Sudden Death (1995)

A disgraced former fireman takes on a group of terrorists holding the Vice President and others hostage during the seventh game of the NHL Stanley Cup finals.

Director:

Peter Hyams

Writers:

Karen Elise Baldwin (story), Gene Quintano (screenplay)

Stars:

Jean-Claude Van Damme, Powers Boothe, Raymond J. Barry

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jean-Claude Van Damme	...	Darren McCord
Powers Boothe	...	Joshua Foss
Raymond J. Barry	...	Vice President
Whittni Wright	...	Emily McCord
Ross Malinger	...	Tyler McCord
Dorian Harewood	...	Hallmark
Kate McNeil	...	Kathi
Michael Gaston	...	Hickey
Audra Lindley	...	Mrs. Ferrara
Brian Delate	...	Blair
Steve Aronson	...	Dooley
Michael R. Aubele	...	Ace (as Michael Aubele)
Karen Elise Baldwin	...	TV Director (as Karen Baldwin)
Jennifer D. Bowser	...	Joan
Pat Brisson	...	Player #2

Storyline

Some terrorists kidnap the Vice President of the United States and threaten to blow up the entire stadium during the final game of the NHL Stanley Cup. There is only one way and one man to stop them...

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Plot Keywords:

terrorist | vice president | hostage | explosive | fireman | 

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Taglines:

Action goes into overtime

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for a substantial amount of strong violence, and for language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 December 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Morte Súbita

Filming Locations:

600 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$22,000,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Signature Entertainment, Imperial Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

DTS DTS-Stereo Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Several members of the Pittsburgh Penguins make appearances in the movie. The most prominent member was Luc Robitaille, who scored the game tying goal. Markus Näslund - virtually an NHL unknown at the time, but later a league superstar with the Vancouver Canucks - also appears. The Chicago Blackhawks were played by the Cleveland Lumberjacks (Pittsburgh's IHL affiliate at the time). Ian Moran (a Lumberjack at the time; now in the NHL) played Chris Chelios.

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Goofs

It must have taken Foss and his associates a lot of planning and organizing to pull this off. So why would they plan to carry this out in the seventh game, when there's every chance the seventh game won't be required?

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Quotes

Play-by-Play Announcer: It's so loud in here, I can barely hear myself think.
Color Commentator: You don't have to think, Mike. It's hockey.

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Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode #20.193 (2012)

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Soundtracks

"Arena Themes"
Written and Performed by Sorcerer
Courtesy of Neenoon Tunes

User Reviews

Review of Sudden Death

OK, let's be straight forward. This is not Oscar material. It's a typical hostage movie similar to the Die Hard series. There are some pretty decent action sequences and some that just don't plain make any sense and, after you see them, you will be left kinda confused. Having said that, this is a good movie. The best part about this movie is, surprisingly, the bad guy. Powers Boothe plays the lead terrorist and he plays it well. At times you root for him because he plays the part so well. Unfortunately, it's hard to root against this guy because of his wise-ass attitude, but some of his quotes are memorable and quite amusing. (Example: To the vice president "I voted for you. I really did. It's your sincerity and compassion. However there may be a need to kill someone else. Now we're gonna make this work or we're gonna die trying!") This is a typical Van Damme film except in this one he plays a little hockey. This movie, albeit a bit done-before, is surrounded by an entertaining cast that propels this from a 5 to a 7.