by Vanessa Stewart on July 6, 2009

12 Rounds, Brian J. White, DVD Reviews, Dwayne Johnson, Hulk Hogan, John Cena, redbox.com, Smackdown, Speed, Steve Harris, The Marine, The Rock, World Wrestling Entertainment, WWE

Let me clear something up right away. Wrestling is not fake! That’s right, I’m talking about World Wrestling Entertainment. Actually, it’s acting at it’s most dramatic; it’s a soap opera for beefy guys. But the wrestling IS NOT FAKE. Those guys seriously get beat up; the blood’s not fake; the bruises and injuries aren’t fake. When a wrestler wants to break into acting, it’s not that much of a stretch. Many politicians with their “uhs” between every other word in speeches, could learn a lot more from watching Smackdown on WWE than joining a Toastmasters Club.

Following in the “break into Hollywood” footsteps of Hulk Hogan and The Rock comes John Cena, the young, fresh rapper from Massachusetts. He’s fun to watch. When we sat down to view 12 Rounds, I totally expected The Marine, part 2. John Cena, The Marine, who kicks some serious bad guy booty.

With my expectations so low, I couldn’t help but enjoy myself.  John Cena is not The Rock, well, not yet anyway. I look back on The Scorpian King and then consider Dwayne Johnson’s acting improvement in films like The Run Down and The Game Plan. He is seriously a successful actor now.

So if The Rock can do it so can John Cena. In 12 Rounds, Cena plays Danny Fisher, a beat cop who takes his job to heart. When he accidentally kills the twisted bad guy’s girlfriend, the game is on. Fisher finds himself helpless in a horrible life and death game.

The supporting acting of Steve Harris (The Practice) and Brian J. White (Stomp the Yard) compliment Cena, taking the total focus from him and developing characters worth watching. It’s a nonstop action spree in the vein of Speed. It’s predictable, but it works. Definitely worth a Redbox night.

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