I’ve always had a soft spot for 1996’s The Quest. One of Jean-Claude Van Damme’s lesser appreciated titles from his 90’s output, it was also his directorial debut and marked a kind of throwback to the tournament fight formula which made him famous, with the likes of Bloodsport and Kickboxer.

In a way, it came a few years too late and possibly made less of an impact than it could have done as a big theatrical release under the Universal banner. At this time, the VHS martial arts craze was strong, but mainstream audiences weren’t seeing these films on the big screen, and the critics weren’t too kind either. This has always a been a genre for the fans, and it felt like Van Damme made it for the fans, and for himself, with many nods and references to his earlier work - going full circle. Looking back now, it looks very impressive, holds up well and is a hugely enjoyable outing.

In an exotic period piece which takes JCVD from the slums of 1920s New York to the mysterious Lost City of Tibet, it’s a fight film on an epic, different scale. Christopher Dubois (Van Damme) is a street criminal on the run from the police, thrust into a forbidding realm of gun smugglers, pirates and an ancient, underworld martial arts competition. The legendary contest, known as the Ghan-gheng, pits the world's deadliest fighters against each other in a furious winner-takes-all battle. Forced to compete, Dubois faces the ultimate test of manhood where one wrong move could cost him not only the competition, but his life. The film co-stars Roger Moore (The Wild Geese), James Remar (The Warriors), Janet Gunn (TV’s Silk Stalkings), Jack McGee (The Fighter) and Aki Aleong (Pound of Flesh).

The film also features actor and filmmaker Louis Mandylor who would go on to star in CBS action series Martial Law, opposite Sammo Hung, and films such as Sinners and Saints, Daylight’s End and The Debt Collector, the latter alongside Scott Adkins. Interviewed extensively in my second Life of Action book, Mandylor shares some fun stories from his time filming The Quest and memories from auditioning and shooting this movie back in 1995.

The new Blu-ray re-release from 101 Films was a pleasure to revisit and the film looks and sounds great, and holds up well. Despite a troubled production history, this was an ambitious shoot and, for me, shows an action star at the top of his game taking a swing at something very big. Even now, despite some script and continuity issues and a slightly unbalanced structure (the film always felt very drama heavy in the first half and fight heavy in the second), it’s an amazing achievement and an undoubtedly underrated martial arts film from the 90’s, with genuinely memorable action scenes and grand set pieces.

The new release features some very nice extras including extensive interview (and personal photo archive) from actor Jack McGee sharing hilarious stories about working with Roger Moore and the friendship they developed, plus an interview with stuntman and now action veteran Mike Lambert (Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword) and an informative audio commentary with martial arts cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema. All in all, this is a must-have for genre fans and a no-brainer for JCVD completists. “New York city!!!”

The Quest is out now on Blu-ray from 101 Films

Revisiting Van Damme's The Quest