Survival Quest (1989)

Explosive Adventure From The Director Of THE BEASTMASTER and PHANTASM For five strangers from the city including a bitter divorcee (Catherine Keener of THE 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN) and a sullen ex-convict (Dermot Mulroney of MY BEST FRIEND S WEDDING) it was supposed to be the ultimate wilderness challenge: Four weeks at the North Rockies Survival Quest School led by a toughas- nails instructor (Lance Henriksen of ALIENS). But when the group crosses trails with an unstable and sadistic paramilitary squad a shocking accident turns their nature trek into a desperate struggle for life and death. Mark Rolston (THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION) Reggie Bannister (PHANTASM) and Paul Provenza co-star in this rarely seen actiondrama now fully restored from original vault elements under the personal supervision of writer/director Don Coscarelli.Runtime: 90 minsFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: R UPC: 013131514094 Manufacturer No: DV15140 Product Description

uneven fight for survival

I had seen this in VHS when it first became available around 1990. As I
was a big fan of Don Coscarelli, the director, because of his early films
"Kenny and Co.", and "Phantasm", as well as his first feature "Jim, the
World's Greatest" (not available), I bought and rewatched this film, which probably
would not have interested me had I not known who made it. As it turned
out, it is better than many of his recent efforts, though somewhat uneven. It concerns a group of average and fully believable adults who decide to take a survival
course in the Sierras, and little known to them, a competing survivalist
group led by a jerk much like the bully teacher in "The Karate Kid". The
ensuing events are tense, violent, but at times silly and overdone to the
point of absurdity. It would have been better if the mean guys weren't
quite so evil and childish. Still, an entertaining movie if you are in
the mood for an undemanding, but often exciting and interesting study of
what survivalist courses may be like, at least regarding the first of the two.
January 3, 2008

late 80's treat

I first checked this film out many years ago because of Lance Henricksen. He's a fine, under-appreciated actor. And very good here as 'mountain man' Hank Chambers, head of the wilderness survival program. But it is a very young Dermot Mulroney that steals the show. He portrays a jailed delinquent being put through camp for rehabilitation purposes. Each character that signs up for the course has their own set of quirks and vague backstories. The clash between the wilderness trainees and the military group is the center of the story that sets in motion the campers need to implement their fresh training in order to save themselves...There are the sterotypical characters commonly found in films with the 'let's work as a team' theme. And there is some 'hammy' dialogue, esp. at the end but it is over all a really good little movie. There is humor and action and some nice character development and good performances. For the behind the scenes info - it was on set of this film that Dermot Mulroney met costar Catherine Keener, to whom he has been married for about 17 years. Don't go into this film expecting "Demolition Man" or "Die Hard" type action. See it as a character driven indie film then you'll appreciate it much more. March 27, 2007

Wonderful, overlooked film

This is a seriously underrated film, and one which is well worth your time. A group of disparate characters sign up for one of those "Outward Bound" type classes, and learn that survival in the wilderness is not about who can get to the top of the heap and win the money, but about who you can rely on to help you stay alive.

I love this one. The scenery is incredibly beautiful, and Lance Henriksen plays one of the good guys. Watch for Dermot Mulroney -who met his future wife, Catherine Keener, on this film - looking young and vulnerable as a young punk set on the paths of righteousness by Lance's character. Look for Mark Rolston who played Drake in Aliens as the paranoid leader of the rival survival school. "They haven't dropped the bomb...yet." Lots of fun and a nice antidote to all those highly questionable "real world" shows. July 11, 2001

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