Darius, the new Agent XXX (Ice Cube replacing Vin Diesel, whose character is pronounced dead and never seen in this film), is an ex-gangsta, very tough, very independent-minded. He's actually in prison, looking mean, when his old associate, NSA Agent Gibbons (Samuel L. Jackson), recruits him for a mission, to defend Washington DC against invasion by U.S. troops, led by the Secretary of Defense Deckert (Willem Dafoe, as another one-dimensional villain unworthy of his talents). But Darius is not so surly as he first appears, and Cube makes an unusual action hero, cooler and shorter than most, charming and vaguely complex. "D" has a history, a good heart, and a stunning fearlessness, jumping off bridges and onto flying helicopters, even though his small frame doesn't seem capable of enduring such wild stunts (he is not at all like Diesel's "extreme sports" guy).

The plot of XXX: STATE OF THE UNION is simple and ridiculous on its surface: Darius and his team -- including Zeke (Xzibit), Lola (Nona Gaye), and token "white boys," risk-taking agent Steele (Scott Speedman) and gadget geek Toby (Michael Roof) -- battle the bad Secretary of Defense by hijacking a tank in downtown DC, sneaking onto an aircraft carrier (where he also drives a tank) and a speeding bullet train. Deckert is mad because President Sanford (Peter Strauss) wants to cut the military budget and make friends with everyone, including folks in the Middle East and American inner cities. Old-school Deckert wants to bring democracy by killing all U.S. enemies. And D does the right thing.

But if the outcome is never in question (after much mayhem, the good guys win), D's political position is very unusual in an action movie: he fights for U.S. values and ideals, bringing a mostly black, ragtag militia to stop the official military (on orders from Deckert) from overrunning DC. The sight of DC saved by a hip-hop crew (D quotes Tupac, inspiring the President to do the same) is pretty remarkable. Still, its power-to-the-people optimism is achieved by loud, raucous, predictable action.