Sudden Death is a hidden gem and I actually like JCVD in it. If there's an Expendable 4, they should bring him back, as a twin to the villain in 2 which would play to the fact that JC played a pair of twins in the movie Double Impact, much in the same way the Expendable movies reference other action titles the actors have done.
I was going to School in Pittsburgh when they filmed this and lived right next to the Civic Arena Dome, I got to play an extra as a Swat Team member for a few nights! I remember Van Dam being very 'short aware' and always met people while sitting down or standing on a level above.
You're right, I remember seeing The Quest in the theater. I'm also a Roger Moore (Bond) fan to the hilt, which was a treat to have him in the movie. Too bad it was such a bore. When looking back Sudden Death WAS his last good film of the 80's-90's era.
@@robertbeckman2054 Agreed The Quest was good in theory, but boring in reality. Then begun his straight to dvd film career. JVCD was good though especially the monologue scene & I enjoyed him in The Expendables 2 but apart from those it’s best to watch classic Van Damme
You have no idea how happy I am to see this video, and to see that you really like it. There are many, many reasons as to why I love this film so much, it is one of my favorites of all time, easily in the top three. The thing is, it makes me sad as it is an underrated classic, and usually ignored by those who don't like it or refuse to give it a chance, that being for having Van Damme in it, being a Die Hard clone, or the kitchen fight scene... First off, Sudden Death is something of a dream movie to me, the way it's set up is perfect. I am a huge hockey fan, for one. But it doesn't stop there. It is filmed in Pittsburgh, my favorite city that I don't live in, at the beautiful Civic Arena. The arena is my favorite sports venue of all time. It had such a unique way of being incorporated into a hockey arena (it orignally held events for the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, but eventually became home of the Penguins when they were inagurated into the NHL in 1967, so it being orignally intended for something else than what it was mainly used for all the way until its demolishing in 2012, that just goes to show how a good it was able to hold up.) I visited the Civic Arena quite a few times in my life. I went to the league's draft event in 1997 when it was held there, and I went to quite a few games. It was a very loud and atmospheric place, but it was unforuntately only last year when I truly realized it, and which made me depressed that I hadn't seen it more. (Moral of the story is, appreciate the things you love now, before they are gone forever. You will regret it!) In any case, they could have picked any hockey arena, but they chose the Civic Arena, which was the best choice possible, I think. It was essential helpful that it was a dome that opened up, a great use of the roof in this movie at the near-end scenes, that is one of the primary reasons why I love this movie so much. And watching it for the first time, (which was earlier this year, after not having seen the arena for a few years, after having mourned over the loss of it), it gave me feelings I have yet to understand existed. A unique experience of actually feeling like I was there, watching a hockey game, at the good ol' Civic Arena again. And a great matchup, too. The Pittsburgh Penguins, my favorite team, against the Chicago Blackhawks, coincidentially, the team that I hate the most. It was the same two teams that met in the 1991 Stanley Cup Finals, when the Pens beat the Hawks in their first of two consecutive championship victories. The reason why these two teams were chosen for this movie was because they were going to play each other in the first game of the 1994-95 season, but the first half of it was not played due to a players strike, during which Sudden Death was filmed. Now, to the teams. One of my favorite aspects of sports is the aesthetics of it, which include the identities of the teams, namely, their uniforms and logos. Another coincidence is that the ones that the two teams wore were among my favorites, with the Pens' being my absolute favorite. Unforutnately, a lot of fans have disliked the logo for it being associated with bad luck (of which they had from 1992-2002, the years it was used.), so it makes me happy to be featured in this film. Seriously, it's everywhere. It's plastered all over the movie, on fan merchandise, jerseys, walls, the ice, everywhere. Seeing the logo alone puts me in a good mood, for some reason. I remember it from my childhood, for one. It's also a very iconic and regal design, and a bit creepy as well, in which case for the latter, added a sense of necessary unnerving to the audience for the film, for those that see it the way that I do. The casting was outstanding. Van Damme kills it (in a really good way) in this flick, and Powers Boothe is a perfect antagonist. Everyone else is really good in their respective way, as well, but I really love the people that reprised their respective real-life roles for this movie. Mike Lange and Paul Steigerwald served as the TV broadcasters, as they did for real Pens games at the time. Jeff Jimmerson sings the national anthem like a champ, as was his job then and currently. All of that made this movie authentic, but it didn't stop there. ESPN apparently was ok with using their TV opening theme in this movie, which also happens to be something I really love. One of the few things I didn't really like about this movie was the players. Yeah, most of the time they were featured in action shots (of which were backed by the audio you'd hear in a TV broadcast, Lange speaking, the players hustling up and down on the ice, the crowd cheering, etc.; these were some of my favorite parts of the movie because you saw the game in action, and had a nice balance between the game and the other scenes) and you couldn't make out the faces. But for the most part, since it was a players' lockout, a