Sudden Death (1995 film)

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Sudden Death
Theatrical release poster
Directed byPeter Hyams
Screenplay byGene Quintano
Story byKaren Baldwin
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyPeter Hyams
Edited bySteven Kemper
Music byJohn Debney
Production
company
Shattered Productions
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release date
  • December 22, 1995 (1995-12-22)
Running time
110 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$35 million[1]
Box office$64.4 million[2]

Sudden Death is a 1995 American

directorial collaboration with Van Damme, after Timecop (1994) and before Enemies Closer (2013).[5]

Sudden Death was released in the United States by Universal Pictures on December 22, 1995 to mixed reviews, albeit better than most of Van Damme's earlier efforts.[6][7] It was a minor success, grossing $64 million at the box office on an announced budget of $35 million.[1][2] However, it fell short of Timecop's performance, especially domestically.[8]

Plot

Darren McCord is a

Pittsburgh Civic Arena, after being unable to save a young girl from a house fire two years prior. During the 1995 Stanley Cup Finals between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Chicago Blackhawks (a fictional rematch of the 1992 Stanley Cup Finals), a group of terrorists take the Vice President of the United States and several other VIPs hostage in a luxury suite. Secret Service
operative Joshua Foss has the arena wired with explosives, and plans to blow it up at the end of the game, while having hundreds of millions of dollars wired into several off shore accounts.

Darren takes his son Tyler and daughter Emily to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals as a birthday gift for Tyler. A spat between brother and sister causes Emily to run off before getting kidnapped by Carla, the sole female member of the terrorists (who is disguised as the local mascot Iceburgh after killing the original performer). Carla places Emily in the suite with the other hostages about to be executed. Not wanting his son to go missing, Darren orders Tyler to stay in his seat while he goes searching for Emily. Carla is about to kill Darren, but he evades her attacks in a fight and kills her. Afterward, Darren asks for a security guard's help, but the guard is another terrorist in disguise and reveals their criminal operation before being killed by Darren. Now aware of the situation, Darren finds a mobile phone in the executive offices and uses it to contact Secret Service Agent Matthew Hallmark; Hallmark advises Darren to stand by while the agents take charge. He angrily refuses, saying that he will handle this himself.

The Secret Service and the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police team up to surround the arena and a standoff ensues. Meanwhile, Darren manages to find and disarm a few of the bombs (as well as killing and evading a few of Foss' men), whilst Foss himself kills several hostages after the end of the first and second periods. Hallmark finally makes his way inside and meets Darren, who explains where the rest of the bombs are most likely located. Hallmark is revealed to be in league with Foss, and tries to kidnap Tyler, but fails. Hallmark then reveals his true self to Darren, who sets him on fire and ultimately kills him. Darren then uses Hallmark's phone to contact Foss, who taunts that he is holding his daughter captive.

As time ticks down, Darren disables more bombs, but is severely slowed by confrontations with Foss' men. At one point, Darren, dressed as the Pittsburgh goalie to escape the thugs, enters the game and successfully defends a shot on goal. As the third period runs down, Luc Robitaille scores the game-tying goal for Pittsburgh in the last second, prompting sudden death overtime and prolonging the game. Deciding that there's no time left to find the remaining bombs, Darren climbs to the roof of the arena. He fights off two of Foss' henchmen; one of them falls onto the score display, blowing it up. As the arena erupts into chaos, Darren advances upon the owner's box from above and forces his way in, rescuing Emily, the Vice President and the remaining hostages. Darren and Emily reunite with Tyler and set out to leave the arena.

Foss manages to escape and blend in with the panicking crowd. He sets off one of the bombs, flooding part of the arena, and recaptures Emily when she recognizes him. They head towards the top of the arena, where a helicopter is waiting to lift Foss away. Darren intervenes and saves his daughter before Foss could shoot her. As Foss attempts to flee, Darren shoots the pilot, causing the chopper to stall and fall into the arena, sending Foss to his death as the chopper explodes on impact with the ice. Darren is led to an awaiting medic unit while his children tell the paramedics of his heroism.

