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12 Rounds

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12 Rounds (2009)

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Reviews Counted: 61

Fresh: 18

Rotten:43

Average Rating: 4.4/10

Consensus: Energetic but empty, 12 Rounds' preposterous plot hurtles along at a rapid pace, but can’t disguise the derivative script.

Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for intense sequences of violence and action.

Runtime: 1 hr 48 mins

Genre: Action/Adventure

Theatrical Release:Mar 27, 2009 Wide

Box Office: $12,220,258

Synopsis: Finnish director Renny Harlin (CLIFFHANGER, DIE HARD 2) brings first-time screenwriter Daniel Kunka’s story to life in the fast-paced action film 12 ROUNDS. When New Orleans police officer Danny... Finnish director Renny Harlin (CLIFFHANGER, DIE HARD 2) brings first-time screenwriter Daniel Kunka’s story to life in the fast-paced action film 12 ROUNDS. When New Orleans police officer Danny Fisher (WWE wrestler John Cena) apprehends Miles Jackson (Aidan Gillen, THE WIRE), a villainous Irishman being pursued by the FBI, Jackson’s girlfriend is accidentally killed. One year later, Jackson is out of prison and seeking revenge, kidnapping Fisher's girlfriend, Molly (Ashley Scott), and setting up an elaborate game of cat and mouse that traverses the city. Now a detective, Fisher, with the help of the FBI and his fellow officers, has to survive 12 rounds of Jackson’s game--each more mentally and physically challenging than the last--if he wants to see Molly alive again. Meanwhile, the roguish Jackson may be seeking more than just retribution. Although the premise is completely implausible, 12 ROUNDS is a fun thrill ride. Jackson’s plan and Fisher’s ensuing pursuit leave an unimaginable trail of destruction throughout the city, managing to encompass fire engines, buses, a streetcar, and a helicopter, along with fires, explosions, and blackouts, among other things. There isn’t a dull moment as Fisher and the FBI agents, played by Steve Harris and Gonzalo Menendez, try to outwit the seemingly omnipotent villain. Cena, resembling a super-sized Mark Wahlberg, fits the bill for an action hero. Gillen is a solid nemesis: heartless, stone-faced, and completely out for himself. Brian White plays Hank, Fisher’s partner and best friend, and Scott is appealing as Fisher’s feisty girlfriend. [More]

Starring: John Cena, Aidan Gillen, Ashley Scott, Steve Harris

Starring: John Cena, Aidan Gillen, Ashley Scott, Steve Harris, Brian White, Taylor Cole, Gonzalo Menendez, Kyle Clements, Peter Navy Tuiasosopo, Travis Davis, Nick Gomez

Director: Renny Harlin

Director: Renny Harlin
Screenwriter: Daniel Kunka
Producer: Mark Gordon, Josh McLaughlin, Michael Lake
Composer: Trevor Rabin
Studio: 20th Century Fox

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Jun 30, 2009

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • When New Orleans Police Detective Danny Fisher (John Cena) stops a brilliant thief from getting away with a multimillion-dollar heist, the thief's girlfriend is accidentally killed. After escaping from prison, the criminal mastermind enacts his revenge, taunting Danny with 12 rounds of near-impossible puzzles and tasks that he must somehow complete to save the life of the woman he loves.
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    Reviews for 12 Rounds

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    1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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    A very satisfying and well made action thriller that could only be improved if Arnold Schwarzenegger was the star.

    Full Review Source: Cinema Signals | comment Comment
    07/09/09
    Jules Brenner
    Cinema Signals

    With its wonderful post-Katrina NOLA setting and the standard stunt spectacle as only Harlin can deliver, 12 Rounds is actually quite good. It's no masterpiece, but then again, few post-millennial adrenaline rushes have been.

    Full Review Source: PopMatters | comment Comment
    07/04/09
    Bill Gibron
    PopMatters

    ...a decent action movie that could've been a great one...

    Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
    06/24/09
    David Nusair
    Reel Film Reviews

    Loud, idiotic nonsense.