lot of the real Pens and Hawks players did not cast for this movie. Instead, their real names and numbers were on the backs of their jerseys, which was at least good. What makes up for it though, is that Luc Robitaille, played by himself, and was playing for the Pens then, got the wicked last-second goal that sent the game into "sudden death", as it were. Knowing that that was a real player is awesome. As a note, the replacement players were mostly hockey players, and the whole Blackhawks roster is made up of some minor league hockey team. The movie is an unexpected emotional roller coaster, and things are always better when they're a surprise. The relationship between Darren and his two kids (the 'I love you' scene after Darren stops the shot gets me every time) is obviously close, and was shown greatly in this film. It is very suspenseful, and the close calls, as well as the climax, are very thrilling and heart stopping. Particularly, while Jimmerson sings the anthem, the juxtaposition of something nice, as well as something horrible going on at the time (Foss and his crew taking the VIP box hostage, and one of his men killing the chef's wife out of nowhere) is a nice experience. The music...damn...the music is really good. Dabney's score for this movie is legendary, and I'm glad I own a CD copy. It's all very fitting for its respective situation. And while I'm a bit sad that some of the scores were used twice in the film (though, does that happen often in movies? I'm not sure), each piece is musical genius. In addition, the certain song that was played at the arena when the Pens scored a goal is heard a few times in the film, which adds something nice for me. The cinematography, the action, the fighting scenes, all of that are amazing, and not too often or frequent for a film of this pace. The killing scenes are unnerving, but fitting for this film. Seeing a hockey game going on, with the fans, players and staff unknown of all of this gruesome stuff going on inside the arena adds a bizarre tone to the film that I appreciate. The climax is great, the fact that some bombs did actually detonate surprised me. The spectators' first sign of panic is when Darren knocks one of Foss' baddies down and gets electrocuted on top of the Civic Arena scoreboard, which leads to Mike Lange's interrupting "Holy shit!" and begins the state of panic and epicness in the movie. I love movies like this, with this sense of suspense and intimidation. My only other gripe, is how it ended. It felt kind of early the first time, but after I knew how it goes, I loved it all the way through the end. This was an astounding movie that was set up perfectly for someone like me, only for the specifics. Really, anyone who loves action movies, JCVD and/or sports will like, if not love it. .....damn...sorry about all of that, I really like to ramble on things that I love a lot... ^^' Hope you understand I'm glad to see it being praised, though.
Oliver Harper Thanks. :) I'm glad to hear that it's appreciated out there. As a hockey, and Pittsburgh Penguins fan, this movie has a very special place in my heart. I instantly signed up to get it when it came out on Blu-Ray. I got it a few days ago, but it was unfortunately a UK copy, and with region locking and all that I'm not able to watch it, so I'll just wait to get it some time later to see this movie in glorious HD. Speaking of which, what version did you use to get your footage in this? I don't recall the Blu-Ray being released anywhere at the time you posted this, and the DVD I have is 4:3 fullscreen, whereas this appears to be 16:9 widescreen, with a little better quality.
NASCARFAN160 The footage was taken from an HDTV broadcast but its now available on Blu ray and its region free. www.amazon.co.uk/Sudden-Death-Blu-ray-Region-Free/dp/B00CU9QHXS/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1390043864&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=sudden+death+blu+ray
Oliver Harper Ah? I bought a Blu-Ray a couple months ago, and it turned it said a region that wasn't NTSC (my region) on the box, so I assumed it wouldn't work, so we returned it. I'm not exactly sure this is the same one, though. Also, what channel did you see this on?
I know you compare it to Die Hard, and I think this is one of those 90's movies that was legitimately made from a rejected Die Hard sequel script. One of the best imo
You do the best movies reviews on youtube, you basically cover anything that anyone could care about, the only thing that could make your reviews any better would be to add a "Where are they now?" segment.
Double Impact, Hard Target, Timecop, Sudden Death, Bloodsport, Kickboxer, Lionheart, Universal Soldier and Universal Soldier The Return were my favorites of JCVD.
Oliver, your reviews made me a JCVD fan! Looking forward to Death Warrant (1990), Nowhere to Run (1993) and Legionnaire (1998) if you choose to review them.
I love Sudden Death. The way the plot ties into the gane and the location is ingenious. Van Damme gives us a really likeable, human hero, Boothe is charmingly evil and Hyams visual direction and editing are top notch.
Being a Pittsburgher and a Penguins fan I love this movie. It came out when I was five years old and the fact that someone disconnected from the team and city it’s placed in gives it a positive review makes me happy. #LetsGoPens
I remember seeing this when it came out on VHS, I was a ripe old age of 11, and way too young to see it. I thought it was a blast! Haven't seen it since, but I'm glad at least one person thinks it still holds up!
No lie, I was in this movie! I live in Pittsburgh and at the time of filming they were looking for extras to fill the seats at the Civic Arena. My dad and I would go to Pens games all the time so I was super excited for the opportunity. Me, my dad and my sister went and were able to sit in on a scene!
You know what? I have only watched this once and it was in 1996 when it was on VHS. Looks quite good for a popcorn muncher! Will be watching this tonight.
