12 Rounds 3: Lockdown

I am not sure if this movie ever was in theaters, but it seems like the kind of thing that would be straight to DVD, or perhaps cable TV. I wouldn't say there was a complete lack of effort in making this movie, but for the most part it's predictable and not very good. But the movie does try to take itself seriously, and it's almost laughable at times. For instance, I think the actors probably had trouble keeping a straight face when saying some of their lines - the typical action movie tough guy lines from all those bad 80's movies. I did still manage to finish watching the movie; it wasn't awful and if you just want some mindless action, it's doable. I think where it falls short especially though is in terms of the plot. It appeared to me the plot was mostly just there for convenience to string together the action sequences that make up the core of the movie - not a lot of plot development or much change in setting. Some of the action was pretty satisfying, but it mostly looked staged and unrealistic, like sprays of bullets that constantly miss their target. I noticed when watching this, several of the make actors looked like they had raging hangovers, I imagine they were getting hammered in the evenings and not taking their work too seriously. I think the ratings for this movie will drop over time.

"He's dirty and I got the evidence." After returning to the force after a gunshot wound, officer Shaw (Ambrose) thinks he's in for a easy day back. When he discovers his former partner is involved in illegal activity he wants to do something about it. After the building is locked down It is up to him to stop them and keep the evidence safe. There really isn't too much to say about this one. The first two movies in this series were actually not too bad. A cop forced to go through a series of tests in order to save the ones he loves. The only thing this had in common with the others is the title and a wrestler is the main star. This is pretty much a generic action movie that did everything it could to be Assault on Precinct 16 but fell way short. Overall, a pretty cliché action movie that really is worth watching only if you are a huge fan of Dean Ambrose. This one strayed too far from what made the others interesting to watch. I give this a C.

The first anomaly comes from the title, it doesn't mean a gauntlet of chores the villain has set up for protagonist anymore. Instead it displays the rounds our hero has, but considering he can loot other weapon and decides not to for integrity of the title feels rather limiting. Fortunately, Jonathan Good (Dean Ambrose) channels his inner John McClaine surprisingly well and Roger Cross as the antagonist has the aura of TV show bad guy.

This is what you'd expect from action flick, the usual dirty cop and the rouge hero trapped in an unfortunate situation. It borrows heavily from Die Hard and perhaps because it's an already proved formula, Lockdown is not entirely bad. Dead Ambrose is not the usual protagonist, he looks genuinely troubled which serendipitously may help his rogue cop character.

There's a few of illogical events are put there for the sake of pushing the plot, and adds that to the occasional odd alternate way of dispatching enemies, it can be awkward. A couple of bad CG makes the movie slightly unintentionally funny at times.

However, it's still a passable action shoot'em up. The change from complex mind games to simple gunslinger and melee action is good decision since the franchise doesn't have the refined production to pull off such cerebral setting.

Lockdown is definitely flawed, yet it brings enough action antics to be a popcorn flick or lazy afternoon watch.

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.

"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.