xXx: State of the Union (2005)
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A former Navy SEAL must team up with an NSA agent to stop a high-ranking official from staging a coup against the President.
The story
In Virginia, assailants breach an underground NSA bunker. Agent Augustus Gibbons manages to escape with Toby Shavers but requires help from a specialized operative. He seeks out Darius Stone, a former U.S. Navy SEAL currently serving a prison sentence. As the duo escapes and seeks allies, they uncover a conspiracy involving a high-ranking government official. Agent Kyle Steele joins the investigation to uncover the truth behind the attack and the true motives of the conspirators before they can compromise the nation's leadership.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After an attack on an NSA bunker in Virginia, Agent Augustus Gibbons escapes with Toby Shavers and seeks help from his former comrade, Darius Stone, a Navy SEAL currently imprisoned for defying orders. They escape Stone from prison and team up with his associates, Zeke and Lola Jackson. While Stone infiltrates the NSA bunker to recover a hard drive, Gibbons is attacked by Secretary of Defense George Deckert and his men. Stone eventually discovers that Deckert is planning a coup to replace President James Sanford. Stone joins forces with NSA Agent Kyle Steele and their allies to stop the plot. They hijack a truck and a tank to reach the Capitol. During the State of the Union Address, a confrontation ensues. Deckert kidnaps the President, and a high-speed chase on a train occurs. Stone eventually confronts and kills Deckert, while the President is rescued. The conspiracy is covered up, and Stone is pardoned and released from prison.
- First release year
- 2005
- Runtime (minutes)
- 101
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Lee Tamahori
- Writers
- Simon Kinberg · writer
- Cast and characters
- Ice Cube · Darius Stone; Samuel L. Jackson · Augustus Gibbons; Willem Dafoe · George Deckert, U.S Secretary of Defence; Scott Speedman · Kyle Steele, NSA Agent; Peter Strauss · President James Sanford; Xzibit · Zeke; Michael Roof · Toby Lee Shavers, NSA Agent; Sunny Mabrey · Charlie Mayweather; Nona Gaye · Lola Jackson; John G. Connolly · Alabama Cobb
- Genres
- action; spy; thriller
- Themes
- conspiracy; patriotism; betrayal
- Tone and mood
- action-packed; high-stakes
- Premise and plot tags
- spy; action; coup; military
- Reception
- The film received generally unfavorable reviews from critics, with some praising the lead actor's performance while others criticized the plot as implausible and absurd.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 17% · scale: percentage · review count: 138; Metacritic · score: 37% · scale: percentage · review count: 31; CinemaScore · score: B+ · scale: A to F
- Production trivia
- The film was released under different titles outside of North America.; The production budget was reported differently by different sources.; The film is the last in the series to be distributed by Columbia Pictures.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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