Highlander is not sword and sorcery in the traditional sense, no. While it does have a historical/fantastical setting (in this case, 16th century Scotland for part of it) and swords are used for fighting, there really isn't sorcery in this film. At the very most, you could make an argument that it's low fantasy...so I will.
I mean, c'mon. You have a bunch of people who can't die unless their head is cut from their body. What the hell would you call it other than magic?
...aliens? That's ludicruous!
Highlander is a franchise that began in 1986 with this movie - Highlander. It is, by far, the best thing to ever come out of the entire franchise with the exception of maybe the television series (yes, I'm sure I'll get to it eventually). It begins, most inconspicuously, with a wrestling match scored to "Princes of the Universe" by Queen.
Throughout the film, through both modern day segments and flashbacks to his past, we learn the story of one Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert) of the Clan MacLeod. Born in 1518 in the Scottish Highlands, and he is still alive as of 1985 (in which the film is set). In a battle against the insidious Kurgan (Clancy Brown), Connor is run through with a sword only to miraculously rise up again some time later from what should have been a fatal wound. Exiled from his home, Connor eventually weds the fair Heather (Beatie Edney) and falls under the apprenticeship of Juan Sánchez-Villalobos Ramírez (Sean Connery).
Like Connor, Ramirez is an Immortal, and it is he who explains their nature and their purpose. An Immortal cannot die unless an opponent takes their head. This results in sparks of electricity that wreck everything around the battle site known as the Quickening, in which the victor takes the knowledge and experience of his opponent. Ramirez tells Connor of the time of the Gathering, when all of the Immortals will feel compelled to gather in a single place and fight until only one remains. The one that remains, once all the other Immortals are slain, gains a power known as The Prize.
And thus, we are given the tagline of the entire Highlander franchise: in the end, there can be only one.
...advice that they should have used for the sequels, but never mind that now.
The flashbacks not only help us to better understand what is going on, but also to see how Connor goes from being the young man frightened after being suddenly restored to life in 1536 to being the incredibly jaded, stand-offish man he is in 1985. Despite the insistence of Ramirez, Connor does not leave his wife Heather and instead watches her grow old and die - the pair unable to have children due to the nature of Immortals. Ramirez, too, is slain by the Kurgan - which presses Connor harder on his quest to avenge him.
In the present, Connor is living as an antiques dealer kills one of the last four Immortals and, when the Kurgan kills the other, it seems that a showdown between the two is inevitable. Pursuing him, however, is a crime scene investigator named Brenda Wyatt (Roxanne Hart) and the NYPD who follow on from investigating the death of Connor's first opponent in the movie.
Does Connor survive and gain the Prize?
Well, yeah, obviously. While you might think that's a definitive ending, there's seemingly nothing that Hollywood can't make sequels out of. Very, very bad sequels.
The original Highlander, however, is great. There's not a bad performance to be found in the lot, everyone is doing absolutely fantastic. Christopher Lambert had reportedly only learned English a few weeks before shooting began, but that just makes his performance as someone cut off from the rest of humanity all that more meaningful. In the beginning, at least in the scenes set in the present, Connor is very anti-social and trying to stay away from other people as much as possible. Even in the scenes where he does interact, there's a sort of alien quality to him that really works for the character.
In the end, though, Connor is finally able to become one of the human race once again...plus a few extra perks.
Clancy Brown plays a phenomenal villain in the Kurgan, but that's really like saying the sky is blue. The man is known for having an iconic voice that works best for the tough villains or, say, drill sergeants (Starship Troopers review coming some time in 2021!) and the like. He has menace to match the voice. The Kurgan is not exactly a multi-faceted or developed villain, but he doesn't really need to be. We're not supposed to empathize with him or root for him, we're supposed to want to see Connor cut off his smug head.
Rounding out the main trio is the legendary Sean Connery, playing the only character - besides James Bond - that he would ever play twice. This movie is far, far better than the follow up, of course. Here, Ramirez is a theatrical showman and a wise mentor. He does well teaching Connor the rules of Immortals and preparing him for the Gathering in the only way you could in the 1980's - a montage. Even after he's done, his influence on Connor persists throughout the film with things such as Connor taking up his katana as his own weapon and Connor eventually taking Ramirez's advice to not allow anyone close to him.
The score by Queen is fantastic, but that - like Clancy Brown's performance - is like saying that the sky is blue. Miss you, Freddie!
The fights are pretty impressive, too, particularly the last one in traditional action movie style. It's nothing so special, but the character of Connor being so developed and seeing his struggle through the centuries makes it so much more meaningful.
More meaningful then, say...Duncan using a pair of kitchen knives to mimic the Road Runner and defeat the Guardian of the Source.
...yeah, I'll get to Highlander: The Source eventually. Deathstalker has put me in the mood to review some good things for a while.
We'll also get to Highlander II: The Quickening eventually. Please see my above statement as to why.
The take away here is: Highlander is a massive cult hit and a great movie. Go see it, you won't regret it.
Highlander is brought to us from Highlander Productions, the rights currently owned by Lionsgate.
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