I only Saw Sudden Death Recently and i loved it, yes it's got the DIE HARD formula, but It's not a total Rip-off and has Director Peter Hyams distinctive style, which i always loved. Would you consider Reviewing HARD TARGET which in my opinion is Basically JCVD's COMMANDO, it's self-depricating packed with OTT action and Humor, but i gotta be honest the villains are truly Great in that film.
I always thought the kitchen fight was intense as fuck, considering the violence and the fact that it's supposed to be a woman he's slowly killing to death. And I like that idea for the scene - how to make things interesting? Rather than have a cop fight a terrorist, make it a fireman...fighting a psycho female assassin.
Hello again! I've wondered about the movie footage you got, the quality is pretty impressive...is it perhaps from the Blu-Ray version of the movie? In the NTSC region, it just got released in that format, but I've yet to buy that. Once again, I really really appreciate your review. It pays a great homage to such an awesome and underrated film. :)
Oliver may not have known but this movie came out during the Hockey Craze of the mid 90s in North America. The NY Rangers won the Cup in 94 and revived the sport in America with huge ratings... sadly it was followed by a long NHL strike and I think that hurt. Plus it opened at the same time as Heat which was a much better (and longer) action movie.
This was my first exposure to Powers Booth, and man he is a badass, especially when he plays a villain. For a Die Hard clone, this is very entertaining. Excellent review as always, olly! On a side note, have you ever seen "Nick of Time" with Johnny Depp and Christopher Walken? I feel as though that was a Die Hard clone matched with a Hitchockian thriller.
I don't understand the point of going through all those plot details chronologically as if going though a shopping list. But it's cool to see youtubers talk about JCVD films none the less, and glad you liked it.
8:35 "...gets knocked out by a punching bag, which wouldn't hurt you anyway..." *Clarification:* punching bags come in different hardnesses. Personally speaking I use one that's pretty damn heavy and hard, you can give it a good hard punch and barely put a dent in it. As a matter of fact one time I was pissed and hit it with all my might and I ended up fracturing my wrist bone. And again, it barely had a dent in it. So, yeah. If one hit you hard enough, yes, it could actually knock a person out.
Yeah i may consider Hard Target at one point. Now i'v reviewed Timecop, street fighter and Sudden Death i've done a bit too much Van Damme for now. lol
I rushed to see this because it was rumoured that Van Damme was supposed to do his famous roundhouse split kick with his ice skates on, cutting the throat of one of the bad guys.....I was disappointed that it didn't appear but appreciated the selling tactic. This and Nowhere to run are his best acted imo.
Seen this once. The trouble is Boothe is amazing in 'Extreme Prejudice' . Here he is running in neutral 90% of the time and a wonderful villain makes a movie worth watching (see 'Con Air' 'Under Seige').
The thing I didn't like about this movie, was Van Damme is a martial arts action star. In this movie he plays an ordinary Fireman, taking out professional killers. Also he is working with the secret service and playing cat-and mouse games with professional killers. That is something ordinary Firemen don't do. If JCVD's character were an Ex-Marine, law enforcement, assassin type character then his actions would have made more sense.
Goddamn, I hate the locker room fight with the big like, Hawaiian guy, or whatever he was. It's like he just stands there and waits for van damme to hit him, every single time. Hockey stick, whap! Face kick, hey, he's still just standing there with his eyes closed, whap!
It's a great fun Van Damme film and he's last decent one of the 1990s. But the fight with the female in the Penguin suit was simply ludicrous that she could match a well built man strength for strength.
I've held off on watching this retrospective until I re-watched the film itself. And man this has to be one of the most criminally underrated action films in cinema history and Van Damme's best. I might actually like it more than Die Hard and don't care what anyone thinks. Powers Boothe was a phenomenal villain. Very annoyed to see it's got such a low score on IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes - If you like Van Damme and great old school action than this film is essential.
Also, which track on the music CD is 10:06? Or is it not part of it? It's one of my favorite tracks of the score, it'd be a shame if they didn't include it.
Anyone else notice the similarities in this and the metal gear series? (gas/fire spray, deactivating bombs)... Idk maybe they're just action movie tropes
Great review of a film that I liked a LOT more back in 1995. I watched it again just recently and... well, some of the scenes kind of rubed me the wrong way I guess. The film is entertaining though, no doubts there. Van Damme is extremely likeable in this role. Even though I don't like the film as much as I did before I still really looked forward to your review. You did not disappoint! I do have a few requests too, one is Split Second with Rutger Hauer (1992) the other is The Hidden (1987)
Sudden Death is enjoyable and exciting despite it's flaws, unlike Van Damme's other big(?) films. Powers Boothe is awesome, I don't care how laughable and impossible the helicopter crash is.
That impostor security guard, wasn't he one of McComb's thugs in Timecop? I think Van Damme administered a fatal neck injury to him in that movie, as well. :P
under siege is my favourite die hard clone but sudden death comes close, i recently watched this film after you posted the preview & it aged pretty well and is still a very entertaining flick but it's the last classic van damme movie
As the years went by JCs acting naturally became better and better. I really enjoy and adore his older stuff like Cyborg. There he is just meat and kicks and bad assery but No depth. Later on when he started to act you actually got to see a guy that was so much more than just flawless skin and a great body. This movie was a "on a dare rental for VHS back in the day" Me and my dad were looking around our local small video store. Dad "oh Jean Claude he is always cool and karate is cool " Yup all those karate movies basically were awesome hahah So we rented it and it wasnt just some low budget "karate" movie. It was a cool, nice 90z movie !! Thats a HUGE difference. This is probably one of Van Dammes better movies even though the "karate" is kept at a minimum.
