Sudden Death

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Sudden Death

R

1995

1h 50m

Action

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Popcornmeter

51%

Tomatometer

37 Reviews

40%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Ex-fireman Darren McCord (Jean-Claude Van Damme) has a new job working security at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena. Hoping to impress his kids, he's scored tickets to the Stanley Cup Finals, unaware that the place has been taken over by a group of terrorists. Ex-CIA agent Joshua Foss (Powers Boothe) is holding the vice president hostage in a press box and plans to blow up the building if he doesn't pay the ransom. But, when Darren learns of his scheme, he jumps into action to save the day.

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Critics Consensus

Sudden Death may not be a classic, but exciting set pieces and strong work from Jean-Claude Van Damme help this action thriller pay off part of its Die Hard debt.

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William Thomas

Empire Magazine

Tripe, but hard not to enjoy.

Rated: 3/5

Nov 13, 2017

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Entertainment Weekly

Rated: D-

Dec 27, 2010

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Geoff Andrew

Time Out

Reuniting Hyams and Van Damme, director and star of Timecop, this spectacular nail-biter exploits their combined, if limited, abilities to the full.

Feb 9, 2006

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

After the success of Die Hard, it wasn’t much of a surprise to see “Die Hard on a bus” (Speed), “Die Hard on a ship" (Under Siege), etc. But did anyone have “Die Hard at a hockey game” on their bingo card?

Rated: 3/4

Sep 14, 2024

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Brian Orndorf

Blu-ray.com

Instead of scoring with a surefire premise, "Sudden Death" follows the title's direction, keeling over before game even begins.

Rated: C

Sep 21, 2020

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

An especially blatant Die Hard knockoff...

Rated: 2.5/4

Jan 5, 2017

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Alex F

Sudden Death has many action set pieces. And lots of explosions for a fun watch.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

10/10/24

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Jonathan O

Before there was M. Night's Trap, there's Sudden Death a mid 90's of Die Hard rip-off but it's really entertaining action thriller and Van Damme is an action star actor way better than Steven Seagal. In Sudden Death packs with exhilarating thrills and amazing stunts and choreograph fight scene that will make your jaw drop.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/01/24

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Fung S

Very entertaining with good storyline, good action & good fight, good production & good 🔉🔊sound effect, 9️⃣7️⃣% or A+👏🏼💪🏼👍🏼

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/31/24

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Topi L

Good action movie, but the length should have been shorter.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

08/14/23

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Audience Member

"Die Hard" at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena during Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Has some truly ridiculous moments. JCVD fighting a villain in a mascot costume in the arena's kitchen. JCVD playing goalie for the Penguins DURING THE GAME. It's trash, but watchable trash.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/27/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Jean-Claude Van Damme doing what he does best in the action movie department. Darren McCord used to be a fire fighter 2 years ago. But after feeling like he failed saving a child he has now has a new job working security at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena. He's also divorced from his wife. Hoping to impress his kids, Emily and Tyler he's scored tickets to the Stanley Cup Finals. The bad news is that the place has been taken over by a group of terrorists. An ex-CIA agent Joshua Foss is holding the vice president hostage in a press box and plans to blow up the building if he doesn't pay the ransom. But Darren figures out the plan much better than the authorities. So it's up to him to thwart their nefarious operation. Think of this like Die Hard but on ice. Great action, impressive explosions, not much originality in terms of plot and execution but there's a big twist in the middle I didn't expect. Fun stuff I admit. Van Damme doing his best action schlock and Booth chews up the delicious scenery as the big villain. Manages to accomplish a lot in a tight premise.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

Full Review

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Peter Hyams

Director

Jean-Claude Van Damme

Darren McCord

Powers Boothe

Joshua Foss

Raymond J. Barry

Vice President

Whittni Wright

Emily McCord

Ross Malinger

Tyler McCord

Sudden Death: Official Clip - Bye Bye, Terrorist

2:58

Sudden Death: Official Clip - Bad Guy On Ice

2:38

Sudden Death: Official Clip - Last Minute Save

3:06

Sudden Death: Official Clip - The Penguin Mascot Fight

2:57

Sudden Death: Official Clip - Hero From Above

3:44

Sudden Death: Official Clip - A Toy Flamethrower

2:01

Sudden Death: Official Clip - Death by Chicken Bone

1:59

Sudden Death: Official Clip - A Good Goalie

3:19

Sudden Death: Official Clip - I'll Find the Bombs Myself

2:29

Sudden Death: Official Clip - The Best Kind of Lunatic

1:45

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Synopsis

Ex-fireman Darren McCord (Jean-Claude Van Damme) has a new job working security at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena. Hoping to impress his kids, he's scored tickets to the Stanley Cup Finals, unaware that the place has been taken over by a group of terrorists. Ex-CIA agent Joshua Foss (Powers Boothe) is holding the vice president hostage in a press box and plans to blow up the building if he doesn't pay the ransom. But, when Darren learns of his scheme, he jumps into action to save the day.

Director: Peter Hyams
Producer: Moshe Diamant, Howard Baldwin
Screenwriter: Karen Elise Baldwin, Gene Quintano
Production Co: Signature Films, Imperial Entertainment, Universal Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 19, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $20.2M
Runtime: 1h 50m
Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo

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