The film follows Darren McCord (played by Jean-Claude Van Damme), a former firefighter and current fire marshal, who finds himself in a deadly situation when he takes his two children to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena. Terrorists led by Joshua Foss (played by Powers Boothe) have infiltrated the arena and taken the Vice President of the United States (played by Raymond J. Barry) and other VIPs hostage in a luxury suite.
As chaos erupts in the arena, McCord discovers the terrorists’ plot to detonate explosives and kill the hostages unless their demands are met. With his children’s lives at stake, McCord takes it upon himself to thwart the terrorists and rescue the hostages.
McCord must navigate the treacherous terrain of the arena, facing off against heavily armed terrorists and overcoming numerous obstacles along the way. Using his skills as a firefighter and his resourcefulness, McCord engages in a series of intense confrontations with the terrorists as he races against time to save the day.
As the tension mounts and the stakes escalate, McCord uncovers the true motive behind the terrorists’ plot and must confront Foss in a final showdown to prevent a catastrophic disaster.
“Sudden Death” received mixed to positive reviews from critics, who praised its action sequences and Van Damme’s performance but criticized its formulaic plot. Despite this, the film was a modest box office success and has since become a cult favorite among fans of action movies from the 1990s.