WHEN New Orleans Detective Danny Fisher stops a brilliant thief from getting away with a multi-million dollar heist, the thief s girlfriend is accidentally killed. After escaping from prison, the criminal mastermind exacts his revenge, taunting the cop wi

WHEN New Orleans Detective Danny Fisher stops a brilliant thief from getting away with a multi-million dollar heist, the thief's girlfriend is accidentally killed.

After escaping from prison, the criminal mastermind exacts his revenge, taunting the cop with a series of 12 near-impossible puzzles and tasks that Fisher must somehow complete to save the life of his own fiancee.

Wrestling champ John Cena takes the lead in action thriller12 ROUNDS (12A), from Die Hard 2 director Renny Harlin.

For Cena, this is his initiation into the rarified air of action movie star. And the film's Danny Fisher is the type of action hero that Cena enjoyed watching, as a fan of the genre.

"The '80s was the era of the 'everyman' hero. And there hasn't been that style of hero since then.

"Guys like Bruce Willis in Die Hard proved that an everyday person can be an action hero. If I'm even considered in that club, I'm definitely off to a great start."

Harlin wanted the film to seem more like a documentary than the usual CGI-laden glossy action fare.

He says: "Think of 12 Rounds as a story that's really happening, and what we've just done is taken three documentary crews and thrown them out there and let them start chasing these actors and get the story on film."

* We are giving away tickets to see the film at the Vue Cinema, Dagenham. To find out how you could win, see this week's Recorder Review.