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Avg. Critic Score: 38 out of 100 Generally unfavorable reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
13 Iffy for 13+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 70
    Los Angeles Times |

    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

  • 58
    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

  • 50
    Entertainment Weekly |

    You will probably find yourself praying for this duel's knock-out punch to arrive long before it actually does. Read full review

  • 50
    L.A. Weekly |

    This is the kind of amiable time-killer that belongs on a basic-cable weekend afternoon. Read full review

  • 40
    Austin Chronicle |

    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

  • 38
    Chicago Tribune |

    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

  • 38
    Boston Globe |

    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

  • 30
    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

  • 20
    The Hollywood Reporter |

    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

  • 10
    Variety |

    The viewer, even from a seated position, deserves a championship belt for surviving this overlong actioner. Read full review

View more reviews for 12 Rounds on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 13+ So-so action movie has lots of fighting, other iffy stuff.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this is a review of the theatrical release and not the DVD -- which comes with what's described as "two alternate endings and more action." The original release is packed with action, but it's more about the spectacle than it is about bloodshed. Not that you won't see some blood, but the tone is more enthusiastic and amped-up than sadistic or brutal. All of that said, expect plenty of on-screen deaths and tons of collateral property damage. There's also some discussion of terrorism, but the action is more personal than political. Language includes the usual suspects for PG-13 ("s--t," "bitch," "goddamn," etc.), and there's some drinking, smoking, kissing, and womanizing.
  • Families can talk about the appeal of action films -- why do so many movies revolve around cops, criminals, and the challenges of maintaining order? What's the impact of watching so much action violence?
  • Do you think a situation like the one in the movie could ever happen in real life? 
  • The movie was backed by the entertainment arm of World Wrestling Entertainment. Why do you think they want to turn John Cena into a movie star as well as a wrestling star?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: The movie's overall message is that law and order are preferable to revenge and chaos, but that message comes with a great deal of violence.
  • rolemodels true0 Positive role models: Hero Danny Fisher is a conflicted cop determined to do the right thing, and he expresses remorse for the accidental death of a woman during an arrest. The villain is motivated by grief, but that doesn't excuse his actions.
What to watch for
  • violence false4 Violence: Constant action-packed violence, but with more combat/activity than bloodshed. Fighting, shootings, stabbings, death by explosions, and more. A woman is struck by a car; the camera lingers on her dead body. People are killed in falls from great heights. A woman has an explosive vest strapped to her body. Property damage and car chases. Some discussion of terrorism.
  • sex false2 Sex: Some kissing and saucy talk in the context of a committed relationship. One character is an unrepentant womanizer. On the "plus" side, while the film revolves around a woman's abduction, the threat is never placed in a sexual context, just a threat to life and limb.
  • language false3 Language: Some tough language, including "s--t," "ass," "hell," "bitch," "son of a bitch," "pansy-ass," "a--hole," "prick," "goddamn," "oh my God," and more.
  • consumerism false1 Consumerism: Mentions of some branded games -- Mousetrap, Monopoly, Twister.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false2 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Smoking and drinking; many scenes are set in New Orleans' restaurant and nightclub district.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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