Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #272367 in DVD
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.77:1
• Format: PAL
• Original language: German, English, French, Italian, Spanish, Polish, Czech
• Subtitled in: English, German, French, Dutch, Portuguese, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Danish

From The New Yorker
Yet another crib from the "Die Hard" blueprint, this one set in a hockey arena during the Stanley Cup playoffs and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. Powers Boothe is the heavy, who organizes his men to hold the visiting Vice-President for ransom, and Van Damme kicks lots of butt (none as magnificent as his) to save the day. The editing is rapid, and the action sequences deliver the goods. This project won't make Van Damme the superstar he wants to be, but it does make the notion at least entertainable-he comes off as a handsomer (and warmer) Stallone. Economically directed, with the appropriate gooffiness, by Peter Hyams. -Bruce Diones
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

The best Van Damme movie so far
I've seen just about all of Van Damme's movies and I have to say that I think "Sudden Death" is the best one so far. It's not your typical Van Damme movie when you compare it to most of his others. Most of his movies are mainly just fights throughout most of the film, which is always awesome. But I think it's even better when a fighting movie such as "Sudden Death" has more of a plot to it.

Someone kidnaps his daughter and is holding her and the Vice President captive. The man holding them hostage wants a lot of money or he will blow up the whole hockey arena. Van Damme must find a way to get his daughter back while saving everybody else in the arena.

"Sudden Death" is what all the other Van Damme movies isn't. It has a major storyline to it, great special effects, and even a few funny parts such as when Van Damme has to be a real goalie in the game to keep the badmen from finding him. If you're a Van Damme fan or if you like great action movies, "Sudden Death" is definitely for you.

Let's play hockey!
I've never been a big fan of Jean-Claude Van Damme, and as of last night, had never watched a film of his before. Although I did feel like watching Street Fighter a few years back, but I was really into Kylie Minogue at the time. And I was young. That's an excuse right?

I was ended up pleasantly surprised by his acting - for some reason, I'd got it into my head that he's not that good an actor. OK, he was alright, but that doesn't mean I'm going to go rushing out to buy all his films.

There's nothing new about this film, but it'll grab your attention the whole time it's on the screen. It's a clone of many other movies, and and it itself, has probably been cloned over the years. What's terrific is the build up to the finale. It's one of those movies, where just when you think surely it's finished now, it brings out another twist, or another explosion, and you're swept along.

There's a few silly moments included in the film - Van Damme fighting a woman in a penguin suit for example, it's so funny to see and must have been embarrassing to film! :) But it ended up with the woman in the penguin suit someone that could be easily killed off and no one worries about her.

Three quarters of the way through the movie Van Damme decides to take a quick break from all the hard work - and play some hockey! At first I totally did not realise it was Van Damme, for some reason, I thought it was one of the bad guys. It wasn't until the over done "I love you" moment, that I realised who it was.

Unfortunately, Van Damme is far overshadowed by bigger, better action heroes, despite his best attempts at an impression of Bruce Willis throughout. Arnie & Sly obviously have the bigger muscles, and dare I say it, Mr Seagull has the overall size. Who would win in a punch up?

What I was most looking forward to about this was seeing little Ross Malinger again, who I best knew from Sleepless In Seattle. He doesn't play a different character, or look any older (who else wanted him to stand up & shout out "I preferred my daddy in Sleepless In Seattle!")

Overall, it's a pretty good action movie, doesn't test the braincells too much, and is pretty good fun.

Van Damme's Good Movie
I like to refer to Sudden Death to my friends as Van Damme's good movie...only good movie. I guess I love this one because it is set during a hockey game. Look for the part when Van Damme becomes the Penguins goalie. As a former goalie myself, to me this is one of the best scenes of the movie, along with Van Damme stabbing a guy with a bone! With awesome stunts and hockey, this is quite the enjoyable mindless-action flick!