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The Quest (1996)

Director: Jean-Claude Van Damme

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From Time Out Film Guide

Lord Edgar Dobbs (Moore), a roguish con-man, first rescues fugitive New York street criminal Chris Dubois (Van Damme) from sea-borne gun-runners, then sells him into bondage. But all this 1920s Boy's Own stuff is just window-dressing for the main event, the Ghan-gheng, a winner-takes-all contest featuring the world's greatest fighters. Dobbs' bumbling efforts to steal the prize, a Golden Dragon, are no more diverting than the drippy romance between Dubois and society-girl reporter Carrie (ex-stuntwoman Janet Gunn who, like first-time director Van Damme, should have stuck to her day job). The risible fight scenes showcase the stereotyped sartorial and imaginary fighting styles of the international contestants: the Orientals are treated with some respect, but the Spanish contestant prances Flamenco-style in frilly shirts and bum-hugging trousers, while his Scottish counterpart sports a kilt and eschews the traditional head-butt for a similarly terpsichorean approach.

Author: NF 0000-00-00 00:00:00

Time Out Film Guide


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