Sudden Death (1995)

A 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) (as Karen Baldwin), 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

Darren McCord takes his two kids to a Pittsburgh Penguins National Hockey League play-off game, unknowing that the sports arena has been taken over by terrorists, who are holding the Vice President of the United States, as well as many other high-ranking officials hostage. Darren later becomes the only one who is aware of the situation. And, the stakes are raised when the terrorists announce that they will blow-up the building at the end of the game. Therefore, Darren must not only subdue the terrorists, but postpone the game and send it to overtime.

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Plot Keywords:

hockey | death in title | two word title | universal | universal pictures | 

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Taglines:

Some games you can't afford to lose.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Following the film's release the Pittsburgh Penguins would win three more Stanley Cup championships. The Pens defeated the Detroit Red Wings in 2009, the San Jose Sharks in 2016 and the Nashville Predators in 2017. The Penguins appeared in the Stanley Cup Finals in 2008, but lost to the Detroit Red Wings.

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Goofs

After Tolliver (#35) leaves the game, they put Ken Wregget (#31) in the game. However, in a later scene, you can still see #35 visible on the jersey of the goalie.

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Quotes

McCord: [their last conversation, until the end of the movie] ... Don't you move. If you need to piss, you sit here and go in your pants; it'll serve you right. But, if the dome is falling down around your ass, *Don't move*! Understand?
Tyler: Sure, I'll remember.

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Connections

Referenced in The Sentinel: Four Point Shot (1999)

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Soundtracks

Arena Themes
Written and Performed by Bob Hackl and Ken Stange as Sourcerer
Courtesy of Neenoon Tunes

User Reviews

One of the best "Die Hard" clones

After the success of "Die Hard" there have been many movie clones of that great action film. There was "Die Hard on a Ship" ("Under Siege"), "Die Hard on a Train" ("Under Siege 2"), and "Die Hard on a Bus" ("Speed"), just to name a few. "Sudden Death" can be described as either "Die Hard on the Ice", "Die Hard at a Hockey Game" or "Die Hard in an Arena". You pick. Technically you could put all three titles into this movie and it'll still be pretty much the same thing. However, "Sudden Death" is one of the better "Die Hard" clones. It's an exciting movie about terrorists taking over the Pittsburgh Civic Arena where the decisive seventh game of the Stanley Cup Finals between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Chicago Blackhawks is being played. However there's a little difference here. The only people who know that hostages have taken over are the people in the VIP box (which includes the Vice President), the Secret Service men outside the arena, and an arena fire marshall who's two little kids are attending the game. The 17,000-plus fans attending the game have no idea whats really going on. That fire marshall is played by Belgian action star Jean-Claude Van Damme. I've not been a big fan of Van Damme's films, but "Sudden Death" is easily his best movie to date. Van Damme plays Darren McCord, the fire marshall who finds out something's wrong when his little daughter is taken to the VIP box as a hostage after witnessing a killing. When McCord finds out what's going on, he does precisely what Bruce Willis did in "Die Hard", takes on the terrorists all by himself. The lead bad guy is portrayed by Powers Boothe in a frightening performance. He may not be quite as effective as Alan Rickman's villain in "Die Hard", but Boothe does a good job at being mean. Van Damme is also very good too (especially in one scene where he poses as the Penguins goalie to hide out from the bad guys who were chasing him). He's much better here than he was in "Timecop", teaming again with "Timecop" director Peter Hyams. The action scenes are splendid (both the gunplay and the action during the game), and the suspense has you on the edge. "Sudden Death" has a few silly moments here and there, but since this movie is such a good thrill ride, you won't care. This movie deserved to be a big hit at the box office and wasn't. I'll never understand why.

***1/2 (out of four)

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 December 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Sudden Death

Filming Locations:

1016 Fritz Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,782,445, 25 December 1995

Gross USA:

$20,350,171

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$64,350,171

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:

2.39 : 1