Welcome to Sudden Death

Welcome to Sudden Death is a 2020 American sports action film directed by Dallas Jackson and starring Michael Jai White, Gary Owen, Michael Eklund and Marrese Crump.[2]

Welcome to Sudden Death
Directed byDallas Jackson
Screenplay byDallas Jackson and Gene Quintano
Produced byGriff Furst
Rhonda Baker
Starring
CinematographyMark Irwin
Edited byEric Potter
Irit Raz
Music byHoward Drossin
Production
companies
Distributed byUniversal Pictures Home Entertainment
Release date
  • September 29, 2020 (2020-09-29)
Running time
81 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish[2]

It is a remake[3] of the 1995 film Sudden Death, which starred Jean-Claude Van Damme as a former firefighter battling hostage takers during game seven of the National Hockey League's Stanley Cup Finals.[4] Like the original, Welcome to Sudden Death is a single-location action film in the mold of Die Hard, with the conceit that the heist storyline runs parallel to, and sometimes intersects with, a sports contest. The new version transfers the action from an ice hockey to a basketball setting, and trims down the sports subplot significantly.[5]

The film was produced by Universal Studios under their Universal 1440 imprint, in partnership with Netflix.[3][6] It premiered on 29 September 2020.[7]

Plot

A commando unit led by Alpha (Michael Eklund) and his ruthless right-hand man Omega (Marrese Crump) takes control of a Phoenix, Arizona sports arena during the season opener of the fictional National Basketball League, pitting the hometown Falcons against the New York Knights. Alpha is a disgraced counterterrorist with a grudge towards arena owner and new media billionaire Diana Smart (Sabryn Rock), who funded an investigation into his unit's abuses of power.[8] Security guard and former US Army Special Forces veteran Jesse Freeman (Michael Jai White) teams with the arena's janitor Gus (Gary Owen) in an attempt to stop the assailants and rescue his daughter Mara (Nakai Takawira), who has been taken hostage alongside Smart and her entourage.[4]

Cast

Kristen Harris and Paul Essiembre appear as the mayor and governor, respectively.[2] Sean Skene, Stephanie Sy, Jeff Strome, B.J. Verot and Adam Hurtig appear as the remaining members of Alpha's commando.[2]

Production

Development

Following informal mentions of the impending remake by director Dallas Jackson, including in a June 2019 interview with the Los Angeles Sentinel,[9] Netflix officially announced the project in August of that year, promising a humorous take on its 1995 inspiration. Kim Todd was listed as one of the producers, however Rhonda Baker is credited in the finished film.[10]

A new sidekick character, Gus, was added to the story by Jackson. The role was given to comedian Gary Owen, who had previously supported Michael Jai White in Universal's Undercover Brother 2. White recommended Michael Eklund for the role of main villain Alpha, based on his performance in 2011's Tactical Force, which co-starred himself and Steve Austin.[11] The star's spouse and frequent on-screen partner Gillian White also joined the project, as did his go-to fight choreographer Larnell Stovall.[5]
Several contributors to the picture, such as Jackson,[12] Crump[5] and musician Howard Drossin,[13] are part of Robert "RZA" Diggs' extended artistic circle, and Diggs' record company provided most of the songs heard on its soundtrack.[14]
Irit Raz, an Undisputed franchise alumn with some familiarity for Stovall and White's style, was the original choice to edit the film.[15] Eric Potter was later brought in at Universal's behest. This resulted in some interference with White's vision, as the studio-appointed editor relied on an abundance of quick cuts, which are often used to enhance the performances of non-martial artists in mainstream action cinema.[16]

Welcome to Sudden Death was originally slated for a June 2020 release, then delayed to late September of that year.[7]

Filming

Welcome to Sudden Death was shot in Winnipeg and Selkirk, Manitoba, Canada.[1] Principal photography was scheduled to begin on 6 August and wrap up on 4 September 2019.[10][1] Cinematography was handled by Canadian Mark Irwin, who earlier in his career lensed another film in the same genre, Passenger 57.[17]

