and leave him. After retrieving the blueprints of Deckert's plot, Stone gets into a M-2 Bradley Armored Fighting vehicle and fights his way out of ship, destroying a tank commandeered by Cobb's men to kill him. He briefly converses with the sergeant and realizes that Deckert is planning a coup.
Stone makes contact with Kyle Steele and shows him the plans; stating his view that Deckert is plotting to attack the Capitol. Steele counters that Deckert is guarding the Capitol, not invading it. Stone insists this is a cover , then leaves in frustration with Steele's disbelief. During a conversation with Deckert, Steele realizes Stone was right, because the General lets it slip that he knows that Gibbons is still alive. He finds Stone and tells him Deckert wants to kill the president and his successors so he can take his place. Steele suggests they go off the grid.
Stone, Steele ,and Toby enlist the aid of his former gang leader Zeke (Xzibit)and his crew to fight Deckert's force. Together they rob an 18 wheeler, secretly hauling guns and equipment under the guise of a cheese truck. On the night of Deckert's plan they make their move, driving though the backs of buildings and warehouses. They end up carjacking a tank(the first tank-jacking in history), and Stone helps Steele infiltrate the Capitol building. After some gunfights (in which Charlie is sadly murdered by a liberated Gibbons), Deckert with Cobb abducts the President while he is making the State of the Union Address
. They escape on a bullet train
.
Stone pursues the bullet train with a Ford Shelby Cobra Concept
and makes it aboard; destroying the car in the process. He engages Cobb in hand to hand combat
and finally kills him by causing an explosion. Stone fights Deckert while helping the president escape in an adjacent helicopter. Stone leaps from the fleeing train while Gibbons destroys it with a missile, obliterating Deckert. The flaming wreckage from the train lights Stone in a silhouette as he dives into the river below, narrowly avoiding the wreckage that plunges in after him.
The President awards Agent Steele and the Unknown Soldier (Stone) the Medal of Honor
, as Stone goes back to his thug
-esque lifestyle. Deckert receives full honors at his funeral, somewhat to Stone's disgust. He and Lola part with her leaving him the Mustang, and he drives off; the xXx tattoo can be seen on the back of his neck.
The last scene shifts to the now rebuilt NSA Headquarters, where we see Gibbons, Steele and Shavers discussing what the next xXx agent should be; farther off the grid, a fresh face, a new model. To which Gibbons replies "I got the perfect candidate."
. It peaked at #117 on the Billboard 200
, #48 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
and #5 on the Top Soundtracks.
Financially, the film was a disappointment with a gross of only $12.7 million on its opening weekend, half of what it was expected to earn. It went on to gross only $26,873,932 domestically and $71,022,693 worldwide. xXx: State of the Union was such a disappointment that it was widely believed to be the death of the xXx franchise. However, it has been reported that Vin Diesel has agreed to star in a sequel, xXx: The Return of Xander Cage.
Adventure film
Adventure films are a genre of film.Unlike pure, low-budget action films they often use their action scenes preferably to display and explore exotic locations in an energetic way....
directed by Lee Tamahori
Lee Tamahori
Lee Tamahori is a New Zealand filmmaker best known for directing the 1994 film Once Were Warriors and the 2002 James Bond film Die Another Day.-Upbringing and early career:...
. It is a sequel to the 2002 film xXx
XXX
XXX may refer to:* The number 30 in Roman numerals* The year 30 AD* Games of the XXX Olympiad, the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London, England* Super Bowl XXX, held on January 28, 1996* A mark indicating "extra strong"* Alcoholic beverages...
. The film was produced by Revolution Studios
Revolution Studios
Revolution Studios is an American production company founded in 2000 by Joe Roth, a former chairman of Walt Disney Studios and 20th Century Fox. Revolution was formerly a strategic partner of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which distributed and marketed Revolution's films. The company's film division...
for Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
.
