The Quest (Van Damme)

[LittleTiger]

I was wondering if anyone can tell me, or send me to a link that has a list, of the various martial arts styles represented in this film. I recognize muay thai, sumo, boxing (London Prize Ring Rules or Queensbury Rules, I can't quite tell), capoeira, greco-roman wrestling (I think) & animal kung-fu. The big Mongolian is using Mongolian wrestling (or at least I believe that's what he's supposed to be doing), the Okinawan is performing some karate variation gojo-ryu, perhaps?) & the Korean uses some predecessor of taekwondo, but I do not know the specific arts represented. If anyone can tell me any or all of them, I would be very grateful.

Also, I apologize for making referece to Van Damme, for those who can't stand his prissy butt.

Thanks.
Little Tiger

 

[DJDragon]

Hmm, I'd say that the chinese guy did hung gar but I have never seen it and am only basing it on an assumption because hung gar is a style of kung fu that imitates animals.

I also think the French guy did Savate. Only because Savate is from France and he fought a bit like a kickboxer.

And perhaps the African guy did an early, more traditional form of Capoeira. When the gong rang, he kind of looked like going into a ginga.

Guys I'm not sure about are the Turk, Scot and the German.

 

[arnisandyz]

I think I read somewhere that some "styles" we made-up for the movie like the Spanish "matador". Most likely an empty hand adaptation/interpretation of Spanish fencing (espada y daga).

 

[DJDragon]

Interesting point about that spanish style. He seemed to only know how to kick.

 

[Cruentus]

Sorry to be negative here,

but the only thing I have to add is that I feel that Van Damme sucks.

LittleTiger, I accept you apology.

 

[LittleTiger]

LittleTiger, I accept you apology

lol

 

[Stickboxer]

I thought "The Quest" was the worst martial arts film of all time. When someone offered to give me the tape for free, I turned it down! Somehow someone still snuck it into my possession, so I unfortunately own a copy of it. I keep it just because the guy who did Capoeira in the film looked awesome, and I don't even like that art!

For the record, one of the reasons I dislike the film has to do with the producers/director deciding which martial artist would do which art and represent which country. As if mixing real styles with phony ones weren't bad enough, they had to embrace the most stigmatic stereotypes of each culture. Of course, if he's Spanish, his style must certainly resemble a Spanish dancer/bullfighter. Of course the German guy looks like the ultimate "new breed" Nazi warrior, blond hair and blue eyes and Nazi soldiers accompanying him. Of course Japan sends a player of Sumo--a sport rather than a martial art--instead of someone who does Judo, Aikido, or any of numerous other systems. And of course the Sumo player is ALWAYS pitted against the smallest Chinese kung-fu artist!

But what is really irritating about the film is like I began to say, they had artists of one style portray artists of different styles. The "Spanish guy" looked Spanish, so they had him play a Spanish fighter; in reality, the guy was French and was an expert at French Savate. The Kung-fu guy was really Korean, not Chinese, and practiced Tae Kwon Do rather than any Wushu in real life. The French guy was really a boxer! I believe the big bad guy in the end really had no training whatsoever!

Perhaps the one thing that put me over the edge on this film is the fact that Van Damme won. Come on! The final battle fell into being a simple slugfest, with terrible form using wide swings and trying to outmuscle each other. No martial arts at all. We're supposed to believe that an untrained street kid (wasn't he like thirty years too old to play a homeless teenager?) managed to win a worldwide contest against people who trained diligently in their respective styles all their lives? What kind of message does that send to people who want to take up martial arts?

Off the soap box. Sorry.

 

[CWong]

The guy from China probably used generic Shaolin Kung Fu.

Hung Gar has animals mostly in its Tiger and Crane set and Ng Ying Kuen (5 animal set) or Sup Ying Kuen (10 pattern set) depending on lineage, and no monkey is in these (as seen in the movie).