    Full Review Source: Observer [UK] | comment Comment
    06/02/09
    Philip French
    Observer [UK]

    Apart from the palpably improbable storyline, Harlan shows a massive disregard for characterisation, and so much bang-bang editing that you scarcely know where you are.

    Full Review Source: This is London | comment Comment
    06/02/09
    Derek Malcolm
    This is London

    Cena has the sort of likeable air that suggests he could just make it as an action movie type. However, it won't be thanks to this movie.

    Full Review Source: Sunday Mail [UK] | comment Comment
    06/02/09
    Mickey McMonagle
    Sunday Mail [UK]

    This is a welcome throwback for audiences raised on ’90s action flicks — what they used to call “a pulse-pounding roller-coaster thrill-ride of a movie”.

    Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
    05/29/09
    Genevieve Harrison
    Empire Magazine

    There’s a decent little action movie somewhere inside ‘12 Rounds’: a bit more complexity of character, a few more jokes and a hero who doesn’t look like a two-by-four with a buzz cut might have gone a long way.

    Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
    05/29/09
    Tom Huddlestone
    Time Out

    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.

    Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
    05/29/09
    Richard Luck
    Channel 4 Film

    A lunk-headed, brawling action movie with more muscle than brains and the kind of editing that feels like being repeatedly shot in the eyes with a staple gun.

    Full Review Source: Times [UK] | comment Comment
    05/29/09
    Wendy Ide
    Times [UK]

    One long blur of car stunts and digital clocks counting down to detonation — passable for lazy television viewing, but not worth the price of a ticket.

    Full Review Source: Sunday Times (UK) | comment Comment
    05/29/09
    Edward Porter
    Sunday Times (UK)

    It remains to be seen whether this crude, dumbly entertaining outing will encourage the director to tackle more of the Greek myths.

    Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
    05/29/09
    Xan Brooks
    Guardian [UK]

    12 Rounds's familiarity undercuts any kind of suspense it hopes to build, and for an action-packed romp it's incredibly dull.

    Full Review Source: Digital Spy | comment Comment
    05/29/09
    Simon Reynolds
    Digital Spy

    Those in the mood for something kinda dumb but lotsa fun look no further.

    Full Review Source: Sky Movies | comment Comment
    05/29/09
    Rob Daniel
    Sky Movies

    The kind of passable in-flight entertainment you could watch half-asleep.

    Full Review Source: Daily Telegraph | comment Comment
    05/29/09
    Tim Robey
    Daily Telegraph

    Fun, witless and pretension-free, 12 Rounds is Die Hard meets Saw meets WWE: pure chest-thumping testosterone cinema, edited like a jackhammer and delivered at thrash-punk velocity.

    Full Review Source: Total Film | comment 2 Comments
    05/29/09
    Ken McIntyre
    Total Film

    The lack of new ideas might not matter if the puzzles were fresh or entertaining, but they aren't. Director Renny Harlin has made enjoyably daft movies before, including Cliffhanger and The Long Kiss Goodnight, but here he fails to set our pulses racing.

    Full Review Source: Daily Mail [UK] | comment Comment
    05/29/09
    Christopher Tookey
    Daily Mail [UK]

    There's nothing here we haven't seen before, the action is laid on thick and fast with plenty of explosions and car chases, making this Big Dumb Fun of the first order.

    Full Review Source: Daily Mirror [UK] | comment Comment
    05/29/09
    David Edwards
    Daily Mirror [UK]

    While the plot is completely daft the film is also engagingly diverting.

    Full Review Source: Sunday Mirror [UK] | comment Comment
    05/29/09
    Mark Adams
    Sunday Mirror [UK]

    Cena's stiff manner barely matters in 12 Rounds, in which he plays a cop rather than a fighter, because this is all about big explosions.

    Full Review Source: Sun Online | comment Comment
    05/29/09
    Sun Online
     
     
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    Latest News for 12 Rounds

    May 31, 2009: Five Favourite Films with Renny Harlin
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    March 30, 2009: 12 Rounds Star Wants Jericho Film Trilogy Opens in new window
    In a recent interview, 12 Rounds actress Ashley Scott chimes in on rumored plans to bring the cancelled CBS sci-fi show Jericho to the big screen. In short, she's in -- how's a... More...

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