The Quest Blu-ray delivers great video and superb audio in this fan-pleasing Blu-ray release
Chris Dubois, an idealistic street criminal on the run from the police, embarks on an odyssey of self-discovery that spans the globe, from the slums of 1920's New York City to the mysterious Lost City of Tibet, high in the Himalayas. Kidnapped and enslaved by gun smugglers, sold by pirates and thrust into the murky underworld of gambling and kickboxing, Chris' journey takes him to forbidding Muay Thai Island where deadly martial arts are taught, the colonial splendor of British East Asia, the dank back alleys of Bangkok, desolate deserts once trod by the warriors of Genghis Khan and finally, the ancient Lost City.
Ever since his performance in JCVD, I've no longer felt embarrassed for believing all these
years that there's more to Jean-Claude Van Damme than just "The Muscles from Brussels". But it
hasn't been easy. Movie careers based on martial arts or other sports showcasing physical
prowess so easily lend themselves to parody, even self-parody, that the actor gets lost
beneath the action even when there's genuine talent there (which isn't always the case, as Steven
Seagal has repeatedly proved). It didn't help that Van Damme's rise to fame was so closely identified
with martial arts impressario Frank Dux, whose famously unverifiable life story was the basis for
Bloodsport, Van Damme's breakout film in 1988.
Dux dipped further into his fabulous (and fabricated) life for the story of The Quest, which
he and Van Damme co-wrote before handing it off to a pair of screenwriters (Steve Klein and Paul
Mones). You can tell the story comes from the mind of a fantasist who's too lazy to fill in the
connecting parts, because it's less a story than an anthology of elements from every classic boy's
adventure tale: orphans, pirates, exotic far-off lands, charming rogues, a beautiful girl, fabulous
treasure, a fight against impossible odds. For some reason, Van Damme chose this script for his
directorial debut. Maybe no other director was willing to take it on.
As it turns out, The Quest is not badly made. Van Damme had been in over a dozen films by
then, and he'd worked with experienced directors, including John Woo and Peter Hyams. Clearly
he was paying attention. But even the best direction can't overcome a poor script, and The
Quest was a flop domestically and less than a blockbuster abroad, despite its array of
multinational martial arts talent. Van Damme didn't direct again until 2010's The Eagle Path,
which remains unreleased.
In a sort of prologue, an elderly man walks alone into an empty bar. When three young hoodlums
try to hold up the place, the old man beats them down with astonishing dexterity. Then he tells
the bartender a story.
It's 1925. Mysterious messengers deliver scrolls to fighting champions around the world. The
scrolls contain invitations to a tournament to be held in the Lost City of Tibet. The winner will
become the proud owner of a solid gold dragon, worth a fortune. One of the recipients of a scroll
is the U.S. heavyweight boxing champion, Maxie Devine, who is played by James Remar, best
known today as Dexter Morgan's adoptive father, Harry.
On the streets of New York, Christopher Dubois (Van Damme) looks out for a ragtag group of
orphans. An abandoned orphan himself (his history is telegraphed in brief flashbacks), Dubois
directs his minions in petty thefts like a benevolent Faginbenevolent but not too smart. When
he arranges a bigger score from big-time hoodlums, they come looking for their money, followed
by the police. Dubois helps his kids escape, but he himself inadvertently stows away on an ocean
freighter manned by gunrunners, who put him in chains, work him hard and are just about to
execute him, when they're attacked by a pirate ship captained by "Lord" Edgar Dobbs (Roger
Moore, the best thing in the film).
Dubois saves Dobbs's life during the battle, and Dobbs repays him by offering to get him home
to the children, to whom Dubois promised he'd return. Instead, Dobbs and his lieutenant, Smythe
(former NYC fireman Jack McGee), sell Dubois to Khao (Aki Aleong), who trains fighters in
Muay Thai fighting on an island near Siam.
