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DVD Review: XXX

By Glenn Abel

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XXX art Say what you will about the quality of Rob Cohen's fast-and-furious action films, but there's no denying that the man knows how to keep things moving.

The director of "XXX" preaches that it's a sin to waste even four seconds of screen time. His philosophy carries over to DVD extras -- all too often bloated affairs perpetrated by filmmakers who should know better.

Cohen and making-of director Todd Grossman apply feature film techniques to their bonus material: The docus feel a lot like "XXX," with hair-trigger editing, freeze-frames, pounding techno and plenty of hip atmospherics.

DVD viewers are left wanting more, not less. They get it in the director's commentary, in which Cohen renders a history of the production that's at least as dramatic as his X-generation spy movie. Cohen's narrative includes a reference to the shocking death of a crew member on location in Prague.

Stuntmen "make their living through danger," Cohen says with resignation as the scene that killed Harry O'Connor unspools. "Most of the time, it's all right. Sometimes, unfortunately, it isn't."

Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment has released "XXX" in both widescreen and full-screen special editions (retail $27.96). Audio and video are first-rate, approaching reference quality. Cool-looking menus cut clear paths to content, except for a needless opening screen.

The Dolby Digital 5.1 gets down to business right away, startling in its sonic realism. Rear effects are aggressive but smart, rarely tacky. The mix does some jaw-dropping 360s. "XXX" should be required listening for those who transfer movie sound to home video.

Widescreen images come across with fiery intensity but clean up nicely for nighttime shots of the ancient city of Prague. (The zither scene is a nod to "The Third Man," a visual inspiration for the moody stuff.) The transfer deftly captures the offbeat visions of cinematographer Dean Semler ("Waterworld") and production designer Gavin Bocquet (the last two "Star Wars" films). The full-screen version should work fine for folks with small screens, but the widescreen delivers a generous image area (2.40:1).

The fiftysomething Cohen has his Peter Pan syndrome working overtime. He's seen hanging with the film's extreme sports stars like Tony Hawk, speaking knowledgeably of punk music and realizing his vision of a proper rave. "Let's kick some ass!" he exhorts a bunch of classical musicians before they record the score. He rocks out with Glen Ballard, chosen without apparent irony to produce the "ode to adrenaline" theme song.

Cohen says his opening scene of a tuxedoed spy meeting his doom at a "dirty, dangerous" Euro-rave was widely misinterpreted. The intro was an homage to James Bond, not a slam, says the director, who loved the early Sean Connery films. The "retro-future boy's toys" used in the film owe as much to Q as to X. "There is no secret agent movie without secret agent gadgets," Cohen insists. A piece on the gadget-packed GTO opens with Pontiac's soul-powered ad for next year's revival of the car classic. The amphibious Ahab vehicle gets lots of coverage in the extras.

The director says he held out on his deal until he could cast his "The Fast and the Furious" star Vin Diesel as the extreme secret agent. Diesel is a multiethnic antihero cut from the new fabric of American life, Cohen says.

Diesel, who says he is only a "thrill seeker to some extent," got his first training in mountain climbing, motocross and automatic weapons before shooting began. (No, the tattoos aren't real.) Cohen admits it was "nerve-wracking having the guy in every scene doing chaotic stunts." Diesel is profiled in a featurette but is surprisingly low-profile elsewhere.

Cohen hails edgy love interest Asia Argento as "an extraordinary woman." The multihyphenate actress, raised in Italy's first family of horror, says Cohen graciously gave her an education in big-budget production. "In Europe, we don't get to do movies with 16 cameras," she says deadpan.

Shooting in and around Prague was a "joy," a place where "I never heard the word 'no,' " Cohen says. The young extras look like they never made it home from the "Blade II" shoot.

"XXX's" big one-take-only stunts -- the Corvette plunge into a gorge and the explosive motorcycle jump in Colombia -- get plenty of attention. On-set footage shows major nerves all around, then triumph. Visual effects breakdowns key on the CG avalanche chase.

Deleted scenes -- all pretty good -- come with commentary from Cohen, who invites film students to question his decisions to leave them out.

Other extras include storyboard comparisons, a so-so music video and interesting pieces on building the film's sets and vehicles.

Glenn Abel is Executive Editor, Electronic, at The Hollywood Reporter

Reprinted, with permission, from The Hollywood Reporter



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