Sudden Death

Play trailer

Sudden Death

R

1995

1h 50m

Action

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

53%

Tomatometer

38 Reviews

40%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Ex-fireman Darren McCord (Jean-Claude Van Damme) has a new job working security at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena. Hoping to impress his kids, he's scored tickets to the Stanley Cup Finals, unaware that the place has been taken over by a group of terrorists. Ex-CIA agent Joshua Foss (Powers Boothe) is holding the vice president hostage in a press box and plans to blow up the building if he doesn't pay the ransom. But, when Darren learns of his scheme, he jumps into action to save the day.

Watch on Fandango

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

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.

Read Critics Reviews

William Thomas

Empire Magazine

11/13/2017

3/5

Tripe, but hard not to enjoy.

Go to Full Review

Geoff Andrew

Time Out

02/09/2006

Reuniting Hyams and Van Damme, director and star of Timecop, this spectacular nail-biter exploits their combined, if limited, abilities to the full.

Go to Full Review

Stephen Holden

New York Times

05/20/2003

Offers above-average pyrotechnics, a body count that steadily mounts, and plenty of hand-to-hand combat.

Go to Full Review

Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Sep 25

7/10

Features a hilariously surprising payoff in its ludicrously over-the-top finale – so excessive, in fact, that it singlehandedly ups the ante on the overall entertainment value.

Go to Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

09/14/2024

3/4

After the success of Die Hard, it wasn’t much of a surprise to see “Die Hard on a bus” (Speed), “Die Hard on a ship" (Under Siege), etc. But did anyone have “Die Hard at a hockey game” on their bingo card?

Go to Full Review

Brian Orndorf

Blu-ray.com

09/21/2020

C

Instead of scoring with a surefire premise, "Sudden Death" follows the title's direction, keeling over before game even begins.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Christian K

@ckacar 1d

JCVD and Co. shamelessly go full die hard at game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Is a great time and looks remarkably better than 95% of modern action movies.

See more

Romas M

@Romas Jun 19

Greetings from Lithuania. "Sudden Death" (1995) is a fun and entertaining "Die Hard" rip off starring Jean-Claude Van Damme in his probably last good movie. Powers Boothe was a good villain, although he is not Hans Gruber. Directed by a veteran and pro Peter Hyams this movie does deliver of what it promises - a silly and entertaining "Die Hard" copy set during the Stanley's Cup final match. The game itself is very well incorporated into a film. Set design, sound design were very good. Overall, it is not a great movie by any means and it feels somewhat rushed even at 1 h 48 min, but it does it's job well enough to watch this flick and have mildly fun.

See more

Adam K

@SunsetLonerCinema May 3

It is quite self aware when it comes to its "Die Hard at a hockey game" concept, but its never short of being superbly entertaining with its clever prop-driven action sequences, witty script and constantly ruthless and intense scenarios.

See more

Caz M

@CazMartino Feb 15

An overlooked 90s action movie that feels like Die Hard but is a little less believable.

See more

David S.

@baxter667 Jan 7

One of the better films of JCVD, and more of a thriller, this unique and fun Die Hard in a hockey ring isn't going to win any awards and it certainly isn't the best action film, but it's pretty good. A convincing villain, a likeable JCVD, and a decent plot, you can't go wrong with this one and for a dead weekend, not a bad film and I liked this one!!!

See more

Dan L.

@dlee2 07/05/2025

It's a great movie to pair up with Timecop!

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

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

Sudden Death: Official Clip - Bye Bye, Terrorist

2:58

Sudden Death: Official Clip - Bad Guy On Ice

2:38

Sudden Death: Official Clip - Last Minute Save

3:06

Sudden Death: Official Clip - The Penguin Mascot Fight

2:57

Sudden Death: Official Clip - Hero From Above

3:44

Sudden Death: Official Clip - A Toy Flamethrower

2:01

Sudden Death: Official Clip - Death by Chicken Bone

1:59

Sudden Death: Official Clip - A Good Goalie

3:19

Sudden Death: Official Clip - I'll Find the Bombs Myself

2:29

Sudden Death: Official Clip - The Best Kind of Lunatic

1:45

View more videos

Bulletproof

8%

44%

Bulletproof

Watchlist

Trespass

70%

48%

Trespass

Watchlist

The Hunted

8%

55%

The Hunted

Watchlist

The Getaway

33%

29%

The Getaway

Watchlist

Hard Target

63%

50%

Hard Target

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

Ex-fireman Darren McCord (Jean-Claude Van Damme) has a new job working security at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena. Hoping to impress his kids, he's scored tickets to the Stanley Cup Finals, unaware that the place has been taken over by a group of terrorists. Ex-CIA agent Joshua Foss (Powers Boothe) is holding the vice president hostage in a press box and plans to blow up the building if he doesn't pay the ransom. But, when Darren learns of his scheme, he jumps into action to save the day.

Director: Peter Hyams
Producer: Moshe Diamant, Howard Baldwin
Screenwriter: Karen Elise Baldwin, Gene Quintano
Production Co: Signature Films, Imperial Entertainment, Universal Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 19, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $20.2M
Runtime: 1h 50m
Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo

Join The Newsletter

Join The Newsletter

Cookie Settings