‘Highlander’ (1986), There Can Be Only One!

Connor Macleod (Christopher Lambert) was born in the Highlands of Scotland (Glenfinnan on the shores of Loch Shiel) in 1518. One day he is mortally wounded in battle with another clan by Kurgan/Victor Kruger (Clancy Brown). He miraculously recovers and his own clan fears it the work of evil and is going to beat him to death until a friend releases him to escape with his life.

Macleod begins a new life with Heather (Beatie Edney), his wife, until meeting Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez (Sean Connery), who teaches him how to defend himself as an immortal and can only die if he is decapitated by another immortal. He also teaches him that the immortals are a race of beings who cannot have children and are meant to do battle with each other until one is decapitated to receive “The Quickening,” when one immortal receives the power of another, until there is only one immortal left — the final battle (“The Gathering”) will be for “The Prize.” One day Macleod is away and Kruger battles Ramirez and kills him and rapes his wife which Macleod never discovers.

In present day New York City 1985, MacLeod, currently known as Russell Nash, is a successful antique dealer and he raises suspicions of the police when his latest opponent is found decapitated in a parking lot. His opponent’s sword is found at the crime scene by Brenda Wyatt (Roxanne Hart), a detective and metallurgy expert, who tries to entrap MacLeod and they later become lovers after she finds out he is an immortal. The time of “The Gathering” is quickly approaching and Macleod must prepare to do battle with Kruger once again.

“Highlander” is definitely a 80s film in every sense. It’s an action adventure with minimal plot but still cool, especially to viewers who grew up in the 80s but is open to almost all ages. There is a certain kind of magic with the simple story of sword fighting but at the same time complex when you consider the layers of emotions beneath the action and violence. It is also a romantic story which brings a sort of realism that raises the movie from purely action to a moving drama.

The basic orchestral soundtrack would normally be what the average action film would use but the “Highlander” soundtrack also contains several Queen songs such as the franchises eternal theme, “Princes of the Universe,” and set the mood songs like `”Who Wants to Live Forever,” which is used to express how Macleod feels knowing the he will not age or die while his wife will not.

Actually, I happened across this song, “Princes of the Universe,” on YouTube recently. It made me want to see “Highlander” again almost immediately. I forgot how moving this song is for me and I just had to watch the movie again. This song gives me images of medieval immortal princes fighting, which is partly the song’s purpose. This leads me to my next point.

I consider “Highlander” to be an example of a modern story in the style of “Romanticism” that was formed in the 16th century. It involves the medieval genre of chivalric romance, which basically involves heroes, battles, and adventure — this is exactly what the movie is about. Some viewers will disagree but that is my gut interpretation of why I like the movie and the franchise.

“Highlander” is somewhat timeless but the effects and modern-day dialogue is a bit dated and cheesy at times. The part of the story set in the past has the potential to never be dated because it depicts a time period that I think will never be forgotten and will make the movie remain special.

The film work is very clean and crisp, very controlled. I think this is because the director used music video techniques such as fast cutting and pace-y music. This gets each scene’s meaning to us in neat clean packages much like acts in stage plays.

The story fluctuates between 16th century Scotland and 1980s New York City which makes the story feel layered, bringing us bits and pieces of the story gradually so as not to overwhelm it. I’m not a big fan of switching back and forth between two time periods within the same story but it seems controlled and with some purpose, not just for the sake of trying to make it seem more complex than it really is. Some of the story can drag a little bit at a running time of 116 minutes but it never really becomes boring.

I have one complaint about this story. It seems like the writer and director were making up some of the legend behind the immortals as they went. It felt like they were learning about the characters and rules along with the viewers. I could be wrong but the director changed a lot of the original story based on a script by Gregory Widen titled “Shadow Clan,” which he wrote for a class assignment in an undergraduate screenwriting class at UCLA and he sold for $200,000.

Also, the present-day story in which Macleod is a suspect in the beheading of an immortal in the parking lot is quickly forgotten once Brenda Wyatt really learns about Macleod. The police seem to drop the case rather quickly but do continue on searching for Victor Kruger.

The acting is good but I would not say great. It might be just a step or two above your average 80s action movie. Only a few characters/actors need mentioning as most of the rest of the cast are not crucial to the story.

The only A-list actor in the movie is Sean Connery and his role is relatively small, as Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez, a heroic immortal who trains MacLeod to fight better rather than just take advantage and easily kill him right away. I do have to ask why does a Spanish character have a Scottish accent? His character is one you just can’t help but like. Connery’s name most likely brought more attention to this movie than it otherwise would have.

I consider Christopher Lambert to be a B-list actor — it was one of his earliest movies in which he spoke English and it can be distinctly heard in his strange accent that is difficult to place (his voice trainer helped him achieve this). Regardless of his odd accent and less than stellar acting ability (not awful but not great either), his character is still very likeable with a certain amount of charm and heroics that makes you root for his success.

Clancy Brown plays the villain, Victor Kruger / Kurgan, with enough terror to make him a fairly good villain. He is a big guy with a menacing voice that makes his evil character more believable. He is another B-list actor but I think he has A-level acting ability. Brown and Connery carry the movie when Lambert just is not enough on his own. Some roles that Brown is known for include the movie “Pet Sematary Two” and TV shows, “Earth 2,” and “Carnivàle.”

Roxanne Hart plays Brenda J. Wyatt, the detective/metallurgy expert who becomes Macleod’s present-day wife. She does an adequate job but her character is just a supporting one.

Sheila Gish plays Rachel Ellenstein, a present-day, middle-aged woman who is Macleod’s confidante and antique store manager. Her character was discovered by Macleod as a young girl hiding from Nazis during World War II and has stayed with him all those years. She adds a touch of warmth to Macleod’s cold shell without a mate for a very long time.

“Highlander” is rated R for strong action violence, sexuality, and some language. I don’t recall any nudity and there is some blood but none is splattered and there is no gore besides the decapitations with the heads quickly disappearing on the set. Of course there is violence with guys cutting each other’s heads off.

The special-effects are sufficiently good for an action movie from the 80s but seemed a little bit cheesy to me. The lightning that occurs during The Quickening looks like a cartoon and much of it is, especially during The Prize quickening. The swords sparking while clashing is done with a wire from each sword to car batteries — one to the positive terminal and the other to the negative terminal, causing an arc of electricity when the two swords touched. I think it’s a simple yet ingenious effect!

There are a few funny scenes that add some comic relief from the seriousness of the characters. The funniest scene is when Macleod is drunk and dueling an aristocrat — Macleod keeps dying and getting up much to the anger of the aristocrat. Ramirez is also quite jovial and funny.

Overall, “Highlander” is deservedly a cult classic movie in the adventure, drama, and sci-fi genres that has spawned a whole franchise. It has some faults but should be noteworthy for rising above the average action movie with a unique blend of drama and romance in addition to the standard action. Give it a view if you have not done so or another view if you have.

Rating: 3.5/5

Trivia

A remake of “Highlander” is tentatively scheduled for a 2012 release. It is rumored to be called “Highlander: The Reckoning.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highlander_%28franchise%29#Highlander:_The_Reckoning

The quickening is actually a medical term for when a baby shows its first sign of life within the mother’s womb.

Quotes

Ramirez: From the dawn of time we came; moving silently down through the centuries, living many secret lives, struggling to reach the time of the Gathering; when the few who remain will battle to the last. No one has ever known we were among you until now.

Ramirez: Why does the sun come up, or are the stars just pinholes in the curtain of night?

Connor MacLeod: I’ve been alive for four and a half centuries, and I cannot die.
Brenda: Well, everyone has got their problems