Review of 12 Rounds (2000) by Wolfgang L — 03 Nov 2011

Before WWE decided that it's target market was going to be the under 10's who milk their parents dry for John Cena merchandising, it's film studios actually put out one or two decent movies, 12 Rounds probably being the best.

It does star the kiddie fave, the aforementioned Mr Cena, but without being restricted to the garbage he has to spout on WWE's weekly TV shows and having a script which hasn't been written by a failed Hollywood screen writer, Cena makes for a perfectly good, John McClane style, action man.

Comparisons with the Die Hard series are easy to draw with 12 Rounds. The story involves Cena as a New Orleans cop embroiled in a chain of mad dash assignments across the city to stop bombs going off and Aiden Gillen from killing his girlfriend. It is very Die Hard With A Vengeance and it's directed by Renny Harlin, who helmed Die Harder.

Any notion of this being a poor substitute though as quietly dispelled as the movie progresses. It'd be foolish to rank 12 Rounds up there with the McClane movies but it certainly holds it's own. Harlin is very accomplished at directing this sort of fare and can manage an action sequence with aplomb. The highlight here is definitely the cable car scene which is a pretty breathtaking moment of cgi free tension.

Another reason for 12 Rounds working rather well is Aiden Gillan's bad guy who harks back to those 80s action movie baddies who were genuinely evil and actually killed people. Gillen is never less than entertaining when he's on screen and it's his ruthlessness which does give the film another edge.

As for John Cena. At times he is a little wooden and threatens to burst Hulk style from his police man's uniform but he has the makings of a fine action man and delivers the job just as well if not better than most of his full time acting counterparts.

12 Rounds is a step up from The Marine, Cena's first WWE film, and is much better than one would come to it expecting. In the last couple of years, WWE has concentrated on the family film market but one could hope that there might be more like 12 Rounds in the pipeline.

If only John Cena's matches were as exciting, and as believable, as this movie.