Gosh I remember when this came out as a kid thinking this is awfully big budget for Van Damme, I remember it being good and having some really great comedic moments. Time Cop was good but not as good as Sudden Death.
Easily one of the best Die Hard clones. This really captured the essence of Die Hard whereas most of the other clones I felt lacked that certain spark. The only thing I didn't really like was the ending. Not the climax with the helicopter, just the final moments where everything supposedly gets wrapped up. It felt rushed. You'd think they could have made it more triumphant by having the mother thank Van Damme for saving the kids or the son apologising for being a dick. Still it's a great film.
Strange, it was a big flop in USA, though it did make some money on video. JCVD said, he did not include his normal style as they wanted to make hero look vulnerable and in danger and not indestructible
then the Hawks got revenge, MrsPaul. Oh yeah, and in the All-Star Game, Fleury allowed 7 goals. So you can say that Fleury allowed a Fleury of goals. LET'S GO HAWKS!
When a movie gets you mad as hell when good guys die, but is equally balanced with the gruesome deaths of the bad guys, what's not to like about it? It keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time. I don't care if JCVD got into drugs. I don't care if he feels like his life has been wasted. It wasn't. He captivated me as an action start between 1988 and 1995. Too bad The Quest put a stop to his run, but when he was good, he was good. And what the F is wrong with showing the same kick or punch two three or four times, when it doesn't get old? Come on. A-list actor who got the shaft...give the guy a break, he started with Cannon Films for crying out loud.
possibly his most forgotten n underrated film.very enjoyable to watch!
Along with maximum risk
Not to us Penguins fans!
Sudden Death is a hidden gem and I actually like JCVD in it.
If there's an Expendable 4, they should bring him back, as a twin to the villain in 2 which would play to the fact that JC played a pair of twins in the movie Double Impact, much in the same way the Expendable movies reference other action titles the actors have done.
I also really enjoy this film. It was the last Van Damme film I saw in theaters.
That’s a clever idea my friend. Sudden Death is my personal favorite of his 90s films.
I was going to School in Pittsburgh when they filmed this and lived right next to the Civic Arena Dome, I got to play an extra as a Swat Team member for a few nights! I remember Van Dam being very 'short aware' and always met people while sitting down or standing on a level above.
very cool!
The way you enunciated "fat little shit" had me rolling.
Also, I never saw Legionnaire but it looked like a solid enough movie.
You really should check out Legionnaire. Easily Van Damme's best film.
Hyper Horse Maybe not a starring role, but Welcome to the Jungle is worth a watch
Van damme's late 80 and the beginning of the 90 is irreplaceable...Nothing better than this golden era...
Shcwarzenegger, Van Damme, even Lundgren. It was a golden era for action movies.
I wish Van Damme's career didn't die a death soon after this film always enjoyed a classic Van Damme film
Many cool JCVD films were still made after this one though.
why did it die after this movie?
You're right, I remember seeing The Quest in the theater. I'm also a Roger Moore (Bond) fan to the hilt, which was a treat to have him in the movie. Too bad it was such a bore. When looking back Sudden Death WAS his last good film of the 80's-90's era.
@@raww999 watch the JoBlo video on JVCD’s career
@@robertbeckman2054 Agreed The Quest was good in theory, but boring in reality. Then begun his straight to dvd film career. JVCD was good though especially the monologue scene & I enjoyed him in The Expendables 2 but apart from those it’s best to watch classic Van Damme
You have no idea how happy I am to see this video, and to see that you really like it. There are many, many reasons as to why I love this film so much, it is one of my favorites of all time, easily in the top three. The thing is, it makes me sad as it is an underrated classic, and usually ignored by those who don't like it or refuse to give it a chance, that being for having Van Damme in it, being a Die Hard clone, or the kitchen fight scene...
First off, Sudden Death is something of a dream movie to me, the way it's set up is perfect. I am a huge hockey fan, for one. But it doesn't stop there. It is filmed in Pittsburgh, my favorite city that I don't live in, at the beautiful Civic Arena. The arena is my favorite sports venue of all time. It had such a unique way of being incorporated into a hockey arena (it orignally held events for the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, but eventually became home of the Penguins when they were inagurated into the NHL in 1967, so it being orignally intended for something else than what it was mainly used for all the way until its demolishing in 2012, that just goes to show how a good it was able to hold up.)
I visited the Civic Arena quite a few times in my life. I went to the league's draft event in 1997 when it was held there, and I went to quite a few games. It was a very loud and atmospheric place, but it was unforuntately only last year when I truly realized it, and which made me depressed that I hadn't seen it more. (Moral of the story is, appreciate the things you love now, before they are gone forever. You will regret it!)
