(2005) "Gibbons and Stone on comeback tour." In this implausible (special-effects) action-attack sequel, directed by Lee Tamahori from Simon Kinberg's screenplay, based on characters created by Rich Wilkes, USN Capt and NSA agent Augustus Eugene Gibbons (Samuel L. Jackson) springs Darius Stone (Ice Cube), formerly a member of Gibbons's Navy SEAL team four, from federal prison to confront their long-time nemesis Secretary of Defense George Deckert (Willem Dafoe), who's intent on leading an assault on the US Capitol.

President James Sanford (Peter Strauss) is about to make his State of the Union address to the nation, recommending conciliatory overtures to the US's allies and enemies for international peace. The Secretary of Defense, who wants an enhanced military-spending bill, perceives this pacifistic approach as going down the wrong path.

After a court-martial for leading a mutiny against then-four-star General Deckert, D-train has spent nine years behind bars; Gibbons selects his initially recalcitrant recruit - "Now, you can die in here, or you can take the fight to them" - to be the new XXX, a deep-cover agent with special skills. "I'm running the show now," insists Stone.

Things have changed since he was last on the outside, including his woman Lola Jackson's (Nona Gaye) moving uptown with a specialty firm building luxury cars: "Everything's more expensive now."

Following his drop-in, unexpected luncheon with Charlie Mayweather (Sunny Mabrey), D accompanies the senator's aide and daughter to her father's magnificent home where she says invitingly: "If you need anything at all, I'm just down the hall." "Anything?" "Anything at all," she assures her guest. "How 'bout fries and a shake?" Lots of hardware damage - lots of people get fried and the government all shook up.

Assisting Stone are two NSA agents, weapons expert with computer-hacking skills, Toby Lee Shavers (Michael Roof), and Kyle Christopher Steele (Scott Speedman), who helpfully remarks: "We have to go outside the box on this one."

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Copyright © 2011 Patrick Ivers. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.

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