The film used Winnipeg's Bell MTS Place as stand-in for Phoenix's fictional Odyssey Center. Some backgrounds hint at the film's actual shooting location, such as a food stand named the Aviators' Grill—after the Winnipeg Jets—and selling poutine, a traditional Canadian dish that is seldom offered in basketball arenas of the Southwestern United States.[18]

The production relied on local talent for its basketball sequences. Fort Richmond's Dan Becker, a former NCAA player with the Colorado Buffaloes, appears as the New York Knights' head coach and helped stage the on-court action. He previously served as an actor and consultant for the ESPN college basketball drama A Season on the Brink: The Bobby Knight Story, which was also shot in Winnipeg.[19]

Release

In the United States, Welcome to Sudden Death premiered on 29 September 2020 on DVD, and on VOD via Netflix and FandangoNow.[20] On Netflix, the film peaked at number 4 among feature films during the weekend following its release.[21] On FandangoNow, which operates on a pay-per-view model and ranks programs by revenue, the film was priced at the standard $5.99 and ranked 7th for the week ending 4 October 2020.[20] Flix-Patrol.com, which uses a proprietary point system, ranked Welcome to Sudden Death as the 18th most popular feature film on Netflix USA for the month of October 2020.[22]

In the UK, the film premiered on Sky Cinema/Now TV on 13 March 2021.[23] The physical version followed on 22 March,[24] and reached 11th place in the national DVD sales chart.[25]

Reception

The film's critical reception was generally unfavorable,[26] with most reviewers bemoaning its generic look and sound.[5][6][27][28] Some felt that the sports/crime crossover was not as smoothly executed as in the original, in part due to some narrative twists, such as the titular sudden death, not translating well to professional basketball.[5][29][30]
Opinions were divided on the film's humor, and most praise was directed at its dynamic martial arts sequences, which made good use of White and Crump's natural charisma.[5][6][28]

Veteran critic Roger Moore summed up his thoughts by stating, "This slow-footed, jokey, half-assed remake of Jean-Claude Van Damme’s Sudden Death is better than it has any right to be, mostly thanks to White. That’s still not very good, alas."[6]

Welcome to Sudden Death: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Soundtrack album by
various artists
ReleasedSeptember 25, 2020 (2020-09-25)
Genre
Length38:46
LabelBack Lot Records
Singles from Welcome to Sudden Death
  1. "Action Jaxon"
    Released: 28 August 2020
  2. "Hands Up (Outlaws)"
    Released: 18 September 2020[31]

Soundtrack

The film's soundtrack album has been released digitally by Back Lot Records, a subsidiary of NBCUniversal that has issued soundtracks for many of their properties.[13] It was preceded by two digital singles.[31] The album features two tracks from the original score by composer/arranger Howard Drossin, one song by Anthony Grant (who plays rapper Milli in the film), and a further nine songs under licence from 36 Chambers Records.[14]

The song "How I Could Just Kill A Man" by Cypress Hill also features in one of the film's climactic scenes, although it does not appear on the soundtrack album.[14]

No.TitlePerformed byLength
1."Glide Like A Laker (T.R.O.N.)"Cory Ironside, Weather Park & Core Masson4:02
2."Hands Up (Outlaws)"Crooked I feat. Joell Ortiz3:08
3."Wu Battle Beat"Hue Hef3:29
4."Never Seen A Dead Man Breathe"DMNQ LNDN & 100RAW2:59
5."SD Boom"Aki Starr & Makaylah3:28
6."New Beast Mix"Mane Azeem, ERule & Born Allah3:33
7."Buddy (King Tech Groove Remix)"We Don't Ride Llamas & King Tech2:45
8."Action Jaxon"Chris Rivers, Don Prynce & Hue Hef feat. 3ARTH4:44
9."Booty Clap"Anthony Grant3:59
10."Locker Fight"Howard Drossin1:44
11."The Rafters"Howard Drossin2:10
12."Buddy (King Tech Dance Remix)"We Don't Ride Llamas & King Tech2:45
Total length:38:46

