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    • BLU-RAY REVIEW

    12 Rounds

    Featured In Issue 142, September 2009

    Picture4.5
    Sound5
    WSR Score4
    Basic Information on new release titles is posted as soon as titles are announced. Once reviewed, additional data is added to the database.
    (Studio/Distributor):
    20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
    (Catalog Number):
    2258901
    (MPAA Rating):
    PG-13/Unrated
    (Rating Reason):
    Intense sequences of violence and action
    (Retail Price):
    $39.99
    (Disc Type):
    Single Side, Dual Layer (BD-50)
    (Widescreen Edition):
    Yes
    (Full Screen Edition):
    No
    (Running Time In Minutes):
    108 /109
    (Color Type):
    Color
    (Chaptered/Scene Access):
    Yes
    (Closed Captioned):
    Yes
    (Regional Coding):
    A
    (Theatrical Year):
    2009
    (Theatrical Release):
    Yes
    (Direct-To-Video Release):
    No
    (Disc Release Date):
    06/30/09
    (THX® Digitally Mastered):
    No
    (Director):
    Renny Harlin
    (Screenplay/Written By):
    (Story):
    (Music):
    (Director Of Photography):
    (Production Designer):
    (Visual Effects):
    (Costume Designer):
    (Editor):
    (Supervising Sound Editors):
    (Re-Recording Mixers):
    (Executive Producers):
    (Co-Producers):
    (Producers):
    (Academy Awards):
    (Principal Photography):
    (Theatrical Aspect Ratio):
    (Measured Disc Aspect Ratio):
    (Disc Soundtrack):
    Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS HD Lossless 5.1
    (Theatrical Sound):
    (Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
    (DTS Bit Rate):
    (Dolby Digital Bit Rate):
    (Additional Languages):
    (French Language):
    (Spanish Language):
    (Chinese Language):
    (Subtitles):
    (Cantonese Language):
    (Mandarin Language):
    (Japanese Language):
    (Italian Language):
    (German Language):
    (Portuguese Language):

    When New Orleans Police Detective Danny Fisher (Cena) stops a killer-thief from getting away with a multimillion-dollar heist, the thief's girlfriend is accidentally killed. After escaping from prison, the criminal mastermind enacts his revenge, taunting Danny with 12 Rounds of near-impossible puzzles and tasks that he must somehow complete to save the life of the woman he loves. (Gary Reber)

    The disc contains the theatrical version (107:56) and the unrated version (109:39). Special features include commentary by Director Renny Harlin (unrated version) and Writer Daniel Kunka and Actor John Cena (unrated version); three featurettes: Streetcar Crossing: Film With Caution (HD 16:27), A Crash Course: John Cena Stunts (HD 09:51), and Keeping Score: The Music Of 12 Rounds (HD 03:16); a Round And Round With Renny And John interview exchange (SD 04:05); 12 deleted scenes (HD 20:22); two alternate endings with optional commentary by Harlin or Kunka and Cena (HD 01:58); a Never-Before-Cena gag reel (HD 04:50); two viral videos (HD 03:41); plus a digital copy of the film.

    The 1080p AVC picture is beautifully photographed, but at times, some scenes bloom with blown-out whites. Colors are vivid with rich, vibrant hues that really pop, especially when accentuated with lighting effects. Fleshtones generally appear natural, without the typical makeup treatment. Contrast is good with deep, solid blacks and shadows that reveal fine detail, especially in controlled lighting conditions. The picture appears natural throughout, though, at times is enhanced with vivid photography. Resolution is superb and reveals fine facial features and textures in clothing and objects. The fast-moving imagery is accentuated with rapid edits that visually stimulate the visual experience. While the picture has its inconsistencies, the visuals are exciting. (Gary Reber)

    The DTS-HD Master Audio™ 5.1-channel soundtrack is a high-energy marathon that effectively emphasizes the on-screen action. There is a lot of aggressive directionalized surround localization and soundstage panning and dimension. Dialogue is nicely recorded, without the bloated sound characteristic often heard in other soundtracks produced with production sound and ADR. At times the dialogue is perfectly integrated spatially. Bass extension is often deep, extending to below 25 Hz, with explosions energized in the .1 LFE channel. SPL is often intense, especially in the front channels. The music score is quite dynamic, with a wide and deep soundstage and extension well into the surrounds. Atmospheric sound effects are well recorded and localized through the soundfield, and when combined with the music the result is a holosonic® experience that is nicely dimensional. This is virtually a nonstop adrenelum-pumping soundtrack, with energy that will keep you squirming in your seat. (Gary Reber)

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