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Orchestrated by:
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Ralph Ferraro
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Release Date:
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April 30th, 1996
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Audio Clips:
3. Old New York (0:31), 154K quest3.ra
9. Smile Please (0:30), 150K quest9.ra
11. Sentenced to Death (0:30), 150K quest11.ra
13. Monkey Boy and Snake Eyes (0:28), 140K quest13.ra
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Availability:
Regular U.S. release.
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Filmtracks Recommends:
Buy it... only if you can't get enough of that pleasant Randy Edelman
sound in all of its kickboxing variations.
Avoid it... if you already own Edelman's superior score for Dragon:
The Bruce Lee Story and are satisfied with it.
Filmtracks Editorial Review:
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| | Edelman | |
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The Quest: (Randy Edelman) Perhaps nobody clued him in
on this probable fact before this film was made, but Jean-Claude Van Damme
is much better at kicking people in the groin than he is at directing films.
Being so, Van Damme --the kickboxer who you always see getting into
enjoyable scuffles with relentless tabloid photographers on city streets in
real life-- decided to make The Quest his directorial debut. The
film, not much different from the formulas of the other kickboxing films in
which he stars (except for an awkward role for Roger Moore), was a critical
disaster, and went straight from empty theatres to video stores and midnight
showings on cable channels. The film wasn't laughable, per se, but it simply
repeated all the same old Van Damme moves in a poorer light, making it
useless if you've seen him bash opponents (or, best yet, kick over palm
trees) on screen in the past. Composer Randy Edelman, however, seems
inclined to take on any project of dubious merit and provide a decent score
for it. He is a model of consistency no matter the genre or quality of films
with which he is involved. He had been fortunate enough to be assigned
Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story in 1993, and had produced an excellent,
rousing score for that occasion. For The Quest, Edelman has many of
the same elements at work: nasty fight sequences in a pre-Matrix era
that were supposed to wow audiences, a slight oriental touch (giving the
necessary nod to the origins of kickboxing, not to mention the appearance of
a bad dude named, of course, Khan), and a pseudo-heroic theme of solitude
meant to expand upon the supposedly complex, but introverted character of
the film's prime brute (the kind of guy who is nice at heart, but man, he'll
kick your head off if necessary). Needless to say, Edelman could handle such
a project on auto-pilot. And that is exactly what he did.
But now comes the time to question the quality of this
Edelman auto-pilot routine. He managed a vastly superior score in
Dragonheart, as well as a better action effort for Daylight
later in the same year, and in both of those efforts, Edelman pushes the
same base sound in either more grand or rhythmic directions (respectively).
Without any distinct twist on the formula, there's nothing in The
Quest to really get excited about. Every trademark Edelman
instrumentation choice, as well as thematic variation, is clearly evident
here. His title theme is not as strong as the one for Bruce Lee, and it
almost has a glossy, faux finish on its synthetically simplistic nature.
Then again, maybe that's perfect for Van Damme. But everything is either
half-hearted or cliche in The Quest by this time in Edelman's career.
A soft guitar or piano provide pleasant underscore for a few cues. The
orchestra is layered with Edelman's usual synthetic backing (sounding
surprisingly simple in the same brass-as-accompaniment-for-a-whole-note way
that John Barry critics jump upon). There are choppy strings from
Diabolique, as well as the happy variation on the same string
movement that you heard in Kindergarten Cop. Unfortunately, there is
general lack of power (or enthusiasm) when Van Damme kicks someone
senseless, and these are supposed to be the highlights of the film! The
action material is stock from Edelman's library, often ending --just like
his themes-- on an easy and enjoyable series of major chords. The only cue
that stands out as original in this music is "Monkey Boy and Snake Eyes,"
which jumps right out from a Neil Norman recording of a sci-fi theme,
complete with space age sound effects and rhythmic series of droplet noises.
On album, it is a fluid listening experience, as to be expected from
Edelman, but its consistency is its own worst enemy. If you have several
Edelman scores in your collection, beware. There's nothing new here. **
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Viewer Ratings and Comments:
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• 1. Opening/The Dream (1:52)
• 2. Chris Beats Germany (3:27)
• 3. Old New York (1:20)
• 4. Invitation (2:34)
• 5. Khan Kills Phang (3:47)
• 6. Flashback (1:49)
• 7. To the City of Battle (3:46)
• 8. Drums on the Beach (3:12)
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• 9. Smile Please (1:28)
• 10. The Greatest Fighters (3:11)
• 11. Sentenced to Death (3:53)
• 12. Brazil Accompaniment (2:52)
• 13. Monkey Boy and Snake Eyes (1:09)
• 14. The Wire (1:05)
• 15. American Theme (2:18)
• 16. Finale/Fulfillment of the Quest (2:50)
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Insert includes no extra information about the score or film.
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