Action

Sudden Death

ActionCrimeThriller

Darren McCord, a fire marshal for the Pittsburgh Civic Arena, finds himself in a race against time to save his daughter, the Vice President and a crowded stadium, when terrorists take over an NHL Stanley Cup game.

Year

1995

Duration

1h 51m

IMDb

5.9

Trailer

Cast

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

Dorian Harewood

Matthew Hallmark

Kate McNeil

Kathi

Michael Gaston

Hickey

Audra Lindley

Mrs. Ferrara

Brian Delate

Blair

SA

Steve Aronson

Dooley

Michael R. Aubele

Ace

Karen Elise Baldwin

TV Director

JD

Jennifer D. Bowser

Joan

PB

Pat Brisson

Player #2

Glenda Morgan Brown

Mrs. Taylor

Jophery C. Brown

Wootton

William Cameron

Secret Service Agent

Karen Elise Baldwin

Writer

Gene Quintano

Writer

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Comments

10 comments

SelamMar 13, 2026

ChrenOct 7, 2025

If you ask me, I'd say not a van Damme type of movie. hardly was there any stunt in this. Nice storyline tho and nice acting by van Damme but I didn't feel him In this movie like his other 90s movie. And I'd love to ask, was the hockey game really bring played during the shoot of this movie?

mo_abdelrahmanSep 12, 2024

Don't pay any attention to the rave reviews of this film here. It is the worst Van Damme film and one of the worst of any sort I have ever seen. It would appeal to somebody with no depth whatever who requires nothing more than gunfire and explosions to be entertained. Seeing that this is directed by Peter Hyams it has made me realise that Peter has no talent as a director, but is very good at filming explosions and the like. However, movies need other elements as well; for example, a story. This one didn't have one. This might explain the awfulness of some of Mr. Hyams' more recent films, hardly any better than this one, really. One can't help wondering how some people ever were put behind a camera.

delciakimSep 12, 2024

Reuniting Hyams and Van Damme, director and star of Timecop, this spectacular nail-biter exploits their combined, if limited, abilities to the full.Steven Seagal had Under Siege, Wesley Snipes had Passenger 57 and Kurt Russell had Executive Decision, then it was Van Damme's second collaboration with director Peter Hyams that resulted in arguably his most accessible and mainstream movie to date. It's a classic 'everyman versus terrorists' scenario, but executed with aplomb and filled with a great sense of scale (helped in no small part by Hyams' skill as a director of photography) and memorable moments.Van Damme is at his butt-kicking best, with Sudden Death offering all the thrills, spills and stuff blowing up that action fans relish. Offers above-average pyrotechnics, a body count that steadily mounts, and plenty of hand-to-hand combat. The best of the many Die Hard rip-offs made during the 1990s. Sudden Death is a thrilling roller-coaster ride of hard-edged action. Fun Die Hard knockoff that uses the stadium for all its worth. The mascot fight is a highlight.A mildly satisfying high-energy romp complete with outstanding professional hockey footage and intense physical confrontations.

Sarah HassanSep 5, 2024

Coming towards the back-end of Jean-Claude Van Damme's popularity with movie-goers (although the fans would stick with him), "Sudden Death" would be an huge improvement over his previous feature "Street Fighter" but only to be short-lived with what was to follow in the late-90s. Really he didn't fall away like some other 80s and 90s action stars, but actually made some decent features even if they were straight to video. Anyhow "Sudden Death" would be directed (and photographed) by Peter Hyams, who previously in the year before guided Van Damme in "Timecop". What we get is a fashionably conventional, but tautly exciting siege standoff like something in the sorts of "Die Hard", although done during a sporting spectacle meaning a stadium load of victims (at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena) are virtually unaware of the danger. Van Damme is the only one who can stop these terrorists who are holding the American vice-president for ransom in a private box. These guys mean business. Powers Boothe is terrifically commanding and genuinely threatening. While quite suave and quick with a witty response, he's one you wouldn't want to get on his bad side as there's no hesitations in the way he gets about things. Van Damme's ex-fire-fighter character (who is scared by a past incident) gets involved when his daughter is kidnapped and he goes about trying to spoil the terrorist's party by disabling their bombs while also taking some of them out. The expansive set-up might have been done to death and is elaborately plotted, but Hyams perfectly delivers the martial arts combat of its star (where can you see Van Damme take on the Pittsburgh Penguins' mascot) and the suspense of the situation to go with it. While slow and steady to start, where it feels played down suddenly becomes an assault on the senses with its busy pacing and bruising, brutal and unsparing violence that builds up to a heart stopping finale. "My daddy's a fireman."

