When a man's daughter is suddenly taken during a championship hockey game – with the captors demanding a billion dollars by game's end – he frantically sets a plan in motion to rescue her and abort an impending explosion before the final buzzer.
A treat for Jean-Claude Van Damme fans, a superior action thriller loaded with jaw-dropping stunts and special effects, and strong in production values.
– Kevin Thomas,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Feb 2001
rotten:
Despite the elaborate stunts, go-go-go direction from Peter Hyams, plus butt-kicking and surprise goalie action from Van Damme, Death deserves the hockey-puck booby prize for...getting its jollies by putting kids in jeopardy.
– Peter Travers,
Rolling Stone,
12 May 2001
fresh:
Sudden Death is one of the best action thrillers of 1995. It's also the film Jean-Claude Van Damme has been building up to for 10 years.
– Mick LaSalle,
San Francisco Chronicle,
18 Jun 2002
fresh:
Offers above-average pyrotechnics, a body count that steadily mounts, and plenty of hand-to-hand combat.
– Stephen Holden,
New York Times,
20 May 2003
fresh:
Reuniting Hyams and Van Damme, director and star of Timecop, this spectacular nail-biter exploits their combined, if limited, abilities to the full.