English Movie 12 Rounds 2009
Cast And Crew
Starring: John Cena, Steve Harris, Ashley Scott, Aidan Gillen,
Brian White, Gonzalo Menendez, Taylor Cole, Kyle Russell
Director: Renny Harlin
Rating: PG (Violence)
Genre: Action
Clements, Peter Navy Tuiasosopo
Languages: English
Subtitles: English/Chinese/Malay
Aspect Ratio: 16x9
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1
Running Time: 1 hr 49 mins
Distributor: Alliance Entertainment
SPECIAL FEATURES
- A Crash Course: John Cena Stunts - Never-before-seen Cena gag reel - Alternate endings with commentary by Writer Daniel Kunka and Actor John Cera
SYNOPSIS:
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.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Cruel as it may sound, Renny Harlin may always be regarded as a poor cousin to Michael Bay and Tony Scott. Despite having done more than respectable action movies like “Die Hard 2”, “Cliffhanger”, “The Long Kiss Goodnight” and even the much underrated “Mindhunters”, Harlin has never been considered in the same league as Bay or Scott. But watch his latest “12 Rounds” and it’s immediately clear that when it comes to mayhem and destruction, Harlin is just as adept at blowing stuff up.
Shot in post-Katrina’s New Orleans, Harlin makes the best use of his location (and his budget) to stage some genuinely thrilling action sequences. There’s a race-against-time drive through the narrow streets of New Orleans on a fire truck, another race against time to stop a careening streetcar and a final climatic midair helicopter fight above the city’s night sky. And in between, a whole stretch of streetwalk cafes gets smashed up, an innumerable number of parked or moving vehicles get crashed into, a couple of buildings get blown up and an entire power grid gets taken out.
Whew- by the time “12 Rounds” is done, you’d think New Orleans just went through Katrina Round Two. And all that destruction is for a good purpose apparently- a certain Detective Danny Fisher (John Cena) has to rescue his kidnapped girlfriend (Ashley Scott) from the hands of a megalomaniac terrorist Miles Jackson (Aiden Gillen) so he plays said terrorist’s 12 challenges, or “12 Rounds”, as the movie is titled.
Whatever. Like any of Bay or Scott’s films, this throwaway plot is simply an excuse to get from one ridiculous and ridiculously exciting action set piece to another- despite writer Daniel Kunka’s best efforts at convincing you otherwise. Yes, “12 Rounds” is almost predictable to a fault and you’d probably already have figured out its twist ending by the time that rolls around. Nevertheless, it’s unlikely action junkies will mind- Harlin’s flair for action and devastation is what propels “12 Rounds” and this is right up there with “Die Hard 2”.
But what “12 Rounds” lacks is a likeable and memorable hero a la John McClane. “12 Rounds’” Detective Danny Fisher doesn’t have the signature personality or attitude that made McClane the hero you rooted for. Indeed, right until the very last round, Fisher finds himself consistently being outsmarted by Miles- how’s that for a smart hero? Of course, part of the fault also lies with Harlin’s frenetic direction- in choosing to keep the action fast and furious, he’s relegated his hero to a mere cardboard figure.
The same can also be said of John Cena. Unlike his fellow WWE superstar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Cena doesn’t have the charisma or the acting chops to take on a leading role. Indeed, Cena is hardly as expressive as Johnson- in fact, he more often looks and acts like a block of wood onscreen. His only saving grace, however, is his athletic ability and thankfully it shows up amply in the movie.
“12 Rounds” is also a movie quite unfortunately behind its time. Had it been made in the ‘90s, it surely would have found more love with an audience that was simpler and easier to please. But coming after countless other such movies like “Point Break”, “Speed” and even “Die Hard with a Vengeance”, “12 Rounds” is hardly likely to change the fortunes of Renny Harlin’s flagging career. He’s made a solid action movie- pity the timing and the acting.
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