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The Quest(1996 film)

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For the German animated short film, seeQuest (1996 film).
The Quest
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJean-Claude Van Damme
Written bySteven Klein
Paul Mones
Story byFrank Dux
Jean-Claude Van Damme
Produced byMoshe Diamant
Starring
CinematographyDavid Gribble
Edited byJohn F. Link
William J. Meshover
Music byRandy Edelman
Distributed byUniversal Pictures(United States and United Kingdom)
MDP Worldwide(International)
Release dates
  • April 19, 1996(1996-04-19)(Turkey)
  • April 26, 1996(1996-04-26)(United States)
Running time
95 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$57.4 million

The Questis a 1996 Americanmartial arts filmdirected byJean-Claude Van Dammein his directorial debut, as well as starring in the film. The film co-starsRoger Moore,James RemarandJanet Gunn.The Questpremiered in Turkey on April 19, 1996, and was released in the United States on April 26, 1996.

The plot, set in 1925, revolves around amartial artstournament in the mysterious "Lost City", located deep inTibet,with martial artists from around the world fighting to earn the winner's prize, the "Golden Dragon", a valuable statue made of solid gold. Claims byFrank Duxthat the film was a reworking of a script he had written in 1991, entitled "Enter the New Dragon: The Kumite," were rejected by a jury.[1][2]The film, though it under-performed domestically at thebox-office,did better internationally and was a commercial success.

Plot

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Late night in an empty bar in the present day (the mid-1990s), an old man enters and awaits service, and not long after, a group of thugs arrive and attempt to rob the till. The old man defeats them easily one by one with hand-to-hand combat. Amazed, the bartender asks how he learned to fight. The old man replies "it was long ago..."

The story flashes back to Christopher Dubois, apickpocketin his mid-twenties, living in 1925New York City.Orphaned as a child, Dubois looks after a large group of young orphans by performing cons and stealing. After stealing a large sum of money from a group of gangsters, Dubois and the children are found by the gangsters. Dubois is able to subdue the gangsters, but the struggle draws the attention of the police. After promising to return to the children, Dubois escapes the police by stowing away on a boat. He is found out by the crew and imprisoned by gunsmugglersandpiratesand forced into physical labor. Eventually, the crew decides Dubois is no longer needed, but before he can be killed, the pirate ship is attacked and boarded by amercenaryEnglishman, Lord Edgar Dobbs. After saving each other's lives, Dobbs agrees to help Dubois return home, but deceives him and sells Dubois into slavery on an island off the coast ofSiam,where Dubois is trained inMuay Thaifighting.

After six months, Dobbs and his partner Harry Smythe find Dubois fighting in a Muay Thai match and see that he has become a skilled fighter. Dobbs later assists (and exploits) Dubois, buying his freedom so the now-expert fighter can represent the U.S. in a Kumite-liketournamentcalled the Ghang-gheng, held in the Lost City ofTibet.There, representatives ofGermany,Soviet Union,Scotland,Spain,Turkey,Brazil,Korea,Siam,Greece,France,China,Japan,Okinawa,Africa,andMongoliafight in elimination bouts. The winner of the tournament receives a valuable statue made of solid gold, the Golden Dragon. Along for the journey are American reporter Carrie Newton and heavyweight bo xing champion Maxie Devine.

Dubois ultimately wins the tournament by defeating Khan, the representative ofMongolia,and he is given a medal and proclaimed the greatest fighter, but does not accept the Golden Dragon. Instead he trades it for the lives of Dobbs and his comrade Harry, who were sentenced to death for previously trying to steal the Golden Dragon.

Back in the bar, Dubois explains he returned to New York and helped the children get off the streets. Ultimately, things turned out for the best. Devine helped to train many great fighters, while Dobbs and Harry opened a trading post deep in the Amazon. In the final scene, a book closes, revealing its title, 'The Quest', and that it was written by Carrie Newton.

The Ghang-gheng

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Winners in bold.

