Retro Film Review: The Quest (1996)

(SPECIAL NOTE: Capsule version of the review is available here.)

Dismal failure of On Deadly Ground, Steven Seagal's 1994 directorial debut, didn't discourage Jean Claude Van Damme, another martial arts star, from trying his hand behind the camera. Many critics, familiar with Van Damme's limited acting ability, greeted The Quest with large dose of scepticism. Although a lot of that scepticism was justified, the film itself was better than the reputation of its maker had indicated.

After the prologue that takes place in present-day New York, the plot begins in the same town in 1925. Chris Dubois (played by Jean- Claude Van Damme) is a pickpocket that tries to provide for the group of street orphans. His activities have brought him in trouble both with law and organised crime, so he takes shelter in the ship set for Far East. There he gets tortured by the cruel crew only to be captured by Lord Dobbs (played by Roger Moore), former British Navy captain who had turned to piracy and gun smuggling. Lord Dobbs sells Dubois to Khao (played by Aki Aleong), leader of sect that teaches Muay Thai and other martial skills. Dubois becomes his best pupil and Khao wants to send him to "Ghang Geng", big martial arts tournament that takes place in Lost City in Tibet. When Dubois encounters Dobbs again, he offers to fight for him and get the coveted prize - golden dragon.

The most obvious thing about The Quest is Van Damme's attempt to show his "gentler and kinder" side (which was already seen in his earlier film Lionheart). The violence in the film is toned down and the exotic setting of pre-WW2 Far East with gun smugglers, pirates and lost cities puts The Quest in the same territory with Indiana Jones films. Van Damme seems so enthusiastic about this project that he allows his own character to play second fiddle to Roger Moore, here obviously enjoying opportunity to play suave rascal - kind of character that seems to be mostly absent from today's cinema. Van Damme in the end of film even shows some directorial skill by staging very elaborate and nice-looking fights of the final tournament, each of them displaying different fighting styles. Unfortunately, those scenes last only for 25 minutes. Before that the audience must endure an hour in which Van Damme's handling of more conventional scenes leaves plenty to be desired. The Quest - sentimental "feel good" and family-oriented martial arts film – shows that Van Damme had an interesting idea, but in the end lacked the skill and experience to use its full potential.

RATING: 4/10 (+)

(Note: The text in its original form was posted in Usenet newsgroup rec.arts.movies.reviews on May 14th 2003)

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