My review was written in September 1985 after watching the movie at a Midtown Manhattan screening room.
"Sudden Death" is an unimpressive thriller likely to get okay playoff on the action circuit by virtue of its femme vigilante theme. Filmmaker Sig Shore (best-known as producer of the WB hit "Superfly") has put together commercial elements, but directed them flatly.
Denise Coward (a former Miss Australia beauty contest winner), toplines as Valarie Wells, a New York City rape victim who buys a gun, and not unlike the Charles Bronson in "Death Wish" archetype, starts hanging around in sleazy locations. Sure enough, other men try to assault her with fatal results.
Her businessman boyfriend Herbert (Robert Trumbull) is patronizing, thereby alienating her affections which are transferred to the cop on the case. Det. Lowery (Frank Runyeon). Quite improbably, when Lowery discovers she is what the press had dubbed The Dum-Dum Killer (after the lethal bullets she uses), he jumps in bed with her and later successfully covers up her guilt when closing both cases.
Low-budgeter suffers from a paucity of action, with a lengthy final reel foot chase by Lowery after the rapist that is thoroughly unexciting. Coward is a looker, but her impassive, expressionless acting wins little audience sympathy. Runyeon, a tv soap opera star, looks uncomfortable in action scenes.
Though advertised as "the first female vigilante", pic actually suffers by comparison to its more stylish forerunners, "Ms. 45" and "Alley Cat". Tech credits are okay, with an emphasis on exploding blood packs in the various victims.
