Highlander (1986)

Simply A Masterpiece

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Connor MacLeod, a Scottish fighter in the 16th century, is killed in the battlefield, only to learn that he's unable to die. Banished from his village, he's taken under the wing of an Egyptian warrior, who's also immortal like him. Immortals can die only when they are decapitated, and are fated to be drawn to fight each other throughout the ages, until only one of them remains and inherits the mysterious "Prize"...Highlander is unique action-adventure film. It has a highly original concept conveyed through a simple story which it uses not just to provide an excuse to show sword battles in late 20th-century New York, but also to explore themes such as the how the passage of time affects people and how problematic eternal life would be. The action scenes are not spectacular for today's standards, but I think they work. The atmosphere, from medieval Scottish plains to dirty and dark New York back alleys, is impeccable. Although the side characters might not be very complex, the protagonist's personality does change throughout the film, making him enjoyable to watch. I also find that Christopher Lambert was a great choice for the lead. The British band Queen ended up writing a few songs for this film which, somehow blending perfectly with the story, are one of the main elements that make Highlander unique.Highlander keeps its mystery as far as the origins of the Immortals are concerned, and it concludes in what was, for me, an unpredictable fashion as we learn what the Prize is. Many attempts at following the story up with sequels have been made, but it's virtually agreed that they all fall short. In the end, as the famous line goes, "there can be only one!"

Generally speaking, soundtracks with songs written exclusively for movies that include the content of said movie don't usually work. Actors with thick accents and a serious lack of experience don't usually turn in performances that are actually believable. High-level actors with accolades of amazing performances don't usually lower themselves to do independent, low-budget movies with painted backgrounds and animated special effects.All that being said, every single one of those things happened with HIGHLANDER, and it is fantastic.I'll stick to my original rating of 8, because there's enough goofy material included into this film to bring it down to that number, but it's a HIGH 8, nonetheless. I've never seen any other movie with Christopher Lambert in it, who plays the lead character, Conner McCloud, but I know he's not exactly on the A-list, nor has he ever been. Clancy Brown, who plays the Kurgen, has been in more television shows and impressive films than I can easily count without references, and MAN did he have a ball in this role, playing the heavy. The supporting cast, including Roxanne Hart as the love interest, do very well in supporting the main conflict between Lambert and Brown, and Sean Connery does NOT steal the show from Lambert, although he certainly has the ability to. No, instead, like Johnny Depp in CHOCOLAT, he is there to strengthen the film, not take it over, and he does very well doing just that.The small problems with the film come in its over-the-top elements that we all just kind of accept, because we're left with little choice. The more times you watch films like this, the more you can see the tiny parts not really helping out the overall flow and plot of the movie, and sometimes that can be distracting from the main course of the film, hence the 8 rating I've given it. From painted backgrounds to animation drawn over the main filming, to police procedures and ridiculous side characters, this film has it all chocked full of silly, mixed in with semi-serious, in a way that somehow works, although looking at it from outside the film, there's no good reason why it should. There's a theme here, and it is stronger and more powerful than anything else in the film, and THAT is what makes it all come together.When I heard a few months ago that a remake is in the works, my stomach turned, as it always does when it comes to remakes. Don't get me wrong, I've seen at least a few that were solid films. But none of them have been better than the originals, which always leads me back to the main question: why bother? But I already know the answer. Money. If there's a chance the studios and the corporate fiends that run them can gain more green paper, they'll do it, and damn the consequences. It's amazing to me that those that have more money than I will ever see in my lifetime have nothing better to do with all that amazing potential than to simply spend their lives acquiring more of it, instead of using it to make new and better things.But I digress. HIGHLANDER is a fun, incredibly entertaining movie, that isn't aging too poorly, in spite of all of its silly parts, with an incredible soundtrack and a great cast.When they make the remake, who is going to fill Queen's shoes? And HOW are they going to do that?

Plot; Through the ages a group of men known as Immortals have battled for the mysterious Prize. Now only a few remain, and they have gathered in New York for their final confrontation.Highlander has a strong basic hook that doesn't hold up under much scrutiny, so it's best to leave your brain at the door and just enjoy the ride. And what a ride it is. With an over the top soundtrack by Queen, it's as much a rock opera as it is an action-fantasy film. Stylishly directed and featuring wonderfully grandiose performances--particularly Clancy Brown's menacing villain The Kurgan--Highlander wins The Prize. But skip the sequels. There can be only one.

HIGHLANDER is an established '80s classic and a fondly remembered action fantasy that has spawned numerous sequels and a television series to date. In my mid teens, I absolutely loved it and would watch it every few months, enjoying the mythology and the action scenes. Now, ten years down the line, I felt it time to revisit my teenage favourite. The bad news is that I found HIGHLANDER the film to be a bit of a disappointment, a film that felt clunky, clichéd and almost wearying at the seams. The biggest disappointment about the movie, though, is how much it has aged.Although the Queen soundtrack is still kind of cool, it has definitely dated the movie, in much the same way that FLASH GORDON will always be dated by its soundtrack. The special effects for this movie, aside from a couple of cool decapitations, are also terrible – the drawn-on swirls at the movie's climax being particularly bad, resembling the doodles a kid might have made during a quiet day at playschool. Although the mythology still isn't half bad, and the flashbacks to Scotland's history, whilst cheap, are still fun, the cast is a further letdown.Christopher Lambert is quite good but he seems unsure of himself, hampered by his poor command of the English language. Clancy Brown, whom I remember loving, is now an ape, and his overacting at the ending is quite unforgivable – Russell Mulcahy definitely should have reined him in during his rampage of destruction towards the film's close. Sean Connery goes for impish and annoying, although he has a certain charisma you can't deny, although his Egyptian character will always remain a mystery. One of the most unintentionally funny things about this film is the casting of actors playing other faces, not very convincingly (so we get an American playing a Russian, a Frenchman playing a Scotsman, and a Scotsman playing an Egyptian).The fight scenes are quite poorly choreographed and one of the film's biggest subtractions – whilst the destructive finale is okay, the rest are frankly dull. That's a shame, considering the talent involved; the very first battle (in an underground car park) features Peter Diamond, one of Britain's greatest stuntmen, so you think it'd flow a little better. Compare this flick with almost any Hong Kong movie from the same period and you'll see what I mean about the quality. The movie's highlight is a touching reflection on immortality as Lambert cradles his dying bride, very well played by Beatie Edney. Other than that, predictability and crudeness reign, and fond memories are crushed in the dust by the clunky, over-the-top direction. I find HIGHLANDER a very difficult film to rate because it is cheesy, it is dated and over the top, but it's also so-bad-it's-good in places and cheesily entertaining in others. You'll have to make your own mind up about it.