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2 1/2 Stars

Renny Harlin’s latest over-directed guilty pleasure is a high energy action romp with a likable leading man in WWE superstar John Cena. It’s too bad the anemic script is a hodgepodge of better films (Die Hard 3, Speed most notably) because Cena, Harlin and audiences deserve better from this type of well produced and handsomely shot throwback. Bringing a wily vibe and the appropriate sense of mischief, Richard Gere lookalike Aidan Gillen makes for a perfectly slimy villain. The physical size difference between the slightly built Gillen and the mesomorph Cena is comical but never a factor since the actors share one very quick scene together.

The action is non-stop for the first hour before a lull that almost sinks the film until a highly improbable aerial finale caps the pic off in ludicrous fashion. A sequence featuring a runaway trolley is one of the films best set-pieces. Renny Harlin shows he can still stage and execute an effective action sequence but after awhile the whole enterprise feels too perfunctory. Despite the presence of Cena and a hardworking cast and director I can’t quite recommend ’12 rounds’ because it’s just too derivative.

Director: Renny Harlin
Stars: John Cena, Aidan Gillen, Ashley Scott