References
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  2. "Welcome to Sudden Death: Full Cast & Crew". Internet Movie Database. Archived from the original on 6 November 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  3. Espinoza, Russ (21 August 2019). "Sudden Death Remake Coming To Netflix In 2020 With 'New Spin'". forbes.com. Archived from the original on 5 November 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  4. Kirschenbaum, Alex (22 December 2020). "Sudden Death". trailersfromhell.com. Archived from the original on 6 July 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  5. Vern (12 October 2020). "Welcome to Sudden Death". outlawvern.com. Archived from the original on 9 August 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  6. Moore, Roger (3 October 2020). "Netflixable? Michael Jai White tries to save an arena full of victims in Welcome to Sudden Death". rogersmovienation.com. Archived from the original on 6 November 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  7. Jerva, John M. (30 July 2020). "Michael Jai White Drops the Hammer in Welcome to Sudden Death Hitting Netflix, DVD & Digital in September!". action-flix.com. Archived from the original on 1 October 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  8. Topel, Fred (29 September 2020). "Welcome to Sudden Death Movie Review: Jai Hard". Showbiz CheatSheet. Archived from the original on 16 July 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  9. Sandoval, Lopacazo (20 June 2019). "A look into the creative mind of writer-director-producer Dallas Jackson". Los Angeles Sentinel. Archived from the original on 10 November 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  10. Lowery, Mike (2019). "White, Crump, Owen star in Sudden Death 2". moviehole.com. Archived from the original on 10 November 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  11. "Michael Eklund Praises Co-Star Michael Jai White As A 'Martial Arts Master'". comicbookmovie.com. 31 January 2021. Archived from the original on 9 November 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  12. Orange, B. Alan (21 November 2017). "Ghost Dog 2 Happening with RZA, Forest Whitaker & Jim Jarmusch". movieweb.com. Archived from the original on 8 November 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  13. "Welcome to Sudden Death Soundtrack Released". filmmusicreporter.com. 28 September 2020. Archived from the original on 8 November 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  14. "Welcome to Sudden Death: Soundtracks". imdb.com. Archived from the original on 8 November 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  15. Welcome to Sudden Death (pre-release poster) (film poster), Netflix, archived from the original on 2023-10-18, retrieved 2022-11-20, Edited by Irit Raz
  16. Kurzhal, David (host); White, Michael Jai (guest) (6 February 2022). Michael Jai White Interview on Blood and Bone 2, Welcome to Sudden Death and Jaigantic Studios!. Viking Samurai. Archived from the original on 11 November 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  17. "Mark Irwin". allmovie.com. Archived from the original on 10 November 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  18. Malhotra, Noor (3 August 2022). "Where Was Welcome to Sudden Death Filmed?". thecinemaholic.com. Archived from the original on 19 September 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  19. "A Season on the Brink: Dan Becker (Dan Dakich)". espn.com. Archived from the original on 6 November 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  20. Brueggemann, Tom (5 October 2020). "Ava Takes Over as the Top VOD Choice, with Thriller Alone Still Strong". indiewire.com. Archived from the original on 18 October 2020. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
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  28. Friel, Eoin (29 September 2020). "Welcome to Sudden Death (2020) Review". theactionelite.com. Archived from the original on 4 October 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  29. Cruise, Chad (30 September 2020). "Bullet Points: Welcome to Sudden Death". bulletproofaction.com. Archived from the original on 8 November 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  30. Costello, Brian. "Welcome to Sudden Death". commonsensemedia.org. Archived from the original on 6 November 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  31. "Welcome to Sudden Death (Back Lot Music)". soundtrack.net. 25 September 2020. Archived from the original on 6 October 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
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