In any case, they could have picked any hockey arena, but they chose the Civic Arena, which was the best choice possible, I think. It was essential helpful that it was a dome that opened up, a great use of the roof in this movie at the near-end scenes, that is one of the primary reasons why I love this movie so much. And watching it for the first time, (which was earlier this year, after not having seen the arena for a few years, after having mourned over the loss of it), it gave me feelings I have yet to understand existed.
A unique experience of actually feeling like I was there, watching a hockey game, at the good ol' Civic Arena again. And a great matchup, too. The Pittsburgh Penguins, my favorite team, against the Chicago Blackhawks, coincidentially, the team that I hate the most. It was the same two teams that met in the 1991 Stanley Cup Finals, when the Pens beat the Hawks in their first of two consecutive championship victories. The reason why these two teams were chosen for this movie was because they were going to play each other in the first game of the 1994-95 season, but the first half of it was not played due to a players strike, during which Sudden Death was filmed.
Now, to the teams. One of my favorite aspects of sports is the aesthetics of it, which include the identities of the teams, namely, their uniforms and logos. Another coincidence is that the ones that the two teams wore were among my favorites, with the Pens' being my absolute favorite. Unforutnately, a lot of fans have disliked the logo for it being associated with bad luck (of which they had from 1992-2002, the years it was used.), so it makes me happy to be featured in this film. Seriously, it's everywhere. It's plastered all over the movie, on fan merchandise, jerseys, walls, the ice, everywhere. Seeing the logo alone puts me in a good mood, for some reason. I remember it from my childhood, for one. It's also a very iconic and regal design, and a bit creepy as well, in which case for the latter, added a sense of necessary unnerving to the audience for the film, for those that see it the way that I do.
The casting was outstanding. Van Damme kills it (in a really good way) in this flick, and Powers Boothe is a perfect antagonist. Everyone else is really good in their respective way, as well, but I really love the people that reprised their respective real-life roles for this movie. Mike Lange and Paul Steigerwald served as the TV broadcasters, as they did for real Pens games at the time. Jeff Jimmerson sings the national anthem like a champ, as was his job then and currently. All of that made this movie authentic, but it didn't stop there. ESPN apparently was ok with using their TV opening theme in this movie, which also happens to be something I really love.
One of the few things I didn't really like about this movie was the players. Yeah, most of the time they were featured in action shots (of which were backed by the audio you'd hear in a TV broadcast, Lange speaking, the players hustling up and down on the ice, the crowd cheering, etc.; these were some of my favorite parts of the movie because you saw the game in action, and had a nice balance between the game and the other scenes) and you couldn't make out the faces. But for the most part, since it was a players' lockout, a lot of the real Pens and Hawks players did not cast for this movie. Instead, their real names and numbers were on the backs of their jerseys, which was at least good. What makes up for it though, is that Luc Robitaille, played by himself, and was playing for the Pens then, got the wicked last-second goal that sent the game into "sudden death", as it were. Knowing that that was a real player is awesome. As a note, the replacement players were mostly hockey players, and the whole Blackhawks roster is made up of some minor league hockey team.
The movie is an unexpected emotional roller coaster, and things are always better when they're a surprise. The relationship between Darren and his two kids (the 'I love you' scene after Darren stops the shot gets me every time) is obviously close, and was shown greatly in this film. It is very suspenseful, and the close calls, as well as the climax, are very thrilling and heart stopping. Particularly, while Jimmerson sings the anthem, the juxtaposition of something nice, as well as something horrible going on at the time (Foss and his crew taking the VIP box hostage, and one of his men killing the chef's wife out of nowhere) is a nice experience.
The music...damn...the music is really good. Dabney's score for this movie is legendary, and I'm glad I own a CD copy. It's all very fitting for its respective situation. And while I'm a bit sad that some of the scores were used twice in the film (though, does that happen often in movies? I'm not sure), each piece is musical genius. In addition, the certain song that was played at the arena when the Pens scored a goal is heard a few times in the film, which adds something nice for me.
The cinematography, the action, the fighting scenes, all of that are amazing, and not too often or frequent for a film of this pace. The killing scenes are unnerving, but fitting for this film. Seeing a hockey game going on, with the fans, players and staff unknown of all of this gruesome stuff going on inside the arena adds a bizarre tone to the film that I appreciate.
The climax is great, the fact that some bombs did actually detonate surprised me. The spectators' first sign of panic is when Darren knocks one of Foss' baddies down and gets electrocuted on top of the Civic Arena scoreboard, which leads to Mike Lange's interrupting "Holy shit!" and begins the state of panic and epicness in the movie. I love movies like this, with this sense of suspense and intimidation.
My only other gripe, is how it ended. It felt kind of early the first time, but after I knew how it goes, I loved it all the way through the end. This was an astounding movie that was set up perfectly for someone like me, only for the specifics. Really, anyone who loves action movies, JCVD and/or sports will like, if not love it.
.....damn...sorry about all of that, I really like to ramble on things that I love a lot... ^^' Hope you understand I'm glad to see it being praised, though.
