Movie Review: “12 Rounds”
Franck Tabouring
Seen on: March 27, 2009
The players: Director: Renny Harlin, Writer: Daniel Kunka, Cast: John Cena, Steve Harris, Aidan Gillen, Brian J. White, Gonzalo Menendez
Facts of interest: Harlin also directed "Die Hard 2," "Cliffhanger" and "Mindhunters."
The plot: Cena plays a cop who must obey a ruthless killer and participate in a deadly game if he ever wants to see his kidnapped wife again.
Our quick thoughts: In Renny Harlin’s latest action flick “12 Rounds,” WWE superstar John Cena plays a heroic New Orleans detective who’s forced to successfully complete 12 perilous challenges in order to save his kidnapped girlfriend.
Die-hard fans who can’t get enough of watching Cena battling his wrestling pals in the ring may actually enjoy this flick, but those of you looking for a suspenseful, innovative action spectacle should probably stay away from “12 Rounds.”
Even though I didn’t hate the movie as much as I thought I would, I must admit I was hardly impressed by what I saw on the big screen. The film is certainly not a total bore, but then again, most of its action sequences remain rather monotonous.
The flick’s central story line is another thing I really couldn’t appreciate, primarily because everything in “12 Rounds” is so ridiculous and implausible without being the slightest bit intriguing. Besides of a couple of nice stunts, I can’t think of a single round that really impressed me.
Take away the mediocre action, and the only thing you’ve got left in “12 Rounds” are a bunch of forgettable central characters and rather disappointing performances. Cena is certainly a fabulous wrestler, but I definitely can’t say the same about this acting skills.
Freaky quote: “I'm gonna hunt you downa and I'm gonna kill you." – John Cena
The final word: I really can’t say much else about this flick. Director Harlin does manage to generate a handful of decent action moments, but none of them give the film the boost it so desperately needs.
“12 Rounds” is a weak flick that’s too afraid to take risks and simply fails to offer audiences the kind of top-notch crazy action we’ve seen in many other films in the same genre. Skip this one and go see something else.
Article by Franck Tabouring
Reader Comments (2)
Teerible camera work. can't anyone hold a camera still???????Made me sick trying to watch everyhting in constant motion. I'm sure you have all seen first time video camera filming. Were these guys first timers???I mean come on, hold the camera still for heavens sake. If this is how filming is supposed to be, I guess i WON'T be watching any more of his films.
HIRE SOME DECENT FILM CREWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thats totally what I thought! I have no idea what I'm doing, but I think I could have done the filming for this movie as good as the camera man.