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„xXx“ was released in the US as an extended Director’s Cut right when the second part hit theaters. This is a well-known release strategy and like so many of these versions before, this one also got one of those „uncut“ labels that are floating the home theater sector: “Unrated Uncensored Director`s Cut" was the choice this time.
At the bottomline, there are two questions regarding this DC of „xXx“: First the justified question whether this DC really features some controversial new material, cause after all that’s what the producers are suggesting with the label "Unrated Uncensored Director`s Cut". Or if once again only some lame deleted scenes were re-íntegrated into the movie. And most importantly: Make the new scenes the movie better? The cover says „unrated“ instead of PG-13 now, but is this because of the new scenes or just because the publishers think they can squeeze even more money with this formerly alarming label? These questions will be answered now one after another: In general the question whether the DC featues any new, more „controversial“ material concerning sex and crime or merely old deleted scenes can be answered this way: both. There were indeed mainly only deleted scenes re-integrated, but these are not only expanded story scenes, but additionally feature more and new sex stuff and more action with more victims. For example, the strip scene was expanded with lots of shots that had to be removed for the PG-13 version. More details on that of course further down in the report. So, is it a better movie with the new and extended scenes in the end? The answer is yes, because the DC is just the more mature version, less extreme trimmed down for a PG-13. On the other hand, whoever knows the deleted scenes already from the bonus section of the first DVD and doesn’t care for them to be re-inserted - well, for those people the DC is probably less interesting. Information on the report:
Comparison of the theatrical version (PG-13) and the Director`s Cut (unrated). 0.05.27
A new scene was inserted after Gibbons (Samual L. Jackson) suggests in the team meeting to use criminals for the mission: Gibbons, the chief of operations and the director walk down the hallway. They finish their discussion here. The chief of operations makes it very clear that he expects that the director won’t let criminals spoil the operation. Gibbons remarks that there’s a new world and a new generation out there and that the old methods just won’t work anymore. The director walks into an elevator and greenlights Gibbon’s plan – he is told to find some suitable persons, train them and find out who is the right man for the job. 31,76 sec.
0.30.17 The camera moves inside a plane along the aisle, past numerous passengers. Finally, Xander (Vin Diesel) comes into focus. He looks down on a monitor which is only saying "Anarchy 99 - Level 5 Access only”. A boy walks by from behind and asks which game Xander plays. Xander takes out his earplugs and says in a somewhat arrogant tone: “Anarchy 99”. The boy understands that he is not welcomed there and walks sadly further down the aisle. Xander feels pity for the boy and calls after him, asking him if he can’t sleep. The boy answers that he has to sit squeezed in bewteen his mother and his snorching stepfather. Xander laughs and calls the boy back so that he can show him his game. The boy asks whether it is an ego-shooter. Xander tells him some details on the “game” (which in fact is his assignment). He is somewhat surprised himself as he reads out some details. Then there pops up a picture of Yelena (the female heroine/ Asia Argento). The boy has a little emotional outburst because of the picture, but feels embarassed immediately. Xander confirms that the woman looks hot indeed. Then Xander asks the boy whether he has a girlfriend. The boy laughs a bit embarassed and says no, and that he can’t see what’s wrong with looking at some “nice pictures” now and then. Then the boy asks what different kinds of weapons there are. The screen shows some weapons then and Xander says “Everything you can wish for”. After some more chit-chat Xander says that the boy should better be going back to his seat before his stepfather comes back. But the boy turns around one last time and asks something about the end of the game. Xander has no answer to that, then the boy suggests something which leaves Xander sunk deeply in his thoughts. 2 Min 39,44 sec. (159,44 sec.)
0.32.33 Xander tells the gangster: „If you want to shoot someone, then the designer of this suit – I’m going to bed now.” Then he jumps on his bed. The DC features an extended version of this scene: The bad guy leaves the room and tells one of his helpers in Russian (?) to keep an eye on Xander. The two guys then step up directly next to him and watch him. Xander is a bit puzzled by this display of stupidity and turns around to sleep. 28,16 Sec. Because of this extension the DC misses out some frames of the next shot, which normally follows here in the theatrical version: The gangster leaves the room shortly after Xander has jumped on his bed. (64 frames = 2,56 sec).
