For the Academy Award-winning animated short film released the same year, see
Quest (short film). For other films with the same title, see
Quest (film)The Quest is a 1996 film starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, Roger Moore, Janet Gunn, and James Remar. The film is Van Damme's directorial debut. The plot revolves around an international martial arts tournament, with a storyline similar to that of Bloodsport. It was originally penned by Frank Dux. It's a rework of a script Frank Dux wrote entitled "The Kumite", which ended Dux and Van Damme's friendship.
Plot summary
Van Damme plays Christopher Dubois, a 1925 New York pickpocket who must escape the city by stowing away on a boat, he is eventually found out by the crew and imprisoned by smugglers and pirates. He is rescued by a mercenary Englishman, Lord Edgar Dobbs (Roger Moore), - who then sells Dubois into slavery on an island where Dubois is trained in Muay Thai fighting. Dobbs later assists (and to some extent exploits) Dubois, buying Dubois' freedom so the now expert fighter can represent the United States in a Kumite-like tournament called the Ghang-gheng, held in the Lost City of Tibet, where representatives of different countries like Germany, Soviet Union, Scotland, Spain, Turkey, Brazil, Siam, Korea, Greece, France, China, Japan, Okinawa, Africa, and Mongolia fight in elimination bouts, and the winner of the tournament receives a valuable statue, the Golden Dragon. Along for the journey are American reporter Carrie Newton (Janet Gunn) and heavyweight boxing champion Maxie Devine (James Remar).
Dubois ultimately wins the tournament by defeating the representative of Mongolia, but doesn't accept the Golden Dragon. Instead he trades it for the lives of Dobbs and his comrade Harry, who were sentenced to death for trying to steal the Golden Dragon.
Casting
Reception
The film earned $21,607,190 at the American box office. It did much better overseas with nearly 40 million. Van Damme fans, as well as critics, were split about the film.[citation needed]
Trivia
- The movie was originally supposed to be a movie about underground kumite competitions with the script penned by controversial martial artist Frank Dux. Dux sued Van Damme when he changed the script and situations as well as not paying a promised sum of money.
- The reworked story of The Quest was originally supposed to be the beginning of a series of movies.
- When Roger Moore states his name "Dobbs, Lord Dobbs", he does it in the style of the James Bond movies, for which he is famous.
- Van Damme also co-starred with Abdel Qissi (Kahn, the Mongolian fighter) in Lionheart and The Order.
- Van Damme originally wanted Benjamin C. DeWolfe to play the Mongolian villain.
- This film is unusual in that it was rated PG-13 in America but then given an 18 certificate in the UK.
- Tatum O'Neal was originally supposed to play the female lead, but had the role taken away after her real life romance with Van Damme soured.
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