This is a welcome throwback for audiences raised on ’90s action flicks — what they used to call “a pulse-pounding roller-coaster thrill-ride of a movie”.
Comment
05/29/09
12 Rounds (2009)
30
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:10
Fresh:3
Rotten:7
Average Rating:4.3/10
Consensus: Energetic but empty, 12 Rounds' preposterous plot hurtles along at a rapid pace, but can’t disguise the derivative script.
Theatrical Release:27-05-2009
Synopsis: Finnish director Renny Harlin (CLIFFHANGER, DIE HARD 2) brings first-time screenwriter Daniel Kunka’s story to life in the fast-paced action film 12 ROUNDS. When New Orleans police officer Danny... [More]
Starring: John Cena, Aidan Gillen, Ashley Scott, Steve Harris
Director: Renny Harlin
Reviews for 12 Rounds
1 - 10 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Top CriticThere’s a decent little action movie somewhere inside ‘12 Rounds’: a bit more complexity of character, a few more jokes and a hero who doesn’t look like a two-by-four with a buzz cut might have gone a long way.
05/29/09
Top CriticWhile 12 Rounds is well above average for an action movie, it's important not to get too carried away. This is, after all, a picture in which leading lady Ashley Scott is less appealing than her pet pug.
05/29/09
Top CriticA lunk-headed, brawling action movie with more muscle than brains and the kind of editing that feels like being repeatedly shot in the eyes with a staple gun.
05/29/09
Top CriticIt remains to be seen whether this crude, dumbly entertaining outing will encourage the director to tackle more of the Greek myths.
05/29/09
Top CriticThe kind of passable in-flight entertainment you could watch half-asleep.
05/29/09
Top CriticHeavy on stunts but light on plausibility, humor, surprise, visual ingenuity or psychological depth.
09/01/09
Top CriticRenny Harlin’s 12 Rounds satisfies, on the most primitive level, the expectations for a second-rate action flick.
03/30/09
Top CriticDirector Renny Harlin keeps the wall-to-wall action hurtling along at such breakneck speed, that it's not hard to get swept up in the crash-and-explode craziness of it all.
03/30/09
Top CriticWrestling star John Cena is the dead weight that drags down this brainless but energetic action picture.
03/30/09
Top Critic1 - 10 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Latest News for 12 Rounds
May 31, 2009:
Five Favourite Films with Renny Harlin
Finnish director Renny Harlin has one of the most schizophrenic CVs in movie-dom. He's directed some of the most beloved action films of the last 20 years, including Die Hard 2,... More...
March 30, 2009:
12 Rounds Star Wants Jericho Film Trilogy 
In a recent interview, 12 Rounds actress Ashley Scott chimes in on rumored plans to bring the cancelled CBS sci-fi show Jericho to the big screen. In short, she's in -- how's a... More...
March 26, 2009:
Critics Consensus: Monsters vs. Aliens Is A Blast
This week at the movies, we've got a war of the worlds (Monsters vs. Aliens, with voice work by Reese Witherspoon and Seth Rogan), a demonic abode (The Haunting in Connecticut,... More...
March 26, 2009:
Box Office Guru Preview: Monsters vs. Aliens Ready For Mighty Attack
Ginormica and her mutant pals look to seize control of the North American box office with the animated 3D adventure Monsters vs. Aliens which will try to overtake a group of... More...
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