The Order finds martial artist Jean-Claude Van Damme cast as the rogue son of respected archaeologist Vernon Dobtcheff answering a call for help when dad summons him. Van Damme is a smuggler of artifacts and seller of same and Dobtcheff is worried about some ancient parchment that the members of an underground religious cult want very badly.

Later on dad gets summoned to Israel and then is kidnapped by The Order and Jean-Claude is on the hunt.

Charlton Heston is in this film in a small role as an archaeologist colleague of Dobtcheff. Heston also narrates a small prologue showing how a Crusader knight also played by Van Damme who was tired of all the killing started a religious order that also attracted Jews and Moslems to it. The powers that be wiped it out like the Albigensians, or so they thought.

Of course when he gets to Jerusalem, Van Damme is involved in a car chase that in the end results in Heston's death and him being accused of it by over zealous Jerusalem homicide cop Ben Cross. There's customs&immigration inspector Sofia Milos who is familiar with Van Damme because of his criminal enterprises and we're not sure what her agenda is. And there's Brian Thompson all decked out like those Nazis from Raiders Of The Lost Ark who are trying that ancient Hebrew ritual at the climax of that film. The climax here has that kind of potential.

In fact The Order is a hybrid of any number of cop chase films and Raiders Of The Lost Ark set in modern times. Charlton Heston did not look well in his small role, I'm thinking the disease that eventually killed him was starting to show. But I also think Heston knew he wasn't in anything like the great epics he was famous for.

Lot's of martial arts and chase action as per a Jean-Claude Van Damme film with some specious theology thrown in as well. His fans should like it, Heston's fans will be pained.

I have to admit, I don't remember seeing this before and I thought I had seen every movie van Damme had done up until mid 2000s ... I guess I was wrong. This is quite interesting overall, but not even close to something like Indiana Jones or even Tomb Raider. It is still fun and I guess ticked one box off his bucket list - working with Charlton Heston.

That aside, there are some interesting actors in this and the action is quite nice. It also gives us a few glimpses into van Damme and his acting chops - but also his love of disguise. He looks good in a beard, let's say that much. Stunts are ok, but overall this isn't his best movie - and I say this as a fan, even if he himself may think this is underrated overall

Best direct-to-video solid action adventure flick from Van Damme I love to death. "The Order" is underrated it is one of my personal favorite action films. This the last old school classic Van Damme movies where he has his personality, fight scenes and stuff. Directed was by Sheldon Lettich who also directed 2 of Van Damme film Lionheart (1990) and Double Impact (1991). This is the third time Van Damme worked with Sheldon Lettich on his new movie The Order. This is the last time we see Jean-Claude Van Damme having fun, he smiles and brings a lot of joy and life too the movie. In his next direct-to-video films we will see stone 'cold zombie' Van Damme.

Brian Thompson, Abdel Qissi and Peter Malota all reunites with Van Damme in this film and they do all solid job. The film was shot in Israel in which took the movie place. It was filmed in the same country that Rambo III was filmed and Shedon Lettich co wrote the script with Sylvester Stallone for Rambo 3.

Van Damme plays a professional thief Rudy Cafmeyer in which his father professor Oscar Cafmeyer (Vernon Dobtcheff) and museum archaeologist disappears in Israel. Rudy travels to Israel in a search of his missing father. His investigation leads to conspiracy and religious cult "The Order" who are searching for a path in a mines in which they are planning to set a bomb off and killing Millions people by setting off Crusade War. Van Damme is the only one who is standing on their way.

"The Order" has tons of action: you have a car chase trough the runway airport, you have a motorcycle chase on the streets. You get a lots of fist fights, from old fashion Van Damme fighting style! The chase on airplane is really one of realistic chases I have seen. Van Damme is been chased in an Amish uniform by cops and than fight with Abdel Qissi who plays Big Arab. There is a lot of humor in this movie and comedy. Van Damme fights with Amnon (Peter Malota) and uses a spin kick at Ammon. Van Damme this time fights a lot longer with Peter Malota than he did in Double Impact. Van Damme fights with Cyrus (Brian Thompson) more longer than in Lionheart (1990). Van Damme fights with a sword duel match against Cyrus. Van Damme jumps with a leg like Bruce Lee and knocks Cyrus to the ground.

Sofia Milos is also in this film in which she helps Van Damme on his quest for his missing father. The Order is similar to Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade in which Van Damme is looking for a holly grail: The fight sequences are all practical, they are all done for real. Van Damme does not use any fight doubles that is why I miss Van Damme movies like this.

The Order is my favorite action fast paced adventure flick from Van Damme it is in top 10 personal favorite Jean-Claude Van Damme movies. Hard Target will always be my number 1 favorite Jean-Claude Van Damme flick. I love The Order to death.