Highlander

1986 "There can be only one."
7| 1h56m| R| en| More Info
Released: 07 March 1986 Released
Producted By: 20th Century Fox
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Synopsis

He fought his first battle on the Scottish Highlands in 1536. He will fight his greatest battle on the streets of New York City in 1986. His name is Connor MacLeod. He is immortal.

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Reviews

GamerTab That was an excellent one.
Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.
Nayan Gough A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.
Kamila Bell This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.
Fluke_Skywalker 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.
generationofswine Man did I ever love this movie when I was a kid. It's one of the first things I remember seeing in the theater.Dad never censored me as a child...it would probably be a major crime today to take a 6 year-old to see a movie like Highlander. People afraid it is going to warp the child's mind and make them shoot up a school or something.I never wanted to shoot up a school. I mean, now that I am 37 I'm starting to fantasize about pulling a "Falling Down" but....that is more of a societal thing. And, yeah...back to the review.Queen...you can't ask for more in a soundtrack than Queen. I mean, Freddy is still one of the best singers the world has ever known and, movie grabs you from the opening lines."HERE WE ARE BORN TO BE KINGS...." Thanks to Freddy you know from the start that you are in for a ride.And the script. It's a Gregory Widen story and he is one heck of a great writer isn't he? I mean, the stories that he comes up with are really out of this world. Backdraft is really the only grounded one of his major motion picture scripts.Let's do a story about people that live forever, who are all stuck in a game where only one can win, and have to chop off each others heads to get the prize. It's not everyone, just a few people and they really don't even know why they are part of the game. It was just explained to them by the other immortals that taught them and the ones that really knew how it all started are probably long dead.That is one heck of a pitch. It is almost too unique for its own good.And, wow, it turned into a great movie. So much fun to watch.But wait, there is more, they use swords and we are going to cast someone that is myopic in the lead...and the insurance is probably going to go through the roof.No, we aren't done yet, the myopic swashbuckler, he's French but he's going to be playing a Scot. And his teacher is an ancient Egyptian pretending to be Spanish, played by a Scot and the villain is a Russian played by an American pretending to be a punk.But it all worked.What you have is a movie that lives up to the band that scored it. It is smart, fun, adventurous, unique, so devastatingly unique that it almost hurts.It's like everyone went to a museum, dropped acid, and decided to make a movie and you just have to love it because so really crazy things are happening and...who doesn't love swords?
roddekker What I really applaud about Highlander is that amongst all of the cheesy sword-fighting and flashy pyrotechnics, it didn't take itself too seriously and I guess that's what gave this film its wacky charm.I was also mighty impressed with the obvious care that was taken with the scenes that were shot in the beautiful countryside and along the coastal mountain regions of grand, old Scotland.The one and only actor who impressed me in Highlander was Clancy Brown who played (with great relish and finesse) the viciously nasty and savagely vengeful Kurgan. Yep. I certainly got my money's worth when Brown's character showed up on screen. (Ha! What a hoot he was!)All-in-all - This pre-CGI/Fantasy/Action picture from 1986 was fairly satisfying when it came to the realm of entertainment. And, I honestly thought that director Russell Mulcahy clearly showed a lot of flair and style in his overall execution of Highlander's production.*Trivia note* - Believe it, or not - There have now been 5 Highlander movies, 2 television series, an animated series, an animated movie, an animated flash-movie series, 10 original novels,19 comic book issues, and various licensed merchandise.
AgentFauxMulder The original Highlander was a good movie, the kind of action movie that could only have been made in the 80's. It takes a novel premise, and explores it without taking itself too seriously.The movie follows the life of an immortal swordsman in a battle to the death with other immortals. So the movie cuts back and forth between two stories. One is a modern day tale about The Gathering, a final battle of immortals. The other is Connor's life story, beginning with the day he discovered he was immortal, and the events that shape him into the bitter and cynical loner he's become.I find the flashback parts to be more enjoyable, especially when Sean Connery shows up. He portrays Connor's best friend and mentor at a critical time in his life, and he manages to feel like he's in the entire movie when his screen time is actually quite small. His performance is a good fit for the movie, unlike the campy acting in the sequel, as he manages to be light-hearted and fun at the same time he's a fierce and capable warrior, who could easily win The Prize himself.The modern story follows three plot threads: a police investigation into the murdered immortals, The Gathering, and a love story that bridges the other modern two plots. The police are brutal, bigoted, corrupt and unsympathetic characters ,and there is a very isolated feel to Connor's world. It gives a dark seriousness to the movie.Mulcahy did a good job with this movie visually. This movie was his transition from music videos, and the influence of that medium is noticeable. Working in an artform without dialogue and having to tell a story in 3 minutes means knowing how to tell the story visually and keep the pace going. There are a lot of visuals that might be iconic, such as Connor walking down the street, Kurgen's tower duel, and the final battle. That video feel is helped by the soundtrack. The movie famously features Queen and Michael Kamen, and introduces the song Who Wants To Live Forever.It's a bit campy and ridiculous at times, often over-the-top, but one of my favorite movies. The sequels, however, ruin the film, as all of them retcon the ending and other details of this movie. Whatever kind of magic made this film work is not in the sequels at all, and this movie should stand by itself.