Review by Adam Stephen Kelly
Stars Mark Strange, Nathan Lewis, Danny John-Jules | Written by Chee Keong Cheung & Oliver Morran
UK Certification 18 | UK RRP £14.99 | DVD Region 2 | Runtime 87 minutes | Directed by Chee Keong Cheung
Formerly known as Underground and re-released as 12 (Twelve), this film, contrary to everything that's written on the box, doesn't pack much of a punch. It's a British fight movie, but with a difference. Now, before you wait for a split-second with baited breath in anticipation for that difference to be revealed as something of intrigue, allow me to just tell you straight out that the film's 'twist' is that it has no story to tell. I'm all for a flimsy plot if it allows for us to stand back and admire the brilliantly choreographed fight scenes, look at Bloodsport with Jean-Claude Van Damme for instance, but 12 truly takes the biscuit.
12 is all about an underground no holds barred tournament that features, as you may have guessed, twelve fighters going at it for the ultimate prize of £500,000. Each combatant has a filthy rich backer who has bet money on them to go all the way, which naturally creates rivalry around the table where they all sit and discuss the tournament, sort of like a bastardised version of Alan Sugar's boardroom in The Apprentice. The participants have one-on-one face-offs as they progress and anything goes. They all have their strengths, weaknesses, and what could only be described as a gimmick: they each have different backgrounds which play to how they appear in the fights, for example, “The Homeless” looks like he inhabits the streets, “The Soldier”, camouflage and all, is a man who went AWOL in the army. It's all fairly standard stuff, though seeing “The Police Officer” toe-to-toe in a fist fight dressed in full fuzz garb is pretty hilarious, for all the wrong reasons, of course.
The film shows a total of thirteen fights, and yes, thirteen are all that are in the tournament. There's nothing else to it, just awkwardly choreographed, incredibly tedious fights one after the other, with quick cuts that completely disjoint the action. In between each battle we see the backers arguing and scowling over their losses, etc, but nothing of interest lies in their wooden performances and delivery of lines from a horrendous script. Why on Earth is The Cat from Red Dwarf in this thing? Total tripe.
EXTRAS ★★★ Behind the scenes feature; Anatomy of a Fight Scene; cast interviews; nine deleted scenes; theatrical trailer; Japanese trailer; Cannes Film Festival promo; five TV spots; photo gallery; cast and crew biographies; production notes; trailer for another of the director's films: Bodyguard: A New Beginning (which actually appears to have a story); an exclusive documentary preview of Pain & Glory, plus a random kickboxing fight between Leon Walters and Guy Golden.