12 Rounds 3: Lockdown (2015)

It seems that World Wrestling Entertainment is determined to get into all forms of entertainment, not just sports entertainment. Not only have wrestlers had their own comic books but a number have been placed in starring film vehicles. Some were good, some okay and some terrible. Fortunately the third of the 12 ROUNDS films isn't too bad.Wrestler Dean Ambrose stars as John Shaw, a tough as nails cop recently returned to duty after being shot on the job. Few fellow officers want to work with Shaw as the incident that led to his being wounded also resulted in the death of his partner and Shaw needing psychiatric counseling. Needless to say his first day back on the job won't be easy.It becomes worse when evidence reaches Shaw that his ex-partner and the star officer in the station, Tyler Burke, is actually a corrupt cop who makes more from his illegal activities than he does as an officer. Burke is the head of a task force assigned to take down crooks but instead the elite team makes up his band of bandits. Drug deals and more do little more than line the pockets of Burke and his crew.Word gets to Burke that the evidence is in the station house and he heads back to get it from the evidence lockup only to find that Shaw has it already. Staging an emergency, Burke empties the station house with the exception of his team and Shaw, cutting off all phones and cell phones as well. Armed with his handgun, a small amount of ammunition and his cunning, Shaw must battle his way through the team and find a way to get the information to the right authorities if he is to survive.The movie borrows heavily from the DIE HARD films in set up and execution but not to the point of being a copy. It also doesn't borrow the screenwriter as this film tends to offer some truly bad dialogue that the actors on hand deal with but can't make better. It's shot well and directed well for the low budget style of film it is and in the end doesn't disappoint on most counts.Ambrose is a rising star right now in the wrestling world but the odds of his turning that into a movie star aren't likely with this film. I'll give him credit for at least making the attempt but this feels like what it is, the first film for someone stepping into an arena he isn't familiar with yet. That being said the end results aren't that bad for a first time out. Given time, more roles and a little instruction and Ambrose has the potential many sports figures turned actors don't display.The standout here though is Roger Cross as Burke. My first exposure to Cross was on the TV series 24 where he played Curtis Manning. Even given some terrible dialogue in spots here he makes it fit. He pulls off what could have been a more cartoon-like role and makes it somewhat believable. This is an actor worth looking for in the future.The end result of this film is that it offers some entertainment value for action fans and a definite dose of Ambrose for wrestling fans. It's not a bad movie at all but it's not blockbuster status either. It makes for a fun rental night but only fans will want to add it to their collections.

"12 Rounds 3: Lockdown" deserved a much better script. As a mindless action flick, it's not a bad way to spend ninety minutes. Production values are adequate and there are some decent action sequences. The unarmed combat scenes are much better than the gunfights. The somewhat gratuitous car scenes seem more like product placements than part of the script. The script makes no sense at all. Why would a police department even have a lockdown mode that prevents fire doors from opening from the inside? Why would the villains think they could hunt down and murder an officer when every corner of the building is monitored by security cameras? The villains operate as if there is no forensic evidence of anything, even the caliber of weapons. The script tries to give Shaw (Ambrose) a backstory and inner conflict with an incident that resulted in a partner's death and required an extended leave for psychiatric care. Several characters refer to the incident; however, there is never any resolution. We expect to find out that either it wasn't really his fault due to circumstances he didn't understand, as in "Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol" or to learn that some character fault or error in judgment did result in the death and that he can overcome a similar dilemma only if he has learned from the experience. But it is never developed and his experience doesn't seem to infuse his actions. Shaw also has history with the villain, but neither seems to use any unique understanding of the other to any advantage. "12 Rounds" and "12 Rounds 2: Reloaded" have been compared to "Die Hard with a Vengeance," while "12 Rounds 3: Lockdown" has been compared to the original "Die Hard." However, where the first two 12 Rounds films had clever scripts that compared favorably with the second Die Hard, the third pales compared to the original "Die Hard." Long segments without dialogue require actors of the caliber of Bruce Willis ("Die Hard"), Robert Redford ("All is Lost") and Tom Hanks ("Castaway"). Dean Ambrose can be effective when given the material. An early scene at a stoplight is effective without dialogue. Unfortunately, he's not given much to work with. Shaw frequently ejects his magazine to count the number of bullets remaining, but never adds in one for the bullet in the chamber. The villains are able to get into the armory and equip themselves with assault rifles and bulletproof vests, but Shaw can't manage to pick up one of the weapons dropped during a fight. There is no character development and no moral. Shaw has inner demons, but seems to ignore them. He is wounded, but ignores the wounds. He has an opportunity to team up with another cop, but doesn't. The script is a largely predictable mishmash of familiar tropes. The level of gunplay is over the top. There is no way the villains could hope to argue that their use of force was justified by the circumstances or that the top brass would allow them to continue shooting up the department with wild abandon. And yet, the tone is very serious and down to earth, unlike such films as "Shoot 'Em Up" or "Smokin' Aces," which have a comic book sense of reality. While the film never really engages the viewer, neither does it bore. While the plot seems ridiculous and implausible, if one can disengage ones mental faculties, it offers some entertaining action sequences.

I want start off by saying i never watched any of the other 12 Rounds movies. Or Lockdown ones.but I actually enjoyed the action in this movie it was quick and exciting. Now the storyline is meh and very predictable at times... I mean it's alright but i'm sure if they tried harder they could've brought up something less cliché.I thought the actors and the antagonist Burke did a pretty good job and Ambrose was great, for a first movie he was perfect.I wish to see him (main eventing Wrestlemania next year) in more movies. LETS GO AMBROSE.

My quick rating - 5,2/10. Another slightly above average action movie starring a WWE superstar, this time Dean Ambrose. I will say that using him for the main was a good call since he isn't the muscle bound type character such as Cena and Orton were in the previous films. For being his first acting role, he did an adequate job and delivered his one- liners pretty well (yet some were not that funny no matter who said them) The action was edited well so the viewers don't lose track with too much jerky camera work (which seems to be more the norm in action films as of late). This story is more a use of "12 rounds" as in shots left in the gun, not 12 rounds as in a cat and mouse game, but that is OK, at least it was different. Overall, a good addition to the WWE library that did not raise the bar at all, but also did not lower it in the slightest either. Funny thing, I went back to my database and I gave the first one a 5.3 and the second one a 5.1 so at least they are being consistent.