Cast

Penguins staff includes

helicopter pilot, Fred Waugh as Bluto, and Dean E. Wells as Kloner.[3]

Hockey figures

Production

Development and writing

The film's pitch came from

U.S.S.R.[8] Writer Gene Quintano was commissioned to turn the pair's ideas into a full fledged screenplay, initially under the title Arena.[10]

Further elements, such as McCord's

fight with the Penguins' mascot and the use of sign language, were absent from early drafts and added at the suggestion of director Peter Hyams after he joined the project.[8] Luc Robitaille had attended acting classes with Karen Baldwin while playing for the Los Angeles Kings, and he was chosen as Tyler's favorite player based on that experience.[8] It was the first film made by Howard Baldwin for Universal, with whom he signed a two-year development deal.[1]

Filming

Principal photography happened in the Pittsburgh area, where the film is set, in 98 days between August 29 and December 7, 1994. The majority of the shoot took place in and around Civic Arena. Another notable location was the then-unopened and now closed Veterans Hospital in nearby Aspinwall.[11]

Baldwin wanted to use footage from the October 1

CGI enhancing became the norm).[8][12]

The final

emergency vehicles were on standby in case of an accident.[11]

Reception

Box office

Sudden Death opened in the United States on December 22, 1995, its relatively modest 1,681-screen release reflecting a crowded

adjusted for inflation).[2]

Home media

The film made its domestic

4K UHD Blu-ray is due in 2023 from Kino Lorber.[15]

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 50% based on 36 reviews, with an average rating of 5.11/10. The website's consensus states "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."[16] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.[6]

Sudden Death was widely praised for its action and spectacle. Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle hailed it as "one of the best action thrillers of 1995 [and] the film Jean-Claude Van Damme has been building up to for 10 years, marking his arrival as a top-flight action star".[17] Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times called it as "A treat for Jean-Claude Van Damme fans, a superior action thriller loaded with jaw-dropping stunts and special effects, and strong in production values."[18]

However, the film received criticism for its extravagant narrative contrivances and excessive violence. Chris Hicks of the Deseret News conceded that "Hyams [...] knows how to keep the action popping and there are some dramatically intense scenes", but complained that the picture was "far too sadistic" and that the finale "must be seen to be believed".[19] Bruce Fretts of Entertainment Weekly thought the film wanted to be a "comical Die Hard knockoff" but criticized the director for "inept editing and a plodding pace", as well as "mindnumbing violence". He gave it a D− grade.[20]

Among moderate reviews, TV Guide gave it 2 out of 4 and called it "Good clean fun, with just the right ratio of explosions to dialogue."[21] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film two and half stars out of four and stated that "Sudden Death isn't about common sense. It's about the manipulation of action and special-effects sequences to create a thriller effect, and at that it's pretty good."[22]

Sudden Death
Author
OCLC
33266093

Retrospective

setpieces.[26]

Novelization

The

novellist Stephen Mertz, and published by Boulevard Books.[27] An audiobook
version was produced, which is read by the film's co-star Powers Boothe.

Soundtrack

Sudden Death: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Orchestral
Length30:26[28]
LabelVarèse Sarabande
ProducerJohn Debney
John Debney chronology
Houseguest
(1995) 		Sudden Death
(1995) 		Cutthroat Island
(1995)

Sudden Death's

produced by John Debney. A selection of Debney's tracks was released on CD by film music label Varèse Sarabande shortly before the film's release date, and has since become available in digital format.[28]

Track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Main Title / Kitchen Fight"5:31
2."Finding The Bombs"2:29
3."Seeing Tyler"0:59
4."Locker Room Chase"2:28
5."Choppers / Scaling The Dome"4:01
6."Race Against The Clock / The Abduction"6:36
7."Countdown"0:44
8."Rooftop Battle"5:26
9."Chopper Explodes / Resolution"2:02
Total length:30:26
[28]

Legacy

Sudden Death was the first in an informal series of hockey-themed

theatrical and television films produced by the Baldwins, which includes Mystery, Alaska, Mr. Hockey: The Gordie Howe Story, Odd Man Rush (and its less hockey-centric sequel Discussion Materials) , as well as the proposed Harlem Saints.[29][30]

Peter Hyams has maintained an association with producer Moshe Diamant over the years, but did not collaborate with Van Damme again until serving as

commercial medium of direct-to-video action films.[5][31]

The 2018

goddaughter will die. It was released on September 7, 2018 to a mostly positive reception.[35]

Remake

A remake titled Welcome to Sudden Death was in production from both Universal 1440 and Netflix. The film stars Michael Jai White and Gary Owen in a more comedic take on the material.[36] It was released on September 29, 2020, to mostly negative reviews.[37][38]