Six months later, Dobbs and Smythe are passing the time in Bangkok, where they pick up a
young "journalist" named Carrie Newton (Janet Gunn in a role originally intended for Madonna,
if you can believe it). She asks Dobbs to show her some real action; so he takes her to a
fight, wherewouldn't you know it?the main attraction turns out to be Dubois, who's become a
champion fighter. Dobbs arranges to buy him back from Khao and strikes a deal with Dubois to
crash the tournament in the Lost City and either win or steal the golden dragon. This requires
intercepting Maxie Devine, so that the group can piggyback on his invitation. Ms. Newton tags
along to write the story.
After various twists, none of them especially interesting, Dubois ends up in the tournament
facing off against the Mongolian entrant, a fierce mountain of an opponent known as Khan
(Abdel Qissi,) who seems unbeatable. Guess who wins? In the meantime, numerous fighters and
fighting styles are showcased in what amounts to a demo reel for martial arts.
In the end we return to Dubois as an old man, but no one ever explains how he got back to New
York and kept his promise to the orphans. Despite the title, and for all the references to a "quest",
it's hard to say exactly what Dubois was after. Far from having a purpose, he just seemed to do
whatever was necessary to survive from one catastrophe to the next.
In an ironic turn, Universal has done a much finer job with The Quest on Blu-ray than with a
number of more popular (and better) catalog titles. The 1080p, AVC-encoded presentation is
consistently sharp and detailed, with solid blacks, vivid colors and a natural and readily
identifiable grain pattern that never becomes obtrusive. The sole exceptions are a few brief
location-establishing shots that have obviously been pulled from stock footage and can be
instantly spotted as such.
The Quest being a Universal catalog title, it is axiomatic among certain posters at Blu-ray.com that any reviewer who says something
complimentary about the video is (a) blind, (b) ignorant,
(c) unworthy of credence, or (d) all of the above. Some posters offering these opinions base their
judgments exclusively on star ratings and screencaps and don't even notice the inconsistency
when they come back, after watching the actual disc, and offer a rating almost identical to the
reviewer's.
There are those for whom the name "Universal" is synonymous with something called "DNR".
The latter is a term that, to the extent it once had meaning, has ceased to have any beyond "I
don't like the picture". Anyone familiar with a telecine bay or a digital colorist's workstation
understands that there is no knob or setting labeled "DNR". The term has gained currency on the
internet as yet one more example of the adage that "a little learning is a dangerous thing". If the
concern is that the producers of a disc are filtering away detail for one purpose or another, I saw
no indication of such treatment on The Quest while watching the disc on a properly calibrated
72" display.
By far the best element of the Blu-ray of The Quest is its DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack, which is
loud, aggressive and active in all five regular channels. Whether it's the roar of the crowd at
fights, the sound of the waves at sea or cannon fire during the pirate assault, the rear channels are
almost always alive with discrete activity, even at low levels. The bass extension is loud and
powerful without being boomy, as the cannons on Lord Dobbs's ship will immediately
demonstrate. Dialogue is clearly rendered (Van Damme wisely keeps his own to a minimum),
and the forgettable score by Randy Edelman folds into the mix and vanishes, because the sound
effects are more interesting.
The disc has no unique features, although Universal continues its habit of listing bookmarks
("MyScenes") and D-Box motion control as Extras. Consistent with recent Universal mastering
practices, the disc has no main menu, which is an annoyance that renders bookmarking
considerably less useful. The Quest is enabled for BD-Live, and it includes the Universal
"ticker" and may download previews from the internet if your player has a live connection.
For the classic Van Damme fan, The Quest is a letdown, because it doesn't have enough meaty
"Muscles from Brussels" action until the very end. For those like me, who found the character
beats in Timecop a reason to sit up and take notice, there isn't enough credibility in
any of the characters to make The Quest worth watching (and what there is belongs
entirely to Roger Moore). The sound mix is fun, but you can get that with dozens of better films. So
I'm afraid this one is strictly for the Van Damme completists. For them, Universal has provided a
nicely done catalogue title. Let the wailing commence.
As part of its 100th Anniversary, Universal Studios Home Entertainment will offer re-issues of catalog titles, and the Quest Blu-ray will arrive in the March wave. Jean-Claude Van Damme (Universal Soldier) makes his directorial debut with this thriller about a ...
