12 Rounds (2009)

Detective Danny Fisher discovers his girlfriend has been kidnapped by a ex-con tied to Fisher's past, and he'll have to successfully complete 12 challenges in order to secure her safe release.

Director:

Renny Harlin

Writer:

Daniel Kunka

Stars:

John Cena, Aidan Gillen, Ashley Scott

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Cena	...	Danny Fisher
Aidan Gillen	...	Miles Jackson
Ashley Scott	...	Molly Porter
Steve Harris	...	George Aiken
Brian White	...	Hank Carver
Gonzalo Menendez	...	Ray Santiago
Taylor Cole	...	Erica Kessen
Kyle Russell Clements	...	Dave Fisher (as Kyle Clements)
Peter Navy Tuiasosopo	...	Willie Dumaine
Travis Davis	...	Anthony Deluso
Nick Gomez	...	Samuel
Brian Decaro	...	FBI Agent Gator
Rosalind Rubin	...	FBI Agent Sheila
Billy Slaughter	...	Technician
Kim Collins	...	Phil the Plumber

Storyline

Uniformed New Orleans PD officer Danny Fisher earns his promotion to detective to his near-rather lucky, albeit brave, arrest of ruthless terrorist arms-dealer Miles Jackson, whose girlfriend Erica Kessen got accidentally killed during the dirty FBI-operation. Exactly a year later, Miles has escaped and blows up Danny's house as foretaste of a Herculean race to accomplish twelve near-impossible tasks against the clock, otherwise his kidnapped wife Molly will be killed. Yet at the end, another master-plan is suspected.

---

Plot Keywords:

detective | terrorist | ex convict | rooftop | tram | 

---

Genres:

Action | Crime | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action

Details

Official Sites:

Twentieth Century-Fox [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 March 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Twelve Rounds

Filming Locations:

New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$22,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£326,804 (UK) (29 May 2009)

Gross:

£612,954 (UK) (5 June 2009)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fox Atomic, WWE Films, Mark Gordon Company, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Near the end of the movie, one can hear WWE superstar Mark Henry's theme song from back when he was using his "Sexual Chocolate" persona.

---

Goofs

The power was cut to stop the tram. When it crashes, the lights in the tram are still burning.

---

Quotes

Det. Danny Fisher: I'm training the world's most dominant pug. He's going through a bulking phase.

---

Connections

Followed by 12 Rounds: Reloaded (2013)

---

Soundtracks

"Feel You"
Written by Jonas Genberg
Performed by Crumbland
Published by WB Music Corp. (ASCAP) o/b/o Warner Chappell Music Finland
Courtesy of Terra Recordings

User Reviews

The Marine + Speed + Die Hard: With a Vengeance + Renny Harlin = Good old fashioned, fun action flick.

This type of movies are predictable. Good guy vs. Bad guy. Yes, from the trailer we've all seen it before. We know what's gonna happen next. But what's refreshing about "12 Rounds", the latest John Cena outing, is that it has solid action scenes, that were filmed for real, thus giving the movie an extra edge. All of this is thanks to director Renny Harlin.

I am not ashamed to call myself a fan of Renny Harlin. He, as you may know, is a director who puts his heart in crafting white-knuckle action. Think "Die Hard 2", "Cliffhanger", and "The Long Kiss Goodnight". All of those films contain many thrilling action, most of them filmed practically, without CGI. The film's plot, although a blatant but forgivable rip-off of "DH3" and with elements of "The Marine" works well with Harlin because it is what he does best - making solid action FOR REAL. Two action sequences deserve mention here; Cena's character (unintentionally...I think) using a fire engine to destroy part of New Orleans faster than Hurricane Katrina ever will, and a sequence involving a tram, which is impressive.

As for the acting, it's pretty mediocre at best, but with action movies, it's normal nowadays. John "Matt Damon on steroids" Cena here, however, is a step up from his previous "Marine", here he's more flexible and believable. Brian J. White is okay as his partner, as per his sweetheart, Ashley Scott. The villain played by Aiden Gillen, is what could be the first time I've seen a movie villain be intelligent and annoying at the same time. The rest of the cast, especially the FBI agents, fall flat.

And finally, as far as believability goes, the film is not nearly as ridiculous as "The Marine", it's more realistic. Sure, there are few "ok that's bull" scenes, but there's very little of that, in fact in a scene I thought Cena would become Evel Knievel but thankfully he didn't.

So in short, it's a big, loud, dumb, and fun time waster. See it for the action only. It's a big breath of fresh air after CGI laden DTV nonsense. Glad to see Harlin back doing what he does best; old school action.

Entertainment value: 7.5/10

Overall: 6/10