Vin Diesel
Vin Diesel
Vin Diesel is an American actor, writer, director and producer. He became known in the early 2000s, appearing in several successful Hollywood films, including The Fast and the Furious and xXx...
and Rob Cohen
Rob Cohen
Robert "Rob" Cohen is an American film director, producer and writer.-Early life:Cohen was born in Cornwall, New York. He was raised and spent his childhood in the Town of Newburgh and graduated from Newburgh Free Academy in 1967...
, the lead actor and director of the original had signed onto this film before xXx had opened, but both dropped out; Cohen remained an executive producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
. Actor/rapper Ice Cube
Ice Cube
O'Shea Jackson , better known by his stage name Ice Cube, is an American rapper and actor. He began his career as a member of the hip-hop group C.I.A. and later joined the rap group N.W.A. After leaving N.W.A in December 1989, he built a successful solo career in music, and also as a writer,...
takes over the lead role as the new xXx and Tamahori was brought in to direct following the huge commercial success of the James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
film Die Another Day
Die Another Day
Die Another Day is the 20th spy film in the James Bond series, and the fourth and last film to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond; it is also the last Bond film of the original timeline with the series being rebooted with Casino Royale...
which he directed.
Two different scripts were made for this film, and the one written by Simon Kinberg
Simon Kinberg
Simon Kinberg is an English-born American screenwriter of American films.-Life and career:He was born in London, England. He is Jewish. His family moved later on to the United States. Kinberg attended Brentwood School in Los Angeles, California and graduated in 1991...
was selected. The other script featured a radically different plot, possibly serving as the basis for another sequel. State of the Union underperformed at the box office, and was criticized heavily by critics (the first installment's reception was mixed) - mainly for its poor star, illogical story and overuse of CGI
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
-influenced visual effects for most of the action sequences as opposed to live-action stunts being filmed.
Plot
A man is tending an equine farm when he discovers dead bodies, and is taken out by one of the assailants himself. Meanwhile, attackers use special explosives to break into an NSA bunker beneath the equine farm. There, NSA Agent Gibbons fends off the attackers before barely escaping himself. Sgt. Cobb is later revealed to be responsible for the attack on the bunker.Then after escaping the attack Gibbons tells Shavers his assistant, the new XXX must be more off the grid than Xander Cage was, in other words, more attitude. So he meets up with Lieutenant Darius Stone(Ice Cube) who was jailed for 20 years whilst serving in the navy for disobeying orders and breaking Deckert's jaw.
Later, Gibbons poses as Stone's lawyer and makes a deal with him in prison. Stone, who had been in prison at Leavenworth
United States Disciplinary Barracks
The United States Disciplinary Barracks is a military prison located on Fort Leavenworth, a United States Army post in Kansas....
for assaulting Deckert, makes a daring escape. Stone is later told to recover a hard drive from the NSA bunker, while trying to escape Agent Kyle Steele at the same time, and is rescued by Gibbons' assistant, Toby Lee Shavers. Some time later, Gibbons appears to be attacked in his home and murdered, with Deckert covering up the plot. Afterwards, Stone meets up with Gibbons' contact, a beautiful blonde named Charlie, to get information and go to her safe house, but is framed so that it will appear that he murdered 3-Star General Pettibone, whom Cobb and Charlie actually killed.
Police arrive, and Agent Kyle Steele enters the house and makes a deal with Stone, while Toby later hacks into the NSA to retrieve Deckert's plans. Afterwards, Stone infiltrates Deckert's troops aboard the USS Independence
USS Independence (CV-62)
The fifth USS Independence is a of the United States Navy. It was the fourth and final member of the Forrestal-class conventional-powered Supercarrier...
and discovers Gibbons is not dead, but being held prisoner by Deckert. Apparently Deckert is setting them up. Stone is discovered by Charlie (whom he knocks out). Gibbons orders him to escape and leave him. After retrieving the blueprints of Deckert's plot, Stone gets into a M-2 Bradley Armored Fighting vehicle and fights his way out of ship, destroying a tank commandeered by Cobb's men to kill him. He briefly converses with the sergeant and realizes that Deckert is planning a coup.
