Oh man, so here’s the thing. I entered a winner takes all, best fighter in the world Kumite. But then this big bad dude from Mongolia bopped me on the head and now I don’t remember a thing! Do you remember what happened in The Quest?
Pop Quiz Hot Shot!
1) In the beginning of the film Jean-Claude Van Damme is a clown (literally!) in NYC. Why does he leave NYC and where does he end up?
2) Phew, he’s met a real cool dude played by Roger Moore who promises to help him. Where does he say he’s taking him and what does he do instead?
3) Roger Moore thinks JCVD is in the past, but he meets him again. Where and why is Moore there?
4) How does JVCD get into the Kumite … er, I mean, the Ghang-gheng?
5) Who wins the giant gold dragon in the end?
Bonus Question: In a flashback we see the moment JCVD becomes an orphan, but what really happened to his mother?
Answers
1) Well, his big plan was coming to fruition and him and his street urchin gang had stolen a bunch of mob money (smart!). But uh oh, the mob is a little peeved about this and JCVD has to kill some of them, and now has to escape from the police on the boat. He ultimately ends up in the Far East nearby Thailand.
2) Roger Moore tells him he’s going to get him on the next boat back to NYC … but instead he sells him into Muay Thai slavery. Whoops! The upside is that JCVD becomes the best (arrrrrround) and no one’s ever going to take him down.
3) Moore is a grifter supreme and he notices someone who claims to be a rich reporter from the States (she is, in fact, just a regular ol’ reporter). She wants to go see the fighting, and so they do, which is where they see JCVD kicking some serious ass. They agree to help JCVD get into the sweet Kumite … er, I mean, the Ghang-gheng.
4) Well, first they try to steal it from Dexter’s dad aka Moxie. But he’s like: dummies, I know what you are up to. But then when JCVD beats him in a fight, Moxie storms off leaving the invitation behind. And then at the Kumite … er, I mean, the Ghang-gheng, Moxie comes back to give his spot to JCVD.
5) No one! Which means it is prime time for a sequel! In the end Moore and his sidekick try to steal the dragon and are sentenced to death. But then JCVD, with his heart of gold, buys their lives with the gold dragon which he eventually wins. The end!
Bonus Answer: In a mid-credits sequence we see a mysterious kickboxer training hard in a Parisian gym when the bruised and beaten French fighter returns. He approaches the fighter and his trainer, a woman, and drops a newspaper detailing JCVD’s victory at the Kumite … er, I mean, the Ghang-gheng. “You might be interested in this, it seems like a familiar face.” At that moment the fighter turns around, also played by JCVD and turns, shocked, to the woman. She nods. “Yes, son, he is your brother.” In the action packed sequel we are promised a brother vs. brother fight at the following year’s Kumite … er, I mean, the Ghang-gheng. And a final face off between the mother who abandoned him and the son she left behind. Can he turn her to good? Is he willing to defeat his own long lost brother? Will Moxie and Carrie repair their broken marriage? Find out in … The Quest 2: Brotherhood.
Not going to lie, I’ve been itching for another JCVD-as-a-twin action film since we watched Double Impact. It’s time. C’mon old man JCVD, you still got it!
Bad Movie Twins 