XXX: State of the Union ★★ 2005 (PG-13) Ice Cube replaces Vin Diesel (whose character, Xander Cage, is pointedly and dismissively pronounced dead about 20 minutes in) as Darius Stone, a former Navy SEAL in Gibbons' (Jackson) old unit jailed nine years ago for leading a mutiny against a general. When members of that old SEAL unit begin disappearing and Gibbons' XXX HQ is attacked, the two team up to find out why. What they find is an attempted military coup by the Secretary of Defense (Dafoe). To no one's surprise, there's plenty of explosions, gunplay, car chases, and mayhem, and none of it makes a damn bit of sense. But for those who enjoy that sort of thing, it is a wild ride. Don't expect anything resembling believability, though. 94m/C DVD. US Ice Cube, Samuel L. Jackson, Willem Dafoe, Scott Speedman, Peter Strauss, Nona Gaye, Michael Roof, Sunny Mabrey, Xzibit, John G. Connolly;
Director:
Lee Tamahori;
Writer:
Simon Kinberg;
Writer:
David Tattersall;
Cameo:
Marco Beltrami.