(At the party) 0.53.15 Some mafia-guys walk through a hall. Two of them carry one sparsely dressed woman each. 4,36 sec.
0.53.21 Xander and the „main“ badguy step into a hall. The DC features an additional shot before this: a woman gives them a note. Yorgi (the main badguy) says something in Russian. Because of this extension the DC misses out some frames of the next shot, which normally follows here in the theatrical version: Yorgi and Xander step into the hall (a different angle). (20 frames = 0,8 sec). 9,16 sec.
0.53.30 The DC features another shot of Xander looking at surveillance monitors and a cut-back to Xander walking by. 3,68 sec.
0.53.43 Another new scene is inserted after the smoking gangster takes Yelena’s coat: A funny badguy takes a paintgun and shoots at the guy with Yelena’s coat (who is walking out). The smoking badguy is frigthened and screams out loud, then he runs away. The other guy runs after him. 8,88 sec. Because of this extended scene the DC misses out a short shot of Xander stoping the badguy with the baseball bat and starting to talk to him. Only this shot is missing, the next one (Yelena shoving the mafia guy from behind in order to get by him) is there again. (73 frames = 2,92 sec.)
0.53.53 The big Russian guy further explains Xander that he (the smoking badguy who took Yelena’s coat) smells at her cloths like a dog. 2 shots. 3,0 sec.
0.53.58 There’s another extension in the DC after the Russian has smashed the ugly antiques with his baseball: The Russian lifts his arms and celebrates his throw. The other badguy (who before took a shot at the smoker with the paintgun and chased him afterwards) returns to the hall with a big paint stain on his forehead. Speaking about the smoker, he says that the guy may be crazy but still “one hell of a shot”. Meanwhile, Xander sits down at Yorgi’s table. The two make some fun and Xander sings loud “America, America” (almost embarassing acting by Diesel), then they talk about Yorgi’s life. Xander says that Yorgi would live like a king with all the women etc. Yorgi says that in his view there are no rules at all. But Xander replies that one would need a society with rules, because it wouldn’t be as much fun breaking them if there weren’t any. This obviously annoys Yorgi: he takes on a mean look and stands up. Then he grabs a woman and prepares to go. He tells Xander that he has “55 bedrooms, but a special one for you”. Xander says: “Good. I’m tired.“ 75,56 sec. Because of the extended scene the DC misses out four shots that normally came here: Three women sit on a stair and talk to each other + Xander, sitting in a chair, turns around to Yelena + Yelena looks at him + again Xander in the chair. (201 frames = 8,04 sec.)
0.54.09 Alternate scene: When Yorgi tells Yelena to show Xander his room the two versions feature mostly different material. Director`s Cut:
6,08 sec.
Theatrical version:
3,8 sec.
0.54.15 Yorgi leaves the hall with the three women. Xander gets up and moves to the exit as well. Yelena follows him (wideshot from the ceiling). In front of the hall one sees Yorgi and the women again. 11,08 sec. The strip for Xander 0.55.03 There it is, the “unrated“ material. Two additional quick shots of the woman. Pictures give a better impression probably: 2,2 sec..
0.55.09 The prostitute shakes her butt and turns around to Xander. 2 shots (from behind and sideways). 3,68 sec.
0.55.16 The dancer teases her hand over her bra, turns around and shakes her booty. Xander is in the background, watching her. She sits down on the bed and spreads her legs. 14,6 sec.
0.55.19 Alternate material: Director`s Cut: The woman gives Xander a seductive look and slowly strokes her hands over her breasts (2 shots). 4,44 sec.
Theatrical version: The beauty sits in front of Xander, turns around and climbs on the bed. One can see her almost naked butt. Note: The DC features a similar scene (the woman climbs on the bed), but only a few seconds later, from a more distant perspective and longer. The DC material is definitely different and not identical (for more on that see the next cut). 3,2 sec.
0.55.25 The woman sits in front of Xander with her legs spread. Then she crawls on the bed, giving Xander a really nice look at her butt. She keeps on writhing there and presents her butt particularly nice to Xander/the camera. There are some cuts to the fascinated Xander in between. 15,6 sec.