Nice ramble! hehe. Good to hear your thoughts from another Sudden Death fan!.
Oliver Harper Thanks. :) I'm glad to hear that it's appreciated out there. As a hockey, and Pittsburgh Penguins fan, this movie has a very special place in my heart.
I instantly signed up to get it when it came out on Blu-Ray. I got it a few days ago, but it was unfortunately a UK copy, and with region locking and all that I'm not able to watch it, so I'll just wait to get it some time later to see this movie in glorious HD.
Speaking of which, what version did you use to get your footage in this? I don't recall the Blu-Ray being released anywhere at the time you posted this, and the DVD I have is 4:3 fullscreen, whereas this appears to be 16:9 widescreen, with a little better quality.
NASCARFAN160 The footage was taken from an HDTV broadcast but its now available on Blu ray and its region free. www.amazon.co.uk/Sudden-Death-Blu-ray-Region-Free/dp/B00CU9QHXS/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1390043864&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=sudden+death+blu+ray
Oliver Harper Ah? I bought a Blu-Ray a couple months ago, and it turned it said a region that wasn't NTSC (my region) on the box, so I assumed it wouldn't work, so we returned it. I'm not exactly sure this is the same one, though.
Also, what channel did you see this on?
Dude that was WAAY WAAY too long - self indulgent doesn’t even to begin to cover it .. sheesh 🙄
😳
I know you compare it to Die Hard, and I think this is one of those 90's movies that was legitimately made from a rejected Die Hard sequel script. One of the best imo
Favourite Van Damme movies
Wake of Death
Sudden Death
Double Impact
Time Cop
Maximum Ride
Nowhere to Run
Universal Soldier
haqatak23 Hard Target, Blood Sport, The Quest, Kickboxer?
What?? Maximum Ride??? You mean Maximum Race?
@@joonaslehtonen5372 both wrong lol.its maximum risk.
You do the best movies reviews on youtube, you basically cover anything that anyone could care about, the only thing that could make your reviews any better would be to add a "Where are they now?" segment.
“Would you like it if I filled your little mouth with spiders?” Creepiest line from a movie villain ever
Double Impact, Hard Target, Timecop, Sudden Death, Bloodsport, Kickboxer, Lionheart, Universal Soldier and Universal Soldier The Return were my favorites of JCVD.
Oliver, your reviews made me a JCVD fan! Looking forward to Death Warrant (1990), Nowhere to Run (1993) and Legionnaire (1998) if you choose to review them.
I love Sudden Death. The way the plot ties into the gane and the location is ingenious. Van Damme gives us a really likeable, human hero, Boothe is charmingly evil and Hyams visual direction and editing are top notch.
Being a Pittsburgher and a Penguins fan I love this movie. It came out when I was five years old and the fact that someone disconnected from the team and city it’s placed in gives it a positive review makes me happy. #LetsGoPens
I remember seeing this when it came out on VHS, I was a ripe old age of 11, and way too young to see it. I thought it was a blast! Haven't seen it since, but I'm glad at least one person thinks it still holds up!
Went to see this for my birthday party with friends. Together with my dad. Loved it
No lie, I was in this movie! I live in Pittsburgh and at the time of filming they were looking for extras to fill the seats at the Civic Arena. My dad and I would go to Pens games all the time so I was super excited for the opportunity. Me, my dad and my sister went and were able to sit in on a scene!
Awesome story man! I was also born in Pittsburgh so this movie is so much cooler because of that.
You know what? I have only watched this once and it was in 1996 when it was on VHS. Looks quite good for a popcorn muncher! Will be watching this tonight.
I only Saw Sudden Death Recently and i loved it, yes it's got the DIE HARD formula, but It's not a total Rip-off and has Director Peter Hyams distinctive style, which i always loved.
Would you consider Reviewing HARD TARGET which in my opinion is Basically JCVD's COMMANDO, it's self-depricating packed with OTT action and Humor, but i gotta be honest the villains are truly Great in that film.
I always thought the kitchen fight was intense as fuck, considering the violence and the fact that it's supposed to be a woman he's slowly killing to death. And I like that idea for the scene - how to make things interesting? Rather than have a cop fight a terrorist, make it a fireman...fighting a psycho female assassin.
Hello again!
I've wondered about the movie footage you got, the quality is pretty impressive...is it perhaps from the Blu-Ray version of the movie? In the NTSC region, it just got released in that format, but I've yet to buy that.
Once again, I really really appreciate your review. It pays a great homage to such an awesome and underrated film. :)
Oliver may not have known but this movie came out during the Hockey Craze of the mid 90s in North America. The NY Rangers won the Cup in 94 and revived the sport in America with huge ratings... sadly it was followed by a long NHL strike and I think that hurt. Plus it opened at the same time as Heat which was a much better (and longer) action movie.
This was my first exposure to Powers Booth, and man he is a badass, especially when he plays a villain. For a Die Hard clone, this is very entertaining. Excellent review as always, olly!
