Review of Sudden Death (1995) by Torch C — 04 Jul 2008
Of all the Die Hard wannabe's to come down the pike, Jean-Claude Van Damme's "Die Hard In A Hockey Arena" is one of the best. A lightning faced action movie that makes absolutely the most of it's surroundings.
From fist fights in the kitchen, to gun fights in the locker room, to dangling from the overhanging scoreboard, Van Damme puts his best Bruce Willis forward, as he tries to stop a group of terrorists that have taken hostages in the arena during the last game of the NHL Stanley Cup finals.
Director Peter Hyams does his usual double duty as director of photography and provides action on a large scale. Powers Boothe is the smooth criminal holding not only the Vice President hostage, but Van Damme's daughter as well.
He's calm, methodical, and smooth as he executes his plans and his hostages with ease. Plenty of time is given to Van Damme to showcase his martial arts skills as the fights are plentiful, and up close and personal.
The movie is not perfect of course. Some of the bad guys are too cliched, and the final downfall of the bad guy not only defies the laws of physics, but is kind of lame. Still, it's a great action movie, and proof that Van Damme could've had a much bigger career than what it has become.
This review of Sudden Death (1995) was written by Torch C on 04 Jul 2008.
Sudden Death has generally received mixed reviews.
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