See also

References

  1. ^
    ProQuest 904902592
    .
  2. ^ a b c d e "Sudden Death (1995)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z "Sudden Death (1995): Cast & Crew". allmovie.com. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  4. ^ "Sudden Death: Synopsis". filmaffinity.com. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  5. ^ a b Marsh, James (January 26, 2014). "Review: Van Damme Goes Violently Vegan In Enemies Closer". screenanarchy.com. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  6. ^ a b "CinemaScore". Archived from the original on 2018-12-20.
  7. ^ "Jean-Claude Van Damme". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Barry, Sal (13 December 2015). "Oral History: The Making of Hockey Action Movie 'Sudden Death'". The Hockey News. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  9. ^ a b "Sudden Death (1995): Full Cast & Crew". imdb.com. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  10. ^ Moerk, Christian (9 July 1993). "Quintano builds from 'Scratch'". Variety.
  11. ^ a b c DVD Production Notes. Sudden Death (Media notes). Peter Hyams (director). Universal City: Universal Home Video. 1997.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. ^
    ProQuest 903370358
    .
  13. ISBN 078321801X
    .
  14. ^ "Sudden Death Directed by Peter Hyams (1995) – Releases". blu-ray.com. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  15. ^ "Sudden Death 4K Blu-ray". blu-ray.com. 15 January 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  16. ^ "Sudden Death (1995)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
  17. ^ Lasalle, Mick (14 June 1996). "Sudden Death Makes Van Damme Cool on Ice". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  18. ^ Thomas, Kevin (1995-12-22). "MOVIE REVIEW; Van Damme in Top Form in 'Sudden Death'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2020-01-01.
  19. ^ Hicks, Chris (December 27, 1995). "Film review: Sudden Death". Deseret News. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  20. ^ Bruce Fretts (1995-12-22). "Sudden Death". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2020-05-04.
  21. ^ "Sudden Death". TVGuide.com.
  22. ^ Ebert, Roger (December 22, 1995). "Sudden Death Movie Review & Film Summary (1995)". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  23. ^ "The 29 Best Action Movies of the 90s". collider.com. 27 August 2019. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  24. ^ Scheeden, Jesse (26 December 2021). "29 Best Action Movies of the '90s You Have to Watch". moviefone.com. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  25. ^ Lloyd, Brian (30 July 2019). "The 100 Greatest Action Movies Ever Made, Part II". entertainment.ie. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  26. ^ Beresford, Jack (4 January 2021). "10 Movies That Are Basically Die Hard (But Better)". screenrant.com. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  27. ^ "Stephen Mertz". Contemporary Authors Online. Detroit: Thomson Gale. 2008.
  28. ^ a b c d "Sudden Death Soundtrack". soundtrack.net. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  29. ^ Allen, Kevin (February 16, 2019). "Lemieux and Gretzky Part 2: Wayne's son, Mario's daughter act in movie together". usatoday.com. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  30. ^ Duhatschek, Eric (July 17, 2020). "Duhatschek Notebook: Tight races for Hart and Adams, sheltering with the Gretzkys". theathletic.com. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  31. ^ a b Tonzelli, J. (19 March 2015). "Franchise Regeneration – Part Two: A Conversation with Filmmaker John Hyams". cutprintfilm.com. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  32. ^ Libbey, Dave (27 July 2016). "Dave Bautista's Next Action Thriller Is Kind of Ripping Off Jean-Claude Van Damme". cinemablend.com. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  33. ^ Felperin, Leslie (7 September 2018). "Final Score review – Dave Bautista gets involved in the action at Upton Park". theguardian.com. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  34. ^ Knight, Jacob (14 September 2018). "Final Score Review: Dave Bautista Dies Hard In A Soccer Shoot Out". birthmoviedeath.com. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  35. ^ "Final Score (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  36. ^ Boucher, Geoff (20 August 2019). "'Sudden Death' Remake: Dallas Jackson & Netflix Seek "New Spin" On JCVD film". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  37. ^ "The Mecca Short Film Presentation – Schedule and Film Info". Blackfilm – Black Movies, Television, and Theatre News. 2020-05-26. Archived from the original on 2021-03-08. Retrieved 2020-06-22.
  38. ^ "What is Welcome to Sudden Death? Is it a sequel to the Jean-Claude van Damme movie?".

External links

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