On a side note, have you ever seen "Nick of Time" with Johnny Depp and Christopher Walken? I feel as though that was a Die Hard clone matched with a Hitchockian thriller.
Houston Soto Powers Boothe was also in Tombstone, that is another good film, possibly the best performance by Val Kilmer
Loved this movie as a kid!
Thanks for putting the spotlight on it.
yeah that is a good point, it does just end really quickly.
I don't understand the point of going through all those plot details chronologically as if going though a shopping list. But it's cool to see youtubers talk about JCVD films none the less, and glad you liked it.
As someone who grew up in Pitt this brings fond memories of the igloo back.
8:35 "...gets knocked out by a punching bag, which wouldn't hurt you anyway..."
*Clarification:* punching bags come in different hardnesses. Personally speaking I use one that's pretty damn heavy and hard, you can give it a good hard punch and barely put a dent in it. As a matter of fact one time I was pissed and hit it with all my might and I ended up fracturing my wrist bone. And again, it barely had a dent in it.
So, yeah. If one hit you hard enough, yes, it could actually knock a person out.
yes, I also agree that "nowhere to run" was his first real effort in acting. and also a good movie. Wil you review it in a future?
Im recording a full length podcast commentary to Predator today. You will be able to find it on my blip channel in a few days.
Legionnaire is actually quite underrated
Yeah i may consider Hard Target at one point. Now i'v reviewed Timecop, street fighter and Sudden Death i've done a bit too much Van Damme for now. lol
Is the trailer music at the end "bishop's countdown"...?
I liked this movie as a kid. Love ❤️ the reviews thank you
I rushed to see this because it was rumoured that Van Damme was supposed to do his famous roundhouse split kick with his ice skates on, cutting the throat of one of the bad guys.....I was disappointed that it didn't appear but appreciated the selling tactic. This and Nowhere to run are his best acted imo.
It is actually one of the best movies from JCVD
Definitely one of his best... When are you going to do a review on Double Impact?
I liked the 90s Die Hard-scenario movies, Cliffhanger being possibly one of my favourites.
How did you get access to the music that plays from 3:44-4:25? I know it's from Sudden Death, but I've never heard it on TH-cam.
Seen this once. The trouble is Boothe is amazing in 'Extreme Prejudice' . Here he is running in neutral 90% of the time and a wonderful villain makes a movie worth watching (see 'Con Air' 'Under Seige').
Oliver, i love your videos. Keep it up. :D
Don't you dare say something bad about Oliver's reviews or you will be dealing with me! :D :D
The thing I didn't like about this movie, was Van Damme is a martial arts action star. In this movie he plays an ordinary Fireman, taking out professional killers. Also he is working with the secret service and playing cat-and mouse games with professional killers. That is something ordinary Firemen don't do. If JCVD's character were an Ex-Marine, law enforcement, assassin type character then his actions would have made more sense.
Goddamn, I hate the locker room fight with the big like, Hawaiian guy, or whatever he was. It's like he just stands there and waits for van damme to hit him, every single time. Hockey stick, whap! Face kick, hey, he's still just standing there with his eyes closed, whap!
Didnt even think of it as a diehard clone until you said it.
It's a great fun Van Damme film and he's last decent one of the 1990s. But the fight with the female in the Penguin suit was simply ludicrous that she could match a well built man strength for strength.
Yeah Sudden Death is a really fun movie to watch and I reckon JCVD is a pretty chill dude.
Being a Yinzer as well as a huge Pens fan, I love seeing all the local advertisements and landmarks. (And god, I HATED that Robo-Penguin logo)
Powes Boothe R.I.P Brilliant villian. under rated actor underated movie.
I don't remember if I saw this entire film, but I remember the JCVD vs Iceburgh fight.
I've held off on watching this retrospective until I re-watched the film itself. And man this has to be one of the most criminally underrated action films in cinema history and Van Damme's best. I might actually like it more than Die Hard and don't care what anyone thinks. Powers Boothe was a phenomenal villain. Very annoyed to see it's got such a low score on IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes - If you like Van Damme and great old school action than this film is essential.
i second that...One of JCVDs better movies and better than Die hard
Siskel and Ebert liked this one 👍🏻👍🏻
Also, which track on the music CD is 10:06? Or is it not part of it? It's one of my favorite tracks of the score, it'd be a shame if they didn't include it.
I think the track is called Rooftop battle.
Cheers buddy, yeah Nowhere to Run is a classic, i got it on LD somewhere. Sudden Death score is one of my favourites for action beats.
This is such a Damme good movie
Sudden Death is to me a classic Die Hard clone and I had a blast when I saw it for the first time online.
Anyone else notice the similarities in this and the metal gear series? (gas/fire spray, deactivating bombs)... Idk maybe they're just action movie tropes
Michael Smiley post 80's effects?
Also Kojima uses lots of films as ideas :)
seems we have the exact same taste in movies:)
kudos
Great review of a film that I liked a LOT more back in 1995. I watched it again just recently and... well, some of the scenes kind of rubed me the wrong way I guess. The film is entertaining though, no doubts there. Van Damme is extremely likeable in this role. Even though I don't like the film as much as I did before I still really looked forward to your review. You did not disappoint!
