Pssst, want to check out The Quest in our new look?
Information
- Year
- 1996
- Runtime
- 95 min.
- Director
- Jean-Claude Van Damme
- Genres
- Action, Adventure, Thriller
- Rating *
- 5.6
- Votes *
- 21,879
- Checks
- 1,428
- Favs
- 18
- Dislikes
- 53
- Favs/checks
- 1.3% (1:79)
- Favs/dislikes
- 1:3
Top comments
-
Siskoid
I'd been told Jean-Claude Van Damme's directorial debut, The Quest, was way too much like Bloodsport. I see what they mean, but it's also completely different. Like a lot of JCVD films, it's about underground fighting; he plays to his strengths. But it's really more of a prequel to the whole Kumite business (under a different name) and takes place in the pulpy, slightly fantastical 1920s. Unlike Bloodsport, it's looks glossy and expensive, with amazing locations and lustrous cinematography. JC has a team around him, including a roguish post-Bond Roger Moore who's having a lot of fun here. The secret international championship features lots of different fighting styles, and there's an attempt to make the Mongolian fighter as cool and evil a presence as Bolo Yeung was in Bloodsport. I'm sorry, that can't, and doesn't, happen. What the movie DOESN'T have is coherent direction. The frame tale becomes a different frame tale when we get back to it (very very weird), JCVD is much too fond of hacky slow-mo to showcase his fighters' moves, the music is just one note away from Javert's theme in Les Mis, and we're never given a justification for JC's big move in the climax. Watchable and expensive-looking, but extremely flawed. 8 years 10 months ago -
A Blue Roar
What did you expect from a Van Damme movie? Of the movies he's been in, this is one of the most enjoyable, and it has an atmosphere you won't find in a lot of other movies. 10 years 9 months ago -
bobh
Nothing incredible, quite mediocre, not really worth watching unless you want some cheap entertainment but it's actually much better than Bloodsport which is just a total stinker. It has a better written story and much better fight choreography. 7 years 6 months ago
Friends
Login to see which of your friends have seen this movie!In 1 official list
-
This movie ranks #208 in Marshall Julius's Action! The Action Movie A-Z
Marshall Julius's Action…
208