Epic Martial Arts Movie Starring 90s Action Icon Being Lost To Time
Jean-Claude Van Damme is an excellent fighter and he has a nearly immaculate kickboxing record to prove it. But like most decorated martial artists who transition into an acting career, he definitely has clear strengths and weaknesses on the cinematic front. One thing I noticed after going on an absolute bender of JCVD and Steven Seagal movies over the past couple of weeks (don’t ask) is that the films that focus more on fighting than storytelling are superior, and The Quest is a prime example that supports this theory.
Jean-Claude Van Damme In The Quest
The Quest, like many other Van Damme outings, pads its runtime with unnecessary exposition but gets it out of the way quickly so we can get to the round-house kicks.
Though the film is set primarily in the 1920s, the opening scene takes place in the mid-90s. An elderly Chris Dubois (Jean-Claude Van Damme) gets into an epic bar fight with his cane to fight off a group of thugs who are trying to rob the place.
When the bartender asks Dubois how he learned to fight, Dubois begins his story.
The Quest’s Timeline
The rest of The Quest takes place on the earlier timeline, in which Dubois is a young conman who resorts to petty theft to make ends meet. Dubois’ acts of impropriety are well-intentioned, however, as he uses whatever money he steals to provide food and shelter to a group of orphaned children that he looks after.
After an altercation with a group of thugs he stole a substantial amount of money from, the law gets involved, and Dubois hides on a boat in a nearby marina.
Forced Into Hard Labor
Dubois gets kidnapped and forced into hard labor by the group of pirates who own the boat, which sets the rest of The Quest’s plot in motion. Lord Edgar Dobbs (Roger Moore) raids the ship, and sells Dubois into slavery after promising to get him on a boat back home. During this time, Dubois goes through extensive training and becomes a prominent figure in the underground fighting circuit.
Hatching A Plan
Meanwhile, United States Heavyweight Boxing Champion Maxie Devine (James Remar) is invited to a super exclusive tournament called the Ghang-geng, and has the opportunity to win a dragon statue made out of solid gold.
Dobbs comes up with a plan to get Dubois to take Devine’s place because he wants to steal the statue from the Lost City of Tibet where the tournament takes place in The Quest. Dubois is reluctant to work with Dobbs because he has repeatedly demonstrated that he’s a self-serving conman who is only looking out for himself.
Getting To The Martial Arts Good Stuff
From this point forward, The Quest stops with the storytelling and gets to the good stuff. The rest of the movie is basically a sizzle reel of Jean-Claude Van Damme throwing hands and spin-kicking his way through his opponents so he can win the competition.
In my opinion, The Quest is a high-water mark in Van Damme’s career because it allows him to do what he does best, which involves less talking and more punching. While the screenplay itself leaves a lot to be desired, it’s a necessary evil that’s required to make this movie something more than just “guy punching other guys” for 95 minutes. If I had to choose between The Quest and Lionheart, The Quest would win every single time because Van Damme is in top form during the fight sequences, and that’s what we’re here for.
Streaming The Quest
REVIEW SCORE
Though I think The Quest is a solid film in Jean-Claude Van Damme’s filmography that deserves your attention, it’s not currently available for streaming.
I fully understand why this film’s storytelling was universally panned by critics (14 percent on Rotten Tomatoes), but I don’t think you need to put too much stock into its setup to enjoy the second and third-act beat-downs. As of this writing, you can rent The Quest on-demand through Apple TV+, Google Play, and YouTube, among others.
