Sudden Death (1995)    Universal/Action-Thriller    RT: 111 minutes    Rated R (pervasive strong violence, language)    Director: Peter Hyams    Screenplay: Gene Quintano    Music: John Debney    Cinematography: Peter Hyams    Release date: December 22, 1995 (US)    Cast: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Powers Boothe, Raymond J. Barry, Whittni Wright, Ross Malinger, Dorian Harewood, Kate McNeil, Michael Gaston, Audra Lindley, Brian Delate, Steve Aronson, Michael Aubele.    Box Office: $20.3M (US)/$64.3M (World)

Rating: ** ½

 My theory on the Jean-Claude Van Damme actioner Sudden Death is this. Somebody, most likely the star himself, felt if Steven Seagal could do the Die Hard thing, so could JCVD. But instead of setting it on some mode of transportation, they took a cue from Black Sunday and set the action at a major sporting event. In this instance, it’s the last game of the Stanley Cup Finals. At this point, I could say it’s the only thing that differentiates it from Die Hard or Under Siege and it would be mostly true except for one small detail, the lead actor. JCVD is no Bruce Willis or Steven Seagal. He’s kind of dull actually.

 Okay, maybe dull is too strong a word. I guess what I mean to say is he lacks a distinctive personality. Willis wisecracked his way through Die Hard, dropping one-liners along with the bad guys. Seagal had that combination slow-boil anger/bemusement thing going for him as he took out hijackers. I don’t get much of a read on JCVD’s character in Sudden Death. He doesn’t have any defining traits other than the trauma that made him quit being a fireman. Oh, and he speaks with a French accent, but so do all of JCVD’s characters. Other than that, he doesn’t stand out in any particular way. He just goes about the job of dealing with the terrorists that have laid siege to the Pittsburgh Civic Arena in rote fashion.

 After accidentally smothering a little girl he was trying to save from a house fire, Darren McCord (JCVD) switched jobs. He’s now a fire inspector at the arena. He brings his two children, Tyler (Malinger, Sleepless in Seattle) and Emily (Wright, I’ll Do Anything), to work with him the night of the big game. Security is extra tight as the Vice President (Barry, Rapid Fire) will also be in attendance. It’s a perfect night for a hostile takeover.

 A gang of armed terrorists led by ex-CIA guy Joshua Foss (Boothe, Tombstone) have worked their way into the arena disguised as security guards and vendors. Foss and a few others force their way into the luxury VIP box where the VP is watching the game with other VIPs. He calmly explains that he has the whole place rigged with explosives that he will set off if his demands aren’t met by the end of the game. He wants over $2 billion in government money wired into several off-shore counts. If a certain amount isn’t transferred by the end of each period, one hostage will be executed. It’s a foolproof plan except for one thing…. that is, one man.

 While McCord makes his rounds, Emily leaves her seat after quarreling with her brother. She goes to the ladies room where she witnesses the Pittsburgh mascot Iceburgh kill somebody. It’s really one of Foss’ guys, the sole female in the group. She grabs the girl and drags her to the suite with the other hostages. McCord sees this and tries to follow. He gets into a fight with Iceburgh in the kitchen where practically every utensil is used as a weapon until McCord finally finishes her off in an industrial dishwasher.

 Outside, the authorities led by Secret Service agent Hallmark (Harewood, Full Metal Jacket) have the place surrounded, but they can’t approach. Foss has his guys watching for agents and police helicopters. When agents try to rush the arena, Foss blows up several cars in the parking lot. When a helicopter gets too close, one of the bad guys fires a rocket launcher at it. With the feds effectively pinned down, it’s on McCord to handle the situation. He goes around disarming bombs, hoping to get them all before the end of the game. He also has to find a way to rescue his daughter.

 I’ll say this for JCVD. He’s an excellent fighter. He gets to show off his martial arts skills a little in Sudden Death, but not as much as other movies. This one is more about stunts and tricks. In one scene, McCord literally has a trick up his sleeve with a gadget he rigged up himself. He uses it to shoot a dart into a bad guy’s neck. At the end, he climbs to the roof of the arena and fights a couple of bad guys before zip-lining into the VIP suite. Later, he dangles from a helicopter.

 There’s no shortage of action in Sudden Death. As a simple action flick, it’s not bad. Boothe is okay as the main villain; unfortunately, he’s no Hans Gruber. Also, we don’t become familiar with the cohorts like we did in Die Hard. Still, Foss is mean enough to be hateful. The kids do a pretty good job with their roles. Wright is good at being brave enough to tell Foss what she thinks of him while still being scared of what might happen to her if Dad doesn’t show up in time.

 I guess the bottom line with Sudden Death is not to expect too much from it. It’s a decent action picture, but it lacks in certain areas. Director Peter Hyams (Timecop) keeps it moving along at a nice pace. I just wish he took the time to come up with a more compelling hero. I’m sure JCVD is capable of the occasional one-liner. Shortcomings aside, I can think of worse ways to kill a couple of hours than Sudden Death.