After assisting this piraty Bond in capturing the ship, Dubois finds himself on an island near Thailand with the promise that a boat bound for America will be along shortly to retrieve him. Yeah, right. Dubois spends the next six months there, honing his skills as a Muay Thai fighter. He and Moore eventually cross paths once again, accompanied by a saucy blonde reporter itching to get some sort of story out of her stay in the far east. Mild hilarity ensues.

After an hour's worthy of forgettable antics, this loose collective of opportunistic thieves agree to venture to a secret underground Thai tournament in order to steal a giant dragon made of solid gold. Posing as guides for an American boxer bound for the competition, they venture deep into the heart of this treacherous land to collect their treasure and reap their rewards. However, Dubois’ interest in the dragon begins to falter when he realizes that he may actually have a shot at winning the Ghang-geng. Will our hero emerge from this spiritual and life-affirming quest with the title, the gold, and the girl?

If this all sounds vaguely familiar, that’s because The Quest is essentially a remake of 1988's Bloodsport, which told the story of Frank Dux and his journey to fight in Hong Kong's Kumite tournament. Which is no surprise, really, given Dux's involvement in the story development department. And trust me when I say it’s very familiar, right down to the impossible odds, the silent but deadly rivalry between Van Damme and an unstoppable foe, the sexy blonde love interest, and the exotic locale.

Given the similarities, one has to wonder why the big guy decided to use this premise for his directorial debut. If he really wanted to leave his mark on Hollywood, perhaps something a bit more distinct should have been pursued. Then again, what do I know? Hollywood thrives on formulas and rip-offs, so perhaps everyone thought this was a great idea and a potential box-office smash.

Aside from the opening and closing sequences involving Jean-Claude as an old story-telling gentleman wielding a deadly cane, The Quest is actually a snazzy little picture. The sets are wonderful, the costumes are near-perfect, and Van Damme’s eye for sweeping visuals is definitely worth noting. In fact, all of this impressive eye candy will distract you from the two-dimensional characters and a script that does little to separate this particular outing from the other like-minded films our hero has made in the past.