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Sudden Death
Rated '18' by the
BBFC for strong martial arts violence and language.
Jean-Claude Van Damme
Version Reviewed-
VHS
Sudden Death might, at first glance, appear as stupid far fetched
rubbish, and a movie that should not be seen by anyone. Ever. Fair point,
as it does star the almighty non-acting Van Damme in yet another action
thriller, except this time he manages to just about rise above the likes
of his better-known disasterpieces such as Universal Soldier or *laugh*
Street Fighter. "Sudden Death" is, in all honesty, just another
action thriller which whilst it does show some forms of originality (The
ice-hockey setting has never been done before- or at least as far as I can
remember), it's weighed down by the fact that it really is just
another Die-hardy action fest, with hostages, bombs, the lot.
It depends on how
the viewer wants to judge Sudden Death as to the whether the
entertainment value is high, though. If you get into the movie thinking
it's going to be a perfectly realistic and well-acted masterpiece, then
you'll probably burst into fits of laughter at random points during the
movie. Actually, you'll probably do that anyway. Bad example.
But you know what I mean; this is not a film to be taken seriously. If you
take it as an exciting action movie and say "to hell with realism", then
chances are you're going to enjoy this immensely. It isn't edge of your
seat stuff, but it's still an enjoyable action-fest.
As for the plot...
Darren McCord (Van Damme) is the ex-fireman haunted by a rescue he
attempted to perform 2 years ago, in which a little girl died in his arms.
After taking his son and daughter to a big ice-hockey match, it soon
becomes apparent to him that a gang of merciless terrorists have seized
control of the whole building, rigging it with countless C4 explosives.
The terrorists demand $1billion to spare the lives of everyone in the
whole stadium, including the vice President.
And then things get
even worse. The terrorists also manage to capture McCord's daughter,
turning McCord's fight against them into a personal battle for his
daughter's life.
As I already made clear, this film is completely idiotic, with some
appalling acting on the terrorist's part, but as a piece of fun
entertainment, it's definitely worth a viewing.
Either track it down cheap, or just wait until it appears on television
again.
Rating/5- **
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