Quest, The

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Entertainment: +3

Content: -1

In THE QUEST, set in 1925 New York City, Christopher Dubois (Jean-Claude Van Damme) is a career pickpocket trying to elude the police. After he leaps onto a departing freighter, Captain Dobbs (Roger Moore) labels him a stowaway and Chris ends up in chains as the ship heads for the Far East. As the ship reaches port, Chris learns of the Ghan-gheng, the most prestigious martial arts winner-take-all competition in the world. Though he possesses awe-inspiring fighting prowess, Chris must devise a way to enter the closed ranks of the invitation-only competition held in the Lost City of Tibet high in the Himalayan Mountains. His adventure includes being kidnapped and enslaved by gun smugglers, sold by pirates and a journey to a forbidding island where deadly martial arts are taught. THE QUEST's considerable intrigue and adventure provides suspense and excitement as leading martial arts fighters from all over the world pit their skills against each other.

The competition is brutal and intense, however, as the experts bar no holds to win the coveted Golden Dragon prize. Other fierce fighting takes place in a bar in the opening scene that includes a knife threat and people hit on the head with various objects. A police chase ends when a car crashes through a wall, killing a sleeping boy. Van Damme's character has lived on the streets all his life, depending on stealing and fighting to survive. But his quest for the prize turns into a quest for honor and determination to turn his life around. Chris tells the contest hosts that if he wins the Golden Dragon, he will leave it there to make amends for his friends' efforts to steal it. This PG-13 film's foul language is limited to one obscenity and several crude expressions. Thankfully it lacks any sex scenes or nudity. Chris Dubois, the criminal-turned-hero, presents a fairly positive role model for teenagers but the film's excessive violence may send the wrong messages.

Preview Reviewer: Bonnie C. Harvey
Distributor: Universal Pictures, 100 Universal Blvd., Universal City, CA 91608

Summary
The following categories contain objective listings of film content which contribute to the subjective numeric Content ratings posted to the left and on the Home page.

Crude Language: Several (8) times - Mild 5, Moderate 3

Obscene Language: Once (s-word)

Profanity: Few (2) times - Exclamatory

Violence: Many times - Moderate and Severe (many brutal martial arts fights, fights in bar and nightclub, man pulls knife, hits to head with various objects; car crashes into wall, killing young boy; man chained, later shoots off chains)

Sex: None

Nudity: None

Sexual Dialogue/Gesture: Few suggestive remarks made about a woman

Drugs: Drinking in bar scene, smoking

Other: Man teaches boys to steal; praying to Buddha

Running Time:
Intended Audience: Teenagers and young adults

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