Jay ArghhSep 5, 2024

Darren(Jean Claude Van Damme) is a firemen, he carries his sons to a Pittsburgh Penguin national Hockey play-off where is taking place the final.But the arena has been taken by a terrorists led by a cruel villain(Powers Boothe). The bad guys are holding the Vice President(Raymond J. Barry), as well as another authorities taken as hostages in a private box. The chief villain demanding a few billion dollars or he'll blow up the stadium because is wired with enough explosives for killing all around. Meanwhile an Inspector(Dorian Harewood) is also investigating the events and is captured our hero's daughter . This film is plenty of action and explosions and is quite amusing. Displays suspense, thriller, violence, great action scenes and stunts with sensational scenes. Jean Claude Van Damme gets a perfect part who plays cat-and-mouse- with a sardonic nasty, well played by Powers Boothe.The highlights film are the impressive fighting on the stadium's ceiling. The blowing up ,pyrotechnics,struggles are breathtaking but the picture is just another usual Hollywood product in the wake of ¨Die hard¨.Married only by lack credulity for feats of Van Damme and too many needlessly scenes. It packs a high budget and lavishly produced ,however, nowadays Van Damme performs a middling and low budget movies. Spectacular music score fitting to action film by John Debney(Sin city,Passion of Christ).The motion picture is professionally directed by Peter Hyams who repeats with Jean Claude in ¨Timecop¨ . He's an irregular director with hits(Relic,Outland,Capricorn one) and flops(Sound and thunder,End of days).

BOKOSSA MABICKASep 5, 2024

Since one of my favorite action star of this generation, Michael Jai White want to make an unofficial sequel to a 90s Die Hard scenario movie called Sudden Death staring the great Jean Claude Van Damme so naturally as a fan of Van Damme and all the Die Hard clone movies no matter how bad or low budget they are I'm quite excited to finally watch this movie for the first time ever and although its not quite awesome like I anticipated it still quite a treat tbh. Because there nothing original in this movie except the hockey stadium setting so all of my attention is on how good Van Damme carry this movie and needless to say, he does that pretty well with many unique ways to kill the bad guys especially the hilarious and definitely in my top 10 favorite Van Damme action sequences where he battles a villain in a mascot costume.

Johnny Garçon MbonziSep 5, 2024

The muscles from Brussels plays Darren McCord, a divorced ex-firefighter who must contend with baddies when they, because the vice-president is taking in game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finales, take a hockey arena hostage, that Darren's two kids happen to be at as well. This is one of Van Damme's more enjoyable films and even one of the better numerous Die Hard clones out there. The kids are annoying but that's pretty much the only major gripe I have about this action film. If you're a lover of the genre you'll enjoy this one, if you're a JCVD fan, you'll love it. My Grade: B Where I saw it: Cinemax

_𝘯𝘢𝘫𝘶𝘭𝘪𝘢❤️‍🔥Sep 5, 2024

Sudden Death (1995): Dir: Peter Hyams / Cast: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Powers Booth, Raymond J. Barry, Ross Malinger, Whittni Wright: Title describes its box office results. Jean-Claude Van Damme plays a firefighter who quit his job but unfortunately not the film industry. He emerges as a security guard at a stadium and takes his two children to a hockey game attended by the President but Powers Booth holds the V.I.P. group hostage and demands money or bombs will go off at the end of the game. Perhaps he should have demanded a higher salary for allowing himself to be part of this crap fest. Before long Van Damme's daughter ends up in the isolation booth and many bone breaking battles follow. Production succeeds where story fails. Director Peter Hyams previously made Time Cop with Van Damme and together they prove that two heads are not necessarily better than one. Booth is laughable as this villain whose ass will get kicked. It is just that so many others are ahead of him in the wait line. Raymond J. Barry is wasted as the President. Ross Malinger plays Van Damme's son who stays put when told. Perhaps had he left then he would have avoided any further involvement in one of the year's worst films. Whittni Wright plays Van Damme's daughter who laughably yet tearfully informs Booth that her dad will hand his ass to him. Pointless wretch that should be met with sudden death. Score: 1 / 10

Jojo🧚‍♀️Sep 5, 2024

Okay, here is a really short review: this movie blowed. I wish I could just have a review that stated this simple principle, but I must bore you with more bad review type words like 'horrible' 'clichéd' and 'unwatchable.' It's the type of film you watch when you are drunk or are stuck on a desert island with nothing else to do. Here's the premise: the vice president is captured by a terrorist group at a play-off hockey game and only Van Damm can stop the madness. Truly, truly terrible, but then again, I didn't pay to see it the first time around and only my dad felt the absence of girth in his wallet after this movie. I hate the fact he is a Republican and all, but then again, he did spare me the horror of paying for this piece of garbage. Okay, that is now enough space to be recognized as a review, so I bid adieu.