Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

Sudden Death Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf October 18, 2014

1988’s “Die Hard” was an influential action extravaganza that spawned countless imitators, creating a subgenre with a league of “Die Hard in a…” variations that gave action heroes of all shapes and size a chance to show off their screen fury. Perhaps the most famous of the knockoffs was 1992’s “Under Siege,” which pitted Steven Seagal against terrorists onboard a battleship. Not wanting to be left out of the trend, Jean-Claude Van Damme received his own one-man-against-many vehicle with 1995’s “Sudden Death,” a “Die Hard in a Hockey Arena” endeavor that reteamed the star with director Peter Hyams. Fresh off the success of their 1994 collaboration, “Timecop” (the highest grossing film for both men at the time), “Sudden Death” was meant to extend the celebration, with Van Damme sweating through a routine thriller that held the distinction of being the rare actioner set during the Stanley Cup Finals. Of course, a decent script wouldn’t have hurt, but the production invests more in explosions and atypical hostility toward children, rendering the feature more numbing than inviting, leaving a bitter aftertaste. Instead of scoring with a surefire premise, “Sudden Death” follows the title’s direction, keeling over before game even begins.

A disgraced firefighter, Darren McCord (Jean-Claude Van Damme) has picked up work as a fire inspector for the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, gearing up for game seven of the Stanley Cup Finals. A divorced dad of two, Darren brings young Tyler (Ross Malinger) and Emily (Whittni Wright) to the showdown, hoping to spend some time with his children on duty. However, tonight is no ordinary game, with the Vice President (Raymond J. Barry) in attendance in the owner’s box, and madman Joshua (Powers Boothe) commencing an elaborate takeover of the stadium with a team of armed goons. Demanding a fortune from the U.S. Government, Joshua threatens to take lives after every period unless his demands are met. At the end of the game, if there’s a penny missing from the transfer, the whole stadium blows up. Gradually realizing what’s going on, Darren sets off on a frantic hunt to disarm the plastic explosives hidden all over the building, while Emily is taken hostage by the terrorists, forcing the father to find a way to shut down the nightmare from the inside while the Secret Service, led by Hallmark (Dorian Harewood), struggles to grasp the enormity of the situation.

Hyams has one of the iffiest filmographies in the business. For every “Capricorn One,” “Outland,” and “Timecop,” there’s a “Stay Tuned,” “The Musketeer,” and “A Sound of Thunder.” He’s not a consistent helmer, with “Sudden Death” one of his most disappointing efforts. Handed a simple screenplay (credited to Gene Quintano) and a fabulous location, Hyams overthinks the project, trying to compete with action maestros by amplifying violence, not character, while his use of the Civic Arena is surprisingly limited to a few specialized areas and a kitchen that’s used in two consecutive fight scenes. Instead using the vigor of game time to create a suspenseful thrill ride where Darren is tasked with bomb disposal, Hyams spends most of his energy reminding the viewer that Joshua and his henchmen are the shoot-first type, with plenty of bullets sprayed throughout the feature, leaving no real dramatic impact. Perhaps to goose the sagging tension of the piece, pistols are frequently pointed at young Emily, who’s also forced to witness ghoulish acts of murder. Because nothing makes a movie more enjoyable than watching a crying little girl threatened at gunpoint. Hyams’s comfort with bad taste is depressing to watch.

Another problem facing “Sudden Death” is a question of tone. While there is a severity to the picture, it’s not always played straight, with one of the major stunt sequences pitting Darren against a hitwoman dressed up as Iceburgh, the Pittsburgh Penguins mascot. Beyond obvious questions of logic (why doesn’t she take off the headpiece when fighting for her life?), the scene registers as a parody of action cinema, a theory amplified by its kitchen setting, with Darren using red pepper flakes to temporarily blind his opponent. It’s a surge of absurdity while Joshua’s reign of terror is stone-cold sober, picking off VIPs one-by-one in the owner’s box when he demands aren’t met. Hyams never masters the atmosphere of the feature, too busy raising hell to really pay attention to how individual scenes are matched up in editing. Quintano’s taste in twists also leaves much to be desired, making Darren’s run of heroism too predictable at times, more secure as a simple countdown scenario where the fire inspector tears around the arena looking for bombs and dodging bullets.

“Sudden Death” becomes a flat-out cartoon on occasion. Joshua’s goons have ample opportunity to kill Darren, but can’t quite get their act together even after infiltrating a hockey arena during the most important game of the year. There’s also a silly mid-movie detour that finds Darren taking to the ice as a goalie for the Penguins, tested as a hero and an athlete for reasons that never make sense. Weirder, the baddies recognize him in full gear while Penguins don’t notice the change in their own player’s size. The whole scene reeks of a Quintano joke that was never meant to make it to the screen. Granted, asking questions of reason isn’t going to help the “Sudden Death” viewing experience, but Hyams makes it easy to get distracted by the missing details.

Sudden Death Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (2.35:1 aspect ratio) presentation is challenged by Hyams's visual preferences for pure blacks (he shoots his own movies). The man loves to block out chunks of the frame, and that visual experience is preserved on the BD, scrubbed a bit by Universal filtering demands, pulling out filmic appeal to carry a more video-esque appearance. Contrast runs a little muddy at times. Detail is acceptable, best during hockey scenes, where it's clear the production used dummies to fill empty seats. Facial response is also textured. Colors are agreeable, best when there's bright lighting to explore. No print damage was detected.

Sudden Death Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix doesn't feature a particularly immersive atmosphere of swirling screen activity. Surrounds are activated but mostly passive, pushing out scoring and a few atmospherics, with kitchen antics retaining a nice bustle of plates clinking and dulled chatter. Hockey footage also retains some crowd-based energy. The track is more about force, and it delivers a pleasing low-end rumble with explosions and heavier body blows. Dialogue exchanges are natural, keeping Van Damme intelligible, also managing severe upticks in anger without slipping into distortive extremes.

Sudden Death Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• A Theatrical Trailer (2:12, SD) is included.

Sudden Death Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Van Damme does his duty as a reluctant hero and concerned dad, and Boothe chews on Joshua's villainy as long as he can, committing to everything the script hands him -- including a woefully ridiculous ending. "Sudden Death" is dreary, noisy, and most pointedly, uninviting, and it's surprising to see how little it manages to accomplish with a premise that's begging to be treated as a rollicking good time.