Review of 12 Rounds (2000) by Johnny G — 22 Aug 2010

A silly but decent action flick from WWE Studios, starring their shining talisman John Cena, who as in The Marine (another guilty pleasure) brings his natural charisma, not to mention superhuman powers to the screen.

OK so he doesn't have a lot to do except drive cars, talk angrily on the phone and perform various heroic deeds but he does a good enough job in the lead role. The plot is basically Die Hard with a Vengeance meets Saw, with Aidan Gillen's criminal mastermind setting Cena's New Orleans detective a series of against-the-clock challenges in order to save his kidnapped missus (Ashley Scott).

Cue lots of fast-paced action and over the top death traps. There may be an overabundance of vehicular-based carnage (there should be a drinking game for every time a car gets totaled), but overall the action is satisfying.

There aren't too many surprises but the film at least adds another layer by having Gillen's bad guy have an ulterior motive for doing what he's doing. 12 Rounds isn't anything out of the ordinary and is probably not worth revisiting but to be fair to it it's a decent effort and fun while it lasts.