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XXX: State of the Union

STARRING Samuel L. Jackson, Ice Cube, Willem Dafoe, Scott Speedman, Peter Strauss, Nona Gaye, Xzibit WRITTEN BY Simon Kinberg DIRECTED BY Lee Tamahori

Another Vin Diesel franchise, another sequel without Vin Diesel. That's right: While the bald guy plays with the preschool set (The Pacifier), rapper-actor-producer Ice Cube steps in as the titular rebel-hero in the follow-up to the $142 million-grossing hit XXX. So did Diesel's character have an extreme-sports mishap or something? ''In the beginning [of the film], they mention that he's no longer working for the agency,'' explains Ice Cube. ''They're gonna use a new XXX in each movie.''

But whereas Diesel's version aced the giant slalom and saved the world from Eurotrash villains, Ice Cube's incarnation is a streetwise Special Forces officer sprung from military prison to help foil a government coup in Washington, D.C. ''He's a full-blown killing machine,'' notes Tamahori (Die Another Day), who promises a conspiracy thriller plot to complement the daredevil stunts (exploding trains! a 600-foot dive!). Not exactly like his shooting days chillin' at the Barbershop. ''I climbed a [ladder] chain of an aircraft carrier from the ocean to the ship. That's high,'' says Ice Cube. ''I don't know if any [stunts] are fun. Any phobia you got, you're gonna lose it quick.'' (April 29)

Originally posted Feb 14, 2005 Published in issue #807 Feb 18, 2005 Order article reprints

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