The Movie
12 Rounds is not always easy to swallow, building as it does upon one of those crazy setups we only encounter in action movies: A year after the messy capture of an international arms dealer, said bad guy escapes with an elaborate mission of revenge, and New Orleans cop Danny Fisher (WWE's John Cena) must survive "twelve rounds"" of deadly challenges in order to save the life of his lady love, and any other innocent citizens who happen to find themselves in the way of the bombs, falling elevators and runaway streetcars on the menu. Some of the action is rather clever and exciting, at first. But with Danny screeching across N'awleans to his next round… and then again… and again, there are only so many cars we can see totaled at high speed before we start wishing that he won't last the full dozen.
The Picture
Overall the 2.39:1 picture is extremely crisp. I noted only a minor bit of noise in smoke and clouds. Although reportedly shot on 35mm, there is some slight video streaking to a couple of brief shots, and even when backgrounds are slightly soft they are still pretty darned good. For the most part this is a genuinely enjoyable transfer.
The Sound
From the first shot, the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track cranks out insane levels of bass, while the exploitation of the surrounds is robust. As I mentioned, there are cars zipping every which way, and their directionality is excellent. The gunplay is always clear and sharp, and every explosion is amazing, as full and mighty as I've heard in quite a while.
The Extras
Two commentaries are available only in conjunction with the slightly longer "Extreme" unrated cut, one from director Renny Harlin and the other from writer Daniel Kunka and star John Cena. From here it is a collection of video treats, all in standard definition. "Streetcar Crossing: Film with Caution" (16-and-a-half minutes) takes us behind the scenes while "A Crash Course: John Cena Stunts" (ten minutes) focuses on the very motivated leading man. The "Never-Before-Cena Gag Reel" (five minutes) has its moments, "Keeping Score: The Music of 12 Rounds" introduces us to composer Trevor Rabin, "Round and Round with Renny and John" (four minutes) shows director and star interviewing one another, and "Bonus Rounds" pulls together twelve (how appropriate) additional, specific mini-featurettes totaling 20 minutes.
A pair of amusing promotional viral videos are thrown in (about four minutes), and two alternate endings are also revealed (two minutes), with the same voices on the optional commentaries. Disc Two carries a Digital Copy of the Extreme Cut for iTunes and Windows Media.
Final Thoughts
12 Rounds certainly gives audiences maximum bang for their buck, as private property is destroyed virtually non-stop, and John Cena is emerging as an action hero to be reckoned with. While not up to the level of Harlin's Die Hard 2, it is a rollicking and engaging ride, all the more so for the serious Blu-ray presentation.
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Product Details
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