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| The Quest
Year: 1996
Classification: Action/Adventure
Actors/Actresses:
- Jean Claude Van Damme
- Roger Moore
- Jean-Claude Van Damme
Van Damme needs Moore plot!
This film wasn't too bad considering it was directed and cowritten by star Jean-Claude Van Damme. The movie starts off in the 1920's with Van Damme dressed as a clown wearing stilts working with street orphans to steal some money from gangsters. He escapes from gangsters before being chased by the police onto a ship. The next morning, out to sea, the ship owners chain up the stowaway and put him to work. Shortly after the ship is ambushed by British cavaliers, led by Roger Moore, which free him only to bring him to an island and sell him to the Mutai to be a fighter.
The movie quickly changes from an adventure story to a video-game movie the likes of Tekken. All of the best fighters in the world are invited to fight in a tournament at the Lost City for the prize of Golden Dragon and honor. The fighters are acted by real fighting champions from around the world. Each brings his own fighting style resulting in some satisfying matches which is the saving grace of the film.
This film would have been much improved with plot twists and more attention paid the the back story of Van Damme's orphaned past to gain a better appreciation of why the fighting is so important to him.
A quest worth taking
In "The Quest," Jean-Claude Van Damme directs and stars in this action movie about a street dweller (Jean-Claude Van Damme) who helps out kids that are on the street the best he can. He accidentally gets onboard a freight ship and travels to the Far East. Some people notice his fighting skills and he eventually gets entered in a fighting tournament that features the best fighters from various countries and continents. The fighters range from a sumo wrestler from Japan, a martial arts fighter from China who fights just like a monkey, and a monstrous and intimidating fighter from Mongolia. It's up to Van Damme to try and show everybody that he's the best fighter and have a chance at winning a huge golden dragon that goes to the fighter.
Unlike what Van Damme movies are usually known for, "The Quest" does have a good plot, and it's even directed by Van Damme himself. He should make more movies like this. "The Quest" has a plot, the fighting is exciting, and it's a good movie. I recommend anybody who likes good fighting movies to get "The Quest." You'll be glad you went along on this quest.
A joke
If it's showing on TV and you want to laugh, watch it. Just don't spend any money on it.BR>The plot was ridiculously banal and was completely secondary to the whole thing. The movie is just a B-film action celebration, with stupid, overplayed "round one, fight!" streetfighter kinda sound effects for every geek to love and every normal person to have a ball laughing at.
Basically, fast forward to the last half an hour or forty minutes to listen to some guy announcing the different countries and to hear the gong blast before watching some silly but cool fights. I mean, they're all pretty lame because you KNOW that the obvious ending is to see the American Van Damme fight the heartless big bad behemoth, but it's always more interesting to see what happens to the OTHER fighters...BR>Who wins between Russia vs Spain (a great fight)? China vs Korea? Turkey vs Holland? All the fighters are portrayed as the stereotypical image of their country and it's really quite a blast. The stand-outs are the Turkish fighter (serious Ottomon savage), Chinese (monkey-acrobatics), Japanese (fat sumo), Korean (buff asian), Spanish (flamenco dancer who hits on the only chick in the film), Greek fighter (ethical) etc. Roger Moore's presence is a joke and yeah, only if it's on TV and you're bored.
Buy The Quest at Amazon.com
Buy posters at Allposters.com
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