Stone makes contact with Kyle Steele and shows him the plans; stating his view that Deckert is plotting to attack the Capitol. Steele counters that Deckert is guarding the Capitol, not invading it. Stone insists this is a cover , then leaves in frustration with Steele's disbelief. During a conversation with Deckert, Steele realizes Stone was right, because the General lets it slip that he knows that Gibbons is still alive. He finds Stone and tells him Deckert wants to kill the president and his successors so he can take his place. Steele suggests they go off the grid.
Stone, Steele ,and Toby enlist the aid of his former gang leader Zeke (Xzibit)and his crew to fight Deckert's force. Together they rob an 18 wheeler, secretly hauling guns and equipment under the guise of a cheese truck. On the night of Deckert's plan they make their move, driving though the backs of buildings and warehouses. They end up carjacking a tank(the first tank-jacking in history), and Stone helps Steele infiltrate the Capitol building. After some gunfights (in which Charlie is sadly murdered by a liberated Gibbons), Deckert with Cobb abducts the President while he is making the State of the Union Address
State of the Union Address
The State of the Union is an annual address presented by the President of the United States to the United States Congress. The address not only reports on the condition of the nation but also allows the president to outline his legislative agenda and his national priorities.The practice arises...
. They escape on a bullet train
High-speed rail
High-speed rail is a type of passenger rail transport that operates significantly faster than the normal speed of rail traffic. Specific definitions by the European Union include for upgraded track and or faster for new track, whilst in the United States, the U.S...
.
Stone pursues the bullet train with a Ford Shelby Cobra Concept
Ford Shelby Cobra Concept
The Ford Shelby Cobra is a concept car that the Ford Motor Company unveiled at the 2004 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan. The Shelby Cobra concept is a roadster based on the original Shelby Cobra that Carroll Shelby developed in 1964....
and makes it aboard; destroying the car in the process. He engages Cobb in hand to hand combat
Hand to hand combat
Hand-to-hand combat is a lethal or nonlethal physical confrontation between two or more persons at very short range that does not involve the use of firearms or other distance weapons...
and finally kills him by causing an explosion. Stone fights Deckert while helping the president escape in an adjacent helicopter. Stone leaps from the fleeing train while Gibbons destroys it with a missile, obliterating Deckert. The flaming wreckage from the train lights Stone in a silhouette as he dives into the river below, narrowly avoiding the wreckage that plunges in after him.
The President awards Agent Steele and the Unknown Soldier (Stone) the Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
, as Stone goes back to his thug
Thug
- People :* Thug, a common criminal, who treats others violently and roughly, often for hire* Thug, proper noun, a member of the former Indian cult Thuggee* Thug Behram, a leader of the Thuggee cult- Miscellaneous :...
-esque lifestyle. Deckert receives full honors at his funeral, somewhat to Stone's disgust. He and Lola part with her leaving him the Mustang, and he drives off; the xXx tattoo can be seen on the back of his neck.
The last scene shifts to the now rebuilt NSA Headquarters, where we see Gibbons, Steele and Shavers discussing what the next xXx agent should be; farther off the grid, a fresh face, a new model. To which Gibbons replies "I got the perfect candidate."
Main cast
- Ice CubeIce CubeO'Shea Jackson , better known by his stage name Ice Cube, is an American rapper and actor. He began his career as a member of the hip-hop group C.I.A. and later joined the rap group N.W.A. After leaving N.W.A in December 1989, he built a successful solo career in music, and also as a writer,...
—Darius Stone—the new xXx agent, main male protagonist - Willem DafoeWillem DafoeWillem Dafoe is an American film, stage, and voice actor, and a founding member of the experimental theatre company The Wooster Group...