I do have a few requests too, one is Split Second with Rutger Hauer (1992) the other is The Hidden (1987)
Love this movie.
Sudden Death is enjoyable and exciting despite it's flaws, unlike Van Damme's other big(?) films.
Powers Boothe is awesome, I don't care how laughable and impossible the helicopter crash is.
Damien MB 7
This movie is dumb
3:41 made me die laughing! Seriously, how are you so unpredictably funny?
As a penguins fan I loved this movie as a kid.
That impostor security guard, wasn't he one of McComb's thugs in Timecop? I think Van Damme administered a fatal neck injury to him in that movie, as well. :P
under siege is my favourite die hard clone but sudden death comes close, i recently watched this film after you posted the preview & it aged pretty well and is still a very entertaining flick but it's the last classic van damme movie
As the years went by JCs acting naturally became better and better. I really enjoy and adore his older stuff like Cyborg. There he is just meat and kicks and bad assery but No depth. Later on when he started to act you actually got to see a guy that was so much more than just flawless skin and a great body.
This movie was a "on a dare rental for VHS back in the day"
Me and my dad were looking around our local small video store.
Dad "oh Jean Claude he is always cool and karate is cool "
Yup all those karate movies basically were awesome hahah
So we rented it and it wasnt just some low budget "karate" movie. It was a cool, nice 90z movie !! Thats a HUGE difference. This is probably one of Van Dammes better movies even though the "karate" is kept at a minimum.
Wait a minute .... is this what Family guy was parodying the whole time with the chicken fight ?
Same year Die Hard with a Vengeance came out with Bruce Wills 1995
I remembered this as a kiddie die hard but actually this movie is kinda hard core
Gosh I remember when this came out as a kid thinking this is awfully big budget for Van Damme, I remember it being good and having some really great comedic moments. Time Cop was good but not as good as Sudden Death.
Awesome
ha probably.
Good video, do a retrospective review of "the quest" also starring van Damme
Do!..no please in your request?
Oliver Harper you have right, sorry, my bad
1 of his best flicks
The director's surname I believe is pronounced "Haa-ya-ms", not "Hey-yams". :)
The kid who plays the son, Tyler, is the same kid from Sleepless in Seattle
edvaira6891 He was annoying then too
and the woman who plays the love interest. ;)
Easily one of the best Die Hard clones. This really captured the essence of Die Hard whereas most of the other clones I felt lacked that certain spark.
The only thing I didn't really like was the ending. Not the climax with the helicopter, just the final moments where everything supposedly gets wrapped up. It felt rushed. You'd think they could have made it more triumphant by having the mother thank Van Damme for saving the kids or the son apologising for being a dick. Still it's a great film.
When are you going to review Speed? It's one of the best action movies ever made?
Sudden Death was awesome!
The guy who's known for kicking guys puts on ice skates in this movie and doesn't kick anybody with them. 0/10
was that you or did they add an aliens soundtrack at the end?
The best Die Hard sequel.
Strange, it was a big flop in USA, though it did make some money on video. JCVD said, he did not include his normal style as they wanted to make hero look vulnerable and in danger and not indestructible
Who won the Cup? Let's say my Blackhawks won! LET'S GO HAWKS!
The Blackhawks should be relocated to Chernobyl. GO PITTSBURGH!!!!
Penguins should go back to Antarctica. They can play hockey with NO competition at all!
All I need to say is J.V.D. is a Penguin's fan.
Except we had swept the Blackhawks two years before this. LET'S GO PENS!!!
then the Hawks got revenge, MrsPaul. Oh yeah, and in the All-Star Game, Fleury allowed 7 goals. So you can say that Fleury allowed a Fleury of goals. LET'S GO HAWKS!
Man this movies pretty dope
never seen the movie before. I think it's just ok for that's kind. 3 stars. #37.
i've seen bits of it, its supposed to be pretty awful?.
Fun film!
The best Die Hard clone
Um, how is "Speed" a Die Hard-clone?
yeah I don't count it as one either, Speed was its own movie and origional for the most part. Completely different storyline than Die Hard
This movie would've been better if Van Damme had a mullet
Better hostage movie then Die Hard just my opinion
haha well the kid is fat. It had to be said.
When a movie gets you mad as hell when good guys die, but is equally balanced with the gruesome deaths of the bad guys, what's not to like about it? It keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time. I don't care if JCVD got into drugs. I don't care if he feels like his life has been wasted. It wasn't. He captivated me as an action start between 1988 and 1995. Too bad The Quest put a stop to his run, but when he was good, he was good. And what the F is wrong with showing the same kick or punch two three or four times, when it doesn't get old? Come on. A-list actor who got the shaft...give the guy a break, he started with Cannon Films for crying out loud.
Was always gutted they killed the female mascot, she could've been an interesting character to aid JCVD.
haha yeah but her body is smoking hot!.
easily his best and his only really "human" performance
i think lionheart is better in terms of performance
I think this is van dammes best movie before the 2000s
When you have the time can you do a predator review