The Quest (1996): Synopsis

It was a time when the world was still big enough for swashbuckling adventure-pirates on the high seas, gun runners in tramp steamers, people sold into indentured servitude and ancient mysteries in the exotic Orient. And, where men with big dreams still embarked on impossible quests.

International box-office star Jean-Claude Van Damme makes his directorial debut with The Quest, an explosive action-adventure that celebrates the genre that launched his career. Van Damme stars as Chris Dubois, an idealistic street criminal on the run from the police, who embarks on an odyssey of self-discovery that spans the globe, from the slums of 1920's New York City to the mysterious Lost City of Tibet, high in the Himalayas. Kidnapped and enslaved by gun smugglers, sold by pirates and thrust into the murky underworld of gambling and kickboxing, Chris' joumey takes him to forbidding Muay Thai Island where deadly martial arts are taught, the colonial splendor of British East Asia, the dank back alleys of Bangkok, desolate deserts once trod by the warriors of Genghis Khan and finally, the ancient Lost City.

There he must face the ultimate test of his manhood in the fabled Ghan-gheng, the ancient winner-take-all competition in which the deadliest fighters from around the world employ the most spectacular feats of martial arts skills ever displayed in order to win the prized Golden Dragon. But fighting prowess alone will not be enough for Chris to triumph over such daunting foes. He must reach deep inside and access all of the determination, strength of character and sense of selfless honor within in order to triumph over this final obstacle on his long trek home.