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Year One
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
12 Rounds

Generally unfavorable reviews
Based on 13 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 24 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >
Movie Info
Genre(s): Action
Written by: Daniel Kunka
Directed by: Renny Harlin
Release Date:
Theatrical: March 27, 2009
DVD: June 30, 2009
Running Time: 108 minutes, Color
Origin: USA
Summary
RATING: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action
Starring John Cena, Steve Harris, Ashley Scott, Aidan Gillen, Brian White, and Gonzalo Menendez
When New Orleans Police Detective, Danny Fisher, stops a brilliant thief, Miles, from getting away with a multi-million-dollar heist, the thief's girlfriend is accidentally killed. After escaping from prison, the criminal mastermind enacts his revenge, taunting Danny with a series of near-impossible puzzles and tasks ...12 rounds...that Danny must somehow complete to save the life of his fiancee. (20th Century Fox)
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database Official Studio Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Los Angeles Times Gary Goldstein
Escapist fun that provides an effective showcase for the blue-collar charisma and bulky good looks of its hyper-athletic lead, four-time World Champion wrestler John Cena (think Matt Damon, only twice the size).
Read Full Review >Empire Genevieve Harrison
Derivative it may be, but with its echoes of "Speed," "Lethal Weapon" and "Die Hard With A Vengeance," 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."
Read Full Review >The Onion (A.V. Club) Nathan Rabin
There's something strangely charming about films that are all artifice, explosions, and naked calculation. 12 Rounds is at least honest trash: It never pretends to be anything other than manic schlock.
Read Full Review >LA Weekly Vadim Rizov
This is the kind of amiable time-killer that belongs on a basic-cable weekend afternoon.
Read Full Review >Entertainment Weekly Clark Collis
You will probably find yourself praying for this duel's knock-out punch to arrive long before it actually does.
Read Full Review >Austin Chronicle Josh Rosenblatt
I defy you to hate John Cena. Really. You can try all you want, but I don't think you'll make it.
Read Full Review >Boston Globe Tom Russo
As one of the WWE's marquee pro wrestlers, John Cena is some actor. As a straight actor . . . he's a great wrestler.
Read Full Review >Chicago Tribune Roger Moore
Noisy, cut into a head-snapping blur with little room for Cena to even try showing emotion, 12 Rounds is an occasionally exciting but always empty experience.
Read Full Review >The New York Times Nathan Lee
There are, as you may have guessed, 12 rounds of this arbitrary nonsense. Annoying as the conceit may be, it neatly functions as a means to gauge how much is left to endure.
Read Full Review >ReelViews James Berardinelli
12 Rounds is the unholy stepchild of "Die Hard with a Vengeance" and "Speed," starring a man whose lack of range makes Steven Seagal seem nuanced by comparison.
Read Full Review >The Hollywood Reporter Maitland McDonagh
Cena is no Jason Statham. His stolid seriousness sucks the life right out of any scene in which he's required to speak. It's a bad sign when you repeatedly wish a runaway trolley would silence the hero.
Read Full Review >Variety Rob Nelson
The viewer, even from a seated position, deserves a championship belt for surviving this overlong actioner.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 4.3 (out of 10) based on 24 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Christophe S. gave it a7:
Is this the best movie ever? Definatly not, but it is entertaining. There is some good action scenes, a bit of humour so just put your brain Off, relax and enjoy.
Sam M.y gave it a0:
awful one of the worst high budget low end bummer of a movie. its not the good cheesey kind. Don't waste your time!
Eric B. gave it a5:
Let me get this straight. This movie is absolutely terrible, with an extremely derivative plot and horrible acting. But no matter how bad it is, it is a lot of fun to see. Plenty of action, some interesting twists, and enough anticipation to keep you going. Worth seeing, in my opinion, even if you're just checking out how cheesy it is.
Meela N. gave it a4:
This movie was just like the marine, same plot same story, boy likes girl, girl gets taken away, boy looks for girl (some action scenes), boy kicks butt, boy gets girl with no harm. they should have just called it the marine 2 and the next one marine 3 and just made it a trilogy, would have made more money.
Cj H. gave it a3:
Good acting. Poor script. Not as much action as the preview showed.
Ryan S. gave it a5:
Sure, John Cena is a terrible actor. But what does he need to act for in a movie like this? It's pretty much solid action. Plenty of explosions and car wrecks and such. Screw acting!
Darren G gave it a4:
Struggled through this movie. No actor had me convinced of their role. Cena is a long way from becoming the next action hero and needs to get away for a few years and study acting. He also needs to learn to run like an action hero, his running style is very girl like.
