XXX

Vin Diesel, every teen's fantasy action hero.

If Dubya and Dick Cheney had made their very own post-9/11 patriotic propaganda movie for the teens they need as globalisation fodder, then this would be it.

Sporadically entertaining, this is nevertheless seriously hampered by a very choppy screenplay.

Vin may not yet be a Bond, or a Terminator, or even Conan the Barbarian. But he's got presence and charisma.

Diesel's a limited actor but a great performer - he just exudes cool. It's his charisma -- coupled with the raw sex appeal of Asia Argento's X girl -- that makes Rob Cohen's movie tick.

The director piles on one expensive but impersonal action scene after another.

Diesel doesn't have 007's deft control of a one-liner and overall the film lacks wit but the stunts are overblown and outrageous enough to produce the requisite adrenaline-pumping thrills.

Along with a new breed of secret agent, xXx could have benefited from a new breed of secret agent plotline.

For every action sequence, there are shots dedicated to formulaic rips of the already tired spy subgenre.

Groovy gadgets, deadpan quips and stunning set-piece stunts reign supreme in this expertly-made schlockbuster.