Sudden Death (1995).
What do we all think of this popular Hollywood "Die Hard on ice" action movie starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and directed by Peter Hyams?
shareI absolutely love that movie
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MovieChat Forums > General Discussion > Sudden Death (1995).
I only seen it once when it first came out, only remember bits of it here and there. I'll need to give it a rewatch.
shareWhile it is a run-of-the-mills action movie starring Van Damme, playing his typical 90s role of strong man taking out baddies, dispensing cowboy justice, and saving the day, it hits full pace once events are set into motion. There are subtle moments of comedy at times one would least expect. There are over the top elements requiring suspension of disbelief but add to the more dramatic moments coming out of nowhere.
A film buff named Oliver Harper has a really good post-watch review on why this movie kicks butt:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPsM3d52row
How does it compare to other Jean Claude van Damme films and even that of Peter Hyams in your opinion?
shareIf we're talking mid 90s Van Damme where he was making a string of movies for Universal at the time, I'd say it's pretty standard fare for the actor except everything is turned up a notch in the human highlight reel department. I don't think there are as many violent scenes in this one like others but for what it has, I say it's more violent.
I've noticed as Van Damme got older in his career, his acting chops improved. His later work shifts away from action fests and leans more towards dramatic roles, which was perfect for him as his body was slowing down and his career needed to bring something new to the table. I can't say the same for Steven Segal, who isn't even trying at this point. Van Damme still shows he can pull of the moves, just not as good as he used to. It helps too he got himself cleaned and sobered up, even making amends in his personal life.
I'm not aware of Peter Hyams's directorial career enough to provide my take of him but my curiosity's intrigued.
About Peter Hyams, a year before Sudden Death he made "Timecop" (1994) which also stars Van Damme and is pretty good, and also classic 1978 sci-fi flick "Capricorn One", "Outland" (1981) with Sean Connery and also "End of Days" (1999) with Arnold Schwarzenegger in it.
shareI didn't realize all the names he's been associated with in the movie industry. That's impressive. Only one I've seen on the list is Timecop, will check the others out.
shareEnd of Days is good. Very different from typical Arnold flick at the time.
shareOliver Harper's videos are very good. One of the best of his type on YouTube.
shareI like his unbiased point of view. He calls it down the middle. I especially enjoy his editing during the outros, making each movie look like a million bucks, even ones that are objectively so-so like Stallone's Judge Dredd.
shareYep he's good, did you see his recent Superman IV retrospective? It wouldn't be out of place as a Blu-Ray extra. The boy will go far 👍
shareHow recent? What he had to say about it was just as interesting as the movie itself, how it was made. I feel it is underserving of much of its harsher criticisms given the circumstances of its rushed production. It's my favorite Superman soundtrack. What the movie has to say about the role of the press and its integrity rings truer today than back in the late 80s. Ollie has an eye for detail, able to deconstruct movies without picking them apart.
shareIt's this one here from just after Christmas, he'd already done a previous video on it a few years ago. ⤵
https://youtu.be/GVh21EFM8kM
It's a pity Cannon halved the budget, it could have been one of the best, it's actually not that bad, a few dodgy special effects aside.
Thanks for the source. He's doing documentaries now too? Super! I haven't followed his channel in a while due to burning myself out after having a huge marathon with his content. Time to jump back in. Perhaps we can enjoy future exchanges about this if interested.
Count on Cannon to provide cheap thrills. It's my understanding the company financially performed better in the U.K. market than the U.S. one. The money taken from Superman 4 went to Masters of the Universe instead, which has its own charms, though was a sinking ship. What Superman 4 needed was better editing. It also didn't help it competed directly against the much anticipated Return of the Jedi.
You're welcome, yep give me a shout If there's any of his videos you want to chat about in future. He really outdone himself with that video there.
Yep Cannon owned a lot of cinemas over here in the U.K it would probably have something to do with the financial difference. Check out Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films (2014) it's a good documentary about them ⤵
https://m.imdb.com/title/tt2125501/?ref=m_nv_sr_2
Entertaining enough as one of those mindless action movies.
shareJean-Claude Van Damme, Bruce Lee, Steven Segal, Clint Eastwood, all make the greatest movies.
sharelovely movie.
shareNot a good film in the least, but not bottom tier either. On the meager list of positives, Powers Boothe makes perfect sense as a villain.
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