First-round matches
  • Soviet Union vsSpain
  • Japanvs Okinawa
  • France vsBrazil
  • Chinavs Korea
  • Turkeyvs Scotland
  • Siamvs Africa
  • Germany vsUnited States
  • Mongoliavs Greece
Second-round matches
  • Japanvs Turkey
  • Brazil vsChina
  • Mongoliavs Siam
  • Spain vsUnited States
Semi-final matches
  • United Statesvs China
  • Mongoliavs Japan
Final match
  • Mongolia vsUnited States

Cast

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  • Jean-Claude Van Dammeas Chris Dubois, United States fighter
  • Roger Mooreas Lord Edgar Dobbs
  • James Remaras Maxie Devine, United States Heavyweight Bo xing Champion
  • Janet Gunnas Carrie Newton
  • Jack McGeeas Harry Smythe
  • Aki Aleongas Khao Prahan
  • Louis Mandyloras Riggi
  • Chang Ching Peng Chaplin as Master Tchi
  • Ryan Cutronaas Officer O'Keefe
  • Abdel Qissias Khan, Mongolian fighter
  • Jen Sung as Phang Prahan, Siamese fighter
  • Stefanos Miltsakakis as Greek fighter
  • Ong Soo Han as Korean fighter
  • Peter Wong as Chinese fighter
  • Kōji Kitaoas Kyoshiro Yama, Japanese fighter
  • César Carneiro as Brazilian fighter
  • Habby Heske as German fighter
  • Peter Malotaas Spanish fighter
  • Azdine Nouri as Turkish fighter
  • Brick Bronskyas Russian fighter
  • Winston Ellis as African fighter
  • Takis Triggelis as French fighter
  • Mike Lambert as Scottish fighter
  • Choi-Nam Yip as Okinawa fighter

Production

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The re-written script was revealed in 1993 by Quintano.[3]

Reception

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Box office

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The Questopened at #1 and earned $7 million in its first weekend in the US.[4]It fell to third in the week of May 6.[5]It ultimately grossed $21.6 million at the American box office and $35.8 million internationally, for a grand total of $57.4 million.[6]The film, though it under-performed domestically at the box-office, did better internationally and was a commercial success.[7][8][9]

Critical response

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The reaction of many professional film critics was negative, citing the movie's thin script, Jean-Claude Van Damme's direction, and too much resemblance to Van Damme's previous hitBloodsport.However, some critics praised the film's production values, beautiful locations, andRoger Moore's performance, while fans of martial arts films praisedThe Questfor showcasing various fighting styles from around the world.[10][11][12][13][14]Onreview aggregatorwebsiteRotten Tomatoes,the film received anapproval ratingof 14% based on 21 reviews and an average rating of 3.7/10.[15]

Audiences polled byCinemaScoregave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.[16]

References

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  1. ^"Van Damme Cleared in Suit Over 'Quest'".The Los Angeles Times.1998-11-11.Retrieved2010-08-23.
  2. ^"Van Damme Victor in Clash".People.Retrieved2011-03-12.
  3. ^Moerk, Christian (9 July 1993)."Quintano builds from 'Scratch'".Variety.
  4. ^Welkos, Robert W. (1996-04-30)."'The Quest' Finds Its Audience ".The Los Angeles Times.Retrieved2010-08-24.
  5. ^Brennan, Judy (1996-05-06)."'The Craft' Has the Knack for Scaring Up an Audience ".Los Angeles Times.Retrieved2012-06-03.
  6. ^"The Quest".Box Office Mojo.RetrievedDecember 26,2018.
  7. ^"Jean-Claude van Damme and Roger Moore are a Terrific Twosome in van Damme's 1996 Directorial Debut the Quest".23 May 2022.
  8. ^"The Number One Movie in America: Maximum Risk".
  9. ^"Jean-Claude van Damme Ashamed of '90s Hit Sitcom Role".30 October 2023.
  10. ^Thomas, Kevin (1996-04-26)."A Knockout for Director Van Damme".The Los Angeles Times.Retrieved2010-08-23.
  11. ^Maslin, Janet (1996-04-26)."FILM REVIEW;Van Damme as Auteur".The New York Times.Retrieved2010-08-24.
  12. ^Levy, Emanuel (1996-04-26)."The Quest".Variety.Retrieved2010-08-25.
  13. ^Lasalle, Mick (1996-04-26)."'Quest' Great for Kicks ".San Francisco Chronicle.Retrieved2010-08-25.
  14. ^McGavin, Patrick (1996-04-26)."Van Damme's Directorial Debut 'Quest' Ambitious But Predictable".Chicago Tribune.Retrieved2010-09-20.
  15. ^"The Quest (1996)".Rotten Tomatoes.Fandango.Retrieved2018-10-24.
  16. ^"CinemaScore".cinemascore.
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