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I would actually quite like this if it went further and was a bit more intense. There is, however, a fairly interesting idea here, that the main hero, played by wrestler John Cena, has to complete certain tasks to save the woman he loves. It's not incredibly original, but it has a good concept and Cena is surprisingly good. A modern action film? Why not, it just needs a bit more violence. (21.10.2013)

I need more movies with John Cena! After watching this, it feels like he’s becoming a classic action star of our time. 12 Rounds had a solid concept, some great action scenes, and overall, it just felt like a really good action movie. Simple as that. Unfortunately, it seems like a lot of people here don’t agree with me. (08.07.2011)

Oh man… I wasn’t expecting Oscar-worthy performances, but this? It’s just another action flick rehashing classics like Die Hard: With a Vengeance and Metro, but saddled with a painfully bland lead and cringey one-liners. What you get is 12 rounds that feel endless. Can’t go higher than 30%. (11.10.2009)

It’s very pleasant while you’re watching it. But those impressions dissipated before I could think of a comment to write. Harlin is still a class act and can really get by with very little. He gives the frantic running around the city incredible flexibility and dynamism, which is captured by the restless camera and everything is skillfully edited. The screenplay plays into the director’s hands with imaginative action and solid suspense. Unfortunately, it's a bland mix of everything we like (and don't like) in action movies, and thus one’s final impression is spoiled by a strong degree of predictability. It’s too bad because even John Cena was watchable. It seems like WWE has clearly finally found the right way to dust off the classics. 3 ½. (15.03.2010)

All I wanted was an ordinary unpretentious action movie that could entertain me (or at least not bore me), and I didn't even get that. Man, this was stupid! The director of the great Die Hard 2 made a stupid clone of Die Hard 3. Crap! And that “actor” in the main role… (10.02.2013)