Two people have just died when a satellite crashes as they try to retrieve the xXx programme which is attached to a coveted Pandora’s Box. Soon, four techie junkies led by Xiang, played by Donnie Yen, attempt to steal the box which can control satellites to crash at specific locations as warheads. They will have to break into the CIA, which is well protected. Meanwhile, a CIA agent is out tracking former xXx operative Xander Cage, acted by Vin Diesel who went off the grid by faking his death in order to disappear.
Cage is forced out of exile and has a lot to recover, including weaponry. He joins in on the chase for the Pandora’s Box which he hopes for self-protection anticipating his enemies are on the prowl. Cautious of who he might be against, he starts assembling fighters who he finds in a group of thrill-seeking cohorts.
Prepared to take on any international attackers, Cage and the cohorts find themselves webbed into a government, manned by the four individuals who have gotten the box and now control the world. He is warned by a friend that he is up against some really mighty fighters. The ‘fantastic four’ claim that they were designed to keep the world safe. At some point the two group heads meet to strike a compromise but prior to this they test out their abilities and weapons against each other, which offers some action and sci-fi sequences for the audience.
When the director, D.J Caruso was asked how he balanced the cast he said it was the thing he lost the most sleep over.
“But honestly, that was the scariest thing. And honestly, they’re all used to being number one or two on the call sheet,” he explains.
Movie critics Rotten Tomatoes’ consensus is not entirely good. It states, “Return of Xander Cage should satisfy fans of the first two installments, but its preponderance of set pieces can’t quite make up for a tired storyline that fails to take the franchise — or action fans — anywhere new.”
xXx: Return of Xander Cage is the third installment of the XXX franchise in which Diesel doubles as one of the producers.