0.55.26 The woman spreads her legs while laying on the bed and strokes her hand over her body. 3,12 sec.
0.58.07 Alternate material: Director`s Cut: The three women that went with Yorgi the night before are seen sleeping in his bed, completely naked. The next shot of Yorgi standing in front of the bar and grabing the phone is different as well. Reason: In the DC one sees the naked women in the bed in the background. 38,12 sec.
Theatrical version: The theatrical version features only one woman. Additionally, here she is covered with the sheets and the shot is shorter. In the background of the next shot (Yorgi in front of the bar) there’s accordingly only one woman in the bed as well. 32,28 sec.
After the avalanche scene 1.28.31 Alternate material: Director`s Cut: In a wide shoot, Xander removes his ski goggles and brings his oneliner afterwards. 8,12 sec.
Theatrical version: The closeup, that started with Xander moving towards the camera in the snow, runs longer here and Xander removes his ski goggles. Then he takes a look at the snowy devastation in front of him with some scattered equipment of the former pursuers laying around – only then he brings his oneliner in the theatrical version. 8,68 sec.
1.28.41 Xander tries to get out of the snow when his cellphone starts ringing. After a quick and hectic search he pulls it out of his jacket: Gibbons, who’s just walking over a military facility, is on the line. He is screaming: he wants to know where Xander is. Xander says with an ironic tone that was only chased by some bad guys. Gibbons says sharply that he gave him the clear order to go home. Xander thinks that he has obeyed the order and explains:"You said: "Go home Triple X" - That means stay, doesn`t it?". Gibbons repeats that he wants Xander to disappear immediately and then hangs up. Then he and a General climb into a car. This completely new scene is interrupted by a single shot that is featured in the theatrical version as well: A snow crawler appears from behind a snow hill. In the DC Gibbons and Xander are still talking on the phone then, which is why the dialog comes from the off there. The theatrical version has no talking during the shot of course. The length of this shot was not added to the total run time of the missing sequence. That makes a total of: 31,36 sec.
Police attacks Yorgi’s castle 1.31.07 The action sequence showing a large number of police attacking the castle of main bad guy Yorgi was extended with some shots of more action in the DC: The policemen move forward on the narrow bridge longer, a lot of shooting goes on on both sides. One cop takes a hit from the bad guys standing on the wall with the machine guns, another cop fires granades at the shooters etc. 17,16 sec. Because of the extended scene the last shot featured in the theatrical version before the sequence was shortened a few frames. (41 frames = 1,64 sec.)
1.31.11 After the impact of the granade (which is shown in the theatrical version), two badguys go down. Two shots: a direct shot of the falling man and one through the windshield of an approaching police car. 1,96 sec. Because of the extended scene the explosion of the granade was shortened a few frames. (10 frames = 0,4 sec.)
1.31.12 Again an extension of the shooting. Police men move further on and push the badguys back into the castle. There we see more and heavy shooting, with numerous victims on both sides. The DC features some nice additional explosions and stunts… 26,2 sec.
1.31.59 More fights between police and bad guys inside the castle. Lots of shots, explosions and some more casualties etc. Two bad guys fire at the cops with two big machine guns from behind a stair railing. 22,4 sec.
1.36.31 The DC misses out one tiny sequence of Gibbons climbing out of a plane that just landed in a military basis. In the chronology shortly before Xander receives the car with which he prevents the biological weapon from exploding. A part of that scene was shown earlier in the DC (in connection with the new scene at 1.28.41). The lengh of this part was therefor not added to the total run time of the missing sequence. This way, the DC misses out only two shots with a run time of: 4,8 sec. in the DC
1.49.10 Gibbons is seen in his office. He talks briefly to the chief of operations, then cut to Xander and Yelena. Xander asks her how long she can hold her breath under water. She says that some time ago she managed to hold it for two minutes. He replies that he always wanted to pull a trick but that she would have to hold it for 3 minutes. She says in a covetous tone that she would try her best. Then they kiss. 21,24 sec.
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