—Power hungry Secretary of Defense George Deckert—main male antagonist/ villain - Samuel L. JacksonSamuel L. JacksonSamuel Leroy Jackson is an American film and television actor and film producer. After becoming involved with the Civil Rights Movement, he moved on to acting in theater at Morehouse College, and then films. He had several small roles such as in the film Goodfellas before meeting his mentor,...
—Agent Augustus Gibbons—head of NSA-protagonist - Scott SpeedmanScott SpeedmanScott Speedman is a British-born Canadian film and television actor. He is best known for playing Ben Covington in the coming-of-age drama television series Felicity and Lycan-Vampire hybrid Michael Corvin in the gothic horror/action Underworld films.-Early life:Speedman was born Robert Scott...
—Agent Kyle Steele—young NSA agent - Peter StraussPeter StraussPeter Strauss is an American television and movie actor, known for his roles in several television miniseries in the 1970s and 1980s.-Personal life:...
—President James Sanford - XzibitXzibitAlvin Nathaniel Joiner , better known by his stage name Xzibit , is an American rapper, actor, and television host. He is known as the host of the MTV show Pimp My Ride, which brought him mainstream success...
—Zeke—Stone's friend who works in a garage - Michael RoofMichael RoofMichael Roof was an American television and film actor.Roof was born at an Air Force hospital in Tampa, Florida to Michael Roof, Sr. and Jean...
—Agent Toby Lee Shavers—Gibbon's tech assistant - Sunny MabreySunny MabreySunny Mabrey is an American model and actress who appeared in music videos, such as "Nookie" from Limp Bizkit, before debuting in movies. She appeared in The New Guy, XXX: State of the Union, and was the lead actress in Species III...
—Charlie Mayweather—Deckert's beautiful cohort-main female antagonist/ villain - Nona GayeNona GayeNona Marvisa Gaye is an American singer, former fashion model, and screen actress. The daughter of soul music legend Marvin Gaye and granddaughter of jazz great Slim Gaillard, she began her career as a vocalist in the early 1990s...
—Lola Jackson—Stone's girlfriend - John G. Connolly—Sgt./Lt.Col. Alabama "Bama" Cobb-secondary antagonist/ villain
- Ramon De Ocampo—Agent Meadows
Soundtrack
A soundtrack containing hip hop and alternative rock was released on April 26, 2005 through Jive RecordsJive Records
Jive Records was a record label based in New York City, operating under RCA Music Group. Jive was primarily known for a string of successes with hip hop artists in the 1980s, and in teen pop and boy bands in the late 1990s. The word "jive" was inspired by Township Jive, a form of South African...
. It peaked at #117 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, #48 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...
and #5 on the Top Soundtracks.
Critical reception
Though the film was expected to be one of the summer blockbusters of 2005, it performed poorly, both critically and financially. Rotten Tomatoes scores it a "Rotten" 16% as of October 4, 2008. Boo Allen of the Denton Record Chronicle called Ice Cube's version of xXx "a chubby, surly, incomprehensible action hero". Brian Orndorf of FilmJerk.com compared watching the movie to running "headfirst at top speed into a brick wall". David Hiltbrand of the Philadelphia Inquirer said "the plot swings between pathetically implausible and aggressively stupid". However, some critics liked the film. Mack Bates of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel praised Ice Cube's "trademark charisma and street sensibility", while Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly called it "that rare B movie that’s rooted in gut-level stirrings of power and retaliation". Paul Arendt of the BBC said, "Viewed on its own trashy terms, it succeeds brilliantly".Financially, the film was a disappointment with a gross of only $12.7 million on its opening weekend, half of what it was expected to earn. It went on to gross only $26,873,932 domestically and $71,022,693 worldwide. xXx: State of the Union was such a disappointment that it was widely believed to be the death of the xXx franchise. However, it has been reported that Vin Diesel has agreed to star in a sequel, xXx: The Return of Xander Cage.