2002, 2 hrs, Rated PG-13 for violence, non-stop action sequences, sensuality, drug content and language.�Dir: . Cast: Vin Diesel (Xander Cage), Samuel L. Jackson (NSA Agent Gibbons), Asia Argento (Yelena), Marton Csokas (Yorgi).

Right off the bat, it's easy to see that this isn't your father's (or even older brother's) spy flick. The days of the tuxedo-clad hero are over, and we welcome EXTREME Bond, played by soon-to-be crowned $20 million superstar Vin Diesel as Xander, a.k.a. X, a.k.a. Triple-X.

Showy, with lots of attitude, this will never be mistaken for classic cinema, nor should it matter. No need to get into the cheesy dialogue, either. Let's just say that it won't win any Oscars for Best Screenplay. But do you care? I didn't.

What we do get is all kinds of 'splosions. Most of the flick is a very loud adrenaline rush with over-the-top action sequences that will have you laughing yet enthralled. Vin Diesel delivers it all with a smirk, the over-confidence that serves him well, as any secret agent would need to have to encounter all these unbelievable menaces and Russian super-baddies with little English-speaking skills (for goodness' sake, the leader of the gang is named Yorgi, so how serious can it be?). They always know all the clich�s, though. As does Samuel L. Jackson, sporting an equal attitude as an NSA agent using X for whatever purposes he sees fit.

As for the love-interest, Yelena (Asia Argento) has a very pretty face after you take off all the make-up and trashy clothes. Speaking of clothing, many women are barely wearing any, as the sex factor of XXX is right up there in the pantheon of why every guy wants to be a spy. I could hear all the 14-year-old boys around me panting. I wondered if I should offer a drool cup. Whereas Bond hung out with women with clothes on and suggestive names, X just watches thong-clad chicks bouncing around the bad guys' pad and has his way with them. Yep, the things you do for your country, indeed.

Is XXX worth your time? Sure, as long as you're into the spy genre, mixed in with X Games 'tude. With the EXTREME action, cheese factor, sexiness and nifty gadgets, I found it to be quite fun, a kind of movie that may be what the dog days of flicks in the late summer needs every year.