Rick Thorne Movies

The director (Rob Cohen) and star (Vin Diesel) of the previous summer's hit The Fast and the Furious (2001) are reunited for this spy thriller billed as a next-generation James Bond adventure. Diesel stars as Xander Cage, a nihilist extreme sports enthusiast nicknamed "Triple X" because of a large tattoo covering his back and neck. Cage's illegal stunts and poor attitude (he's given to spouting dialogue such as, "Have you ever been punched in the face for talking too much?") land him in jail, where he's recruited/blackmailed into government service by the National Security Agency's Augustus Gibbons, who likes Cage for his skills and expendability. The new secret agent is assigned to infiltrate a Russian crime ring called Anarchy 99, whose access to biochemical weaponry is making the United States extremely nervous. With the help of some high-tech gadgets from weapons master Toby Lee Shavers (Michael Roof), Cage is able to make his way into Anarchy 99, where he targets the group's leader Yorgi (Marton Csokas) and falls for the organization's second-in-command, Yelena (Asia Argento). XXX (2002) is the first in a hoped-for franchise of sequels for the film's producer, Revolution Studios. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

Exactly one year after a murderous masked maniac turned the Vans Warped Tour into a brutal bloodbath, the rampage continues as the psychotic madman returns from the dead to continue his vicious killing spree. The Executioner is back, and though he may have lost his head he's willing to make do with a spare for the time being. Now, each time the Executioner claims another victim, he tears their heads from their necks and jams the decapitated craniums onto his own jagged spinal chord in order to continue the search for his own missing top. But while the heads may still sport the same personalities of the gruesomely departed, the body won't stop killing until its mission is complete. Backstage, Production Staff Manager Kevin Lyman still refuses to acknowledge the carnage that took place the previous year, and malevolent record executive Belial (Lloyd Kaufman) schemes to work the entire situation to his nefarious advantage. As the killings continue and the Executioner struggles to maintain a good head on his shoulders, independent reporter and original Punk Rock Holocaust survivor Meghan vows to find out exactly what Lyman is hiding while simultaneously uncovering the truth about the dreaded supernatural killer. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide