12 Rounds (2009)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Jens S

  
  Renny Harlin was Hollywood next big action expert in the early 90s and has disappeared quite a bit in recent years. Here, his job was to turn Wrestling star John Cena into the next Schwarzenegger, or The Rock. That does work up to a certain degree. Cena is certainly not the… More
  Renny Harlin was Hollywood next big action expert in the early 90s and has disappeared quite a bit in recent years. Here, his job was to turn Wrestling star John Cena into the next Schwarzenegger, or The Rock. That does work up to a certain degree. Cena is certainly not the film's biggest problem, even if his acting skills are somewhat limited and he looks funny when he's running. Fact is, the movie has such an insane pace that you sometimes forget to think about the plot holes. The stereotypes and predictable parts well known in the genre are pretty obvious, though. In a way it's actually a remake of Die Hard 3, especially once we learn the bad guy's ulterior motifs. Speaking of the villain, Game of Thrones's Littlefinger Aidan Gillen does a decent job here, but is reduced to the regular lines a bad gets in such films. That goes for most of the dialogs, actually. There's nothing wrong with the action here, even if the editing and always shaky camera work does get tiresome at times. Still, an entertaining film, even if a little more brains wouldn't have hurt.

• ♥˩ƳИИ &

  
  Cast: Ashley Scott, John Cena, Brian J. White, Steve Harris, Aidan Gillen, Taylor Cole, Lara Grice, Billy Slaughter, Sam Medina, Louis Herthum Director: Renny Harlin Summary: Helmed by Renny Harlin, this tense actioner stars World Wrestling Entertainment grappler John Cena as… More
  Cast: Ashley Scott, John Cena, Brian J. White, Steve Harris, Aidan Gillen, Taylor Cole, Lara Grice, Billy Slaughter, Sam Medina, Louis Herthum Director: Renny Harlin Summary: Helmed by Renny Harlin, this tense actioner stars World Wrestling Entertainment grappler John Cena as Det. Danny Fisher, a New Orleans cop who must save his kidnapped fiancée, Molly Porter (Ashley Scott), from the clutches of notorious crime lord Miles Jackson (Aidan Gillen). A battle of wits and wills ensues as Fisher is forced to life race around the Big Easy completing 12 near-impossible tasks and solving puzzles dreamed up by Jackson. My Thoughts: "This movie was what I kinda expected it to be. Action packed and predictable. The guy saves the girl from the bad guy. Good prevails over evil. It has been told time and time again. Plus John Cena's last movie The Marine was something like this. So hopefully he will try to take on different roles. It was an entertaining movie, action packed. I was surprised that with John Cena being a wrestler (which I don't follow) that he doesn't do bad at acting. Thought he pulled off the role. Didn't care to much for Ashley Scott in this movie though. There were also some cheesy lines. But all in all an OK movie. I, personally enjoyed The Marine more then this one."

• Lady D

  
  I'm not the biggest fan of Wrestler turned Actors and it's fair to say if I'd known that was the case with this film I probably would've avoided it, however apart from having been influenced by lots of other films, an being ridiculously unbelievable, it… More
  I'm not the biggest fan of Wrestler turned Actors and it's fair to say if I'd known that was the case with this film I probably would've avoided it, however apart from having been influenced by lots of other films, an being ridiculously unbelievable, it surprisingly kept my attention and was a watchable film

• ♥Robyn

  
  John Cena is a New Orleans cop who single handedly catches an international terrorist during a failed FBI bust, but only after aiding in the death of the villains girlfriend. One year later, the bad guy comes-a-knockin.. and makes the detective go through a series of games in exchange… More
  John Cena is a New Orleans cop who single handedly catches an international terrorist during a failed FBI bust, but only after aiding in the death of the villains girlfriend. One year later, the bad guy comes-a-knockin.. and makes the detective go through a series of games in exchange for his wife's life. Later, the cops find out it was all a ruse in order to steal money.

• Richard C

  
  i actually thought this was good. it had a lot of action. a decent story. and i thought the idea was cool. theres nothing amazing about the movie but its entertaining. a good action movie. B

• Jani H

  
  This film is so bad that I could not even find a quote and I really don't wanna see '12 Rounds' again... I'd like to like this film because of Renny Harlin, the most famous Finnish born director. The man behind such decent action flicks as 'Die Hard 2',… More
  This film is so bad that I could not even find a quote and I really don't wanna see '12 Rounds' again... I'd like to like this film because of Renny Harlin, the most famous Finnish born director. The man behind such decent action flicks as 'Die Hard 2', 'The Long Kiss Goodnight' and 'Cliffhanger', has been demoted to direct B class action produced by the WWF. Wrestling! Son of a muthaf... What went wrong? The change of the millenium didn't do damage to the society but it ruined Harlin's career. After the change we've witnessed such classics as 'Driven', 'The Covenant' and now '12 Rounds', a crappy film starring John Cena, a wrestler on the merge of Hollywood fame... Not. '12 Rounds' mimics 'Die Hard 3' and 'Speed' and doesn't even try to hide it. Whilst the two examples are good action semi classics, '12 Rounds' is the worst film that Harlin has defecated since 'Driven'. Cena can not handle a film by himself, which was already proven with 'The Marine'. The action is lame, even with the standards of Harlin, who has been profiled as a director specialized on action. I mean, sweet Jesus... The last scene with the helicopter... Oh, the tension, camerawork! By the way, Cena has to have the best physical fitness level I've seen. He can run thru half the city and not even get exhausted! I'd recommend this film to all rednecks who spend their evenings watching wrestling, drinking Budweiser (which happens to be the crapiest beer available) and masturbating their pet frog. An extra half star 'cause of the pug, the best actor in the movie.

• Bruce B

  
  Excellent Film, talk about revenge that?s what this movie is all about. Show the great lengths someone is willing to go to get back at someone. Excellent action packed film, should have went 15 rounds. Have to give it 4 stars. Great on the Big Screen or worth the buy..

• Nate Z

  
  This action flick bankrolled by World Wrestling Entertainment is an empty and aggravating movie. Let me list the ways this lamebrain action movie fails and flounders. And to be charitable, I?ll do it in only six rounds of concise action. Round 1: John Cena is not an actor, like at… More
  This action flick bankrolled by World Wrestling Entertainment is an empty and aggravating movie. Let me list the ways this lamebrain action movie fails and flounders. And to be charitable, I?ll do it in only six rounds of concise action. Round 1: John Cena is not an actor, like at all. The famous pro wrestler has a face that looks to be chiseled from granite, but he more closely resembles a Boris Karlof version of Frankenstein than a ?normal dude.? This is not an attractive man. Round 2: the movie strains credibility even for an action movie. The villain reappears with no explanation and begins a series of clever traps that must have involved massive man-hours to conceive and put into order, especially with every last variable taken into account like bus schedules. Round 3: The villain is totally non-threatening in every capacity. He acts like an impish teenager instead of a devilish rogue. At one point, I kid you not, he?s rolling around on a bed while he taunts Cena over the phone, like he?s gabbing to a girlfriend. The fact that this dude is a criminal mastermind makes everybody dumber. Round 4: The villainous MO is a shameless rip-off of die Hard with a Vengeance. I repeat: a rip-off of the third freaking Die Hard movie, which isn?t terrific anyway. Every little game, every little round, is a puzzle that leads to the next puzzle, and Cena must figure it all out before his time runs out. And it?s all an elaborate ruse to distract the police so that our bad guy can pose as a Federal Reserve moneyman and steal from a bank, more or less just like Die Hard with a Vengeance. Round 5: The director is Renny Harlin, whose last watch-able movie involved super intelligent psycho killer sharks. His action choreography relies all too heavily on ridiculously tired action tropes, like having Cena leap hundreds of feet from a helicopter to land safely in a rooftop pool. The erratic camerawork does no favors, aping the visual style of better movies. Even Harlin himself has done everything here before and better. Round 6: The bad guy blames Cena for his girlfriend?s death and thus puts him through this day from hell. He blames Cena instead of blaming the driver of the car that plowed into her, his girlfriend for choosing to run right into the path of an oncoming vehicle and for being complicit in a murderous jewelry heist, or even himself for putting everybody in danger in the first place. His motivation is fairly faulty. He might as well blame the manufacturer of the automobile for lackluster brakes. I?ll cut it off from there to be merciful. 12 Rounds is a classic example of a cookie-cutter, brainless, preposterous, and uninventive action movie that typifies the Hollywood assembly line. It?s ludicrous from start to finish and your eyes will glaze over from watching such stolid action scenes without a hint of creative impulse. Nate's Grade: D

• KJ P

  
  This was very entertaining! I would say it's John Cena's best work yet!

• Douglas W C

  
  Did not expect much of this movie but man was it really intense. It pretty much boiled down to what die hard 3 would have been if Harlin had been allowed to direct it.

• Roy G

  
  While 12 Rounds is well above average for an action movie, it's important not to get too carried away. This is, after all, a picture in which leading lady Ashley Scott is less appealing than her pet pug.

• Dean M

  
  This action film's CG-free action set-pieces take place almost in real time, giving the film a sense of thundering urgency underlined by director Renny Harlin's jumpy camerawork and rapid edits. Although John Cena's physical resemblance to a powershake-enhanced Mark… More
  This action film's CG-free action set-pieces take place almost in real time, giving the film a sense of thundering urgency underlined by director Renny Harlin's jumpy camerawork and rapid edits. Although John Cena's physical resemblance to a powershake-enhanced Mark Wahlberg doesn't bode too well for his acting ability, the erstwhile wrestler does prove surprisingly competent at holding your attention. He may not have The Rock's easy charisma, or even his range, but on this evidence, Cena's post-grappling career has a promising future.

• EightThirty .

  
  Ha ha lucky my friend payed... it was pretty ordinary... So ordinary that my friend fell a sleep from a little past the beginning of this movie, to almost the end of the credits.. so he really paid for a sleep!!! Ha ha ha ha, he did'nt miss much anyway.. I should of went to sleep… More
  Ha ha lucky my friend payed... it was pretty ordinary... So ordinary that my friend fell a sleep from a little past the beginning of this movie, to almost the end of the credits.. so he really paid for a sleep!!! Ha ha ha ha, he did'nt miss much anyway.. I should of went to sleep too ^_^

• A.D. V

  
  Goofy albeit well made, fast paced actioner with 80's sensibilities. I somehow got the feeling I was watching an unused script for a Die Hard sequel though.

• Aaron N

  
  Danny: Willy! A silly action film that seems to pay homage to 90s action flicks. If this movie did in fact come out in the 90s, I'm sure it probably would be praised more than it is having come out in 2009. The story, plot, characters are silly, but the movie isn't… More
  Danny: Willy! A silly action film that seems to pay homage to 90s action flicks. If this movie did in fact come out in the 90s, I'm sure it probably would be praised more than it is having come out in 2009. The story, plot, characters are silly, but the movie isn't completely terrible. Wrestling star John Cena returns from his tour as a marine to New Orleans, where he starts out as a beat cop with a live-in girlfriend and a pug. On a random trip with his partner, Cena's character, Danny, manages to stop a criminal mastermind (we know this because he can predict chess games quickly...yep). This criminal master, Miles, was trying to escape with his girlfriend, but Danny not only managed to stop him, but accidentally got miles girl killed in the process. Big mistake. Danny: He shot you in the ass? A year later, Danny is now in deep trouble. Miles has broken out of jail, kidnapped Danny's girl, and has given him a special game to play. This game will involve Danny participating in 12 rounds of mayhem involving Danny racing around town, disarming bombs and trying to save people, hopefully getting back his wife in the process. Lots of destruction and tough guy stuff ensues. This movie is very silly, one character in particular is absolutely annoying in all ways, and it doesn't help that John Cena doesn't have much in the way of screen presence, beyond being a rough and tumble kind of guy. However, there are some merits in director Renny Harlin's approach. Besides some obvious moments at the very end, this movie sticks with practical effects and stunt work. You can really see Cena doing the tough stuff in this film, which includes him having to lift a fat guy out of an elevator as well as climb on the top of a moving cable car. So this is a silly, silly film, but its watchable. Danny: Game over.

• Brian D

  
  Better then i was expecting with some fine action sets.Renny Harlin back on action duty after some bad directing chooses!John Cena is not bad bit wooded but maybe with a few more films he could be going somewhere. A good couple of hrs to spent.

• Steve K

  
  As brainless actions films go, it's not so bad. It feels very much like an 80's film, which isn't surprising since Renny Harlin directed it. Never boring and yet never credible, it's a lazy afternoon time waster.

• Film C

  
  Well this isnt a bad film really john cena seems to be following in dwayne (the rock) johnson footsteps in acting and he isnt to bad really. If you liked the movie The Marine also starring John Cena then you'll like this as its fairly similar but prbably a bit more of a… More
  Well this isnt a bad film really john cena seems to be following in dwayne (the rock) johnson footsteps in acting and he isnt to bad really. If you liked the movie The Marine also starring John Cena then you'll like this as its fairly similar but prbably a bit more of a storyline! This movie is action packed and if you liked die hard and Speed then you'll really like this action flick with very little humour but does have some one liners! the story is pretty predictable but at the end you'll think that yes its realli quite clever! Its about a Wanted gun dealer whose girlfriend gets killed and blames it on D.FIsher played by John cena his girlfriend gets kidnapped and has to go through 12 rounds and win if he wants to see her again. Its an explosive action packed movie worth a watch!

• Bobby H

  
  "12 Rounds" features John Cena in his second motion picture. The Marine, was one of the worst I had seen so I almost didnt see this but because I am studying law enforcement myself and I am a huge WWE Fan I felt the need to give it a true chance and the result was, I am… More
  "12 Rounds" features John Cena in his second motion picture. The Marine, was one of the worst I had seen so I almost didnt see this but because I am studying law enforcement myself and I am a huge WWE Fan I felt the need to give it a true chance and the result was, I am glad I did! The movie is "Die Hard" and "Speed" tied into one. Detective Danny Fischer finds himself racing against time in a 12 round race that has him doing crazy and action packed missions that means keeping his girlfriend alive. The plot is amazing and as predictable as you would think this movie is, it's really not. There's a great twist towards the end with many parts that will have you saying "Holy Shit, Holy Shit" (Yeah, that was a WWE Chant, had to throw that in there).... The negatives: It still suffers just a tad bit from over doing scenes. I like a realistic film and this is a bit out there at spots, but with a great plot and the emotional struggles the movie shows, it's easy to ignore. The end is slightly predictable as we all can guess who is going to win the "12 rounds" but all in all it's a super badassed movie and John Cena as well as WWE productions has redeemed themselves from the disasterous movies they've produced in the past as they quite possibly released there best film yet. Also See: The Condemned featuring "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.

• Derek A

  
  WWE superstar John Cena returns to the big screen as a man trying to save his girlfriend.... again! His freshman bomb, <i>The Marine</i>, was one of the worst action films this century. So I had my reservations going into <i>12 Rounds</i>. Apparently Cena… More
  WWE superstar John Cena returns to the big screen as a man trying to save his girlfriend.... again! His freshman bomb, <i>The Marine</i>, was one of the worst action films this century. So I had my reservations going into <i>12 Rounds</i>. Apparently Cena and Co. learned from their mistakes and made the right adjustments. They didn't hit a home run, but his sophomore attempt is a VAST improvement. <i>12 Rounds</i> is an action-packed thrill ride that will keep your adrenaline pumping. It's loaded with action, but graciously doesn't overload it. I loved how the director, Renny Harlin (<i>Die Hard 2</i>, <i>Cliffhanger</i>), didn't exploit Cena's wrestling persona. This film has no body slams, drop kicks, flying elbows, or any other appalling wrestling maneuvers. <i>12 Rounds</i> has a very intricate and compelling plot. But one thing it's not is original. Unfortunately, this film is a carbon copy of <i>Die Hard 3</i> with a sprinkle of <i>Speed</i>... literally. <i>12 Rounds</i> is a 90's-style action flick, and I'm a sucker for 90's action. It's nothing new, but it's pretty damn entertaining. It's nice to see Cena on the right track.

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