- Highlander is a good example of ridiculous entertainment handled adequately. It's not a great movie by any stretch of the imagination, but it is a movie about immortals with swords who decapitate each other to the beats of a rocking soundtrack provided by Queen. If you're an adolescent boy, as I was when I first saw the film, that all sounds pretty great. The director, Russell Mulcahy, started out directing videos for Duran Duran, and it shows. Quick editing, shouting, and broken glass abound. What moments of pathos are present have sense enough to vacate the premises once the opportunity for a swordfight arises, and that's probably for the best.
- The plot follows the long life of an immortal named Connor McLeod (Christopher Lambert) as he prepares to fight the dreaded Kurgan (Clancy Brown). Kurgan is one of the all-time evilest movie badguys whose rasping voice and terrifying appearance leave no questions unanswered. The two immortals are vying for "The Prize," which is some sort of omniscience, but is really mostly an excuse for guys to swordfight. After his first battle with Kurgan in medieval Scotland is interrupted, Connor encounters Ramirez (Sean Connery), who seeks to train other immortals to defeat Kurgan. Ramirez also helpfully explains to both Connor and the audience how the whole immortality thing works, since the rules are a little complicated. But all of this is told in flashback - the final battle takes place in late-20th century New York. On top of a factory where a forensic scientist (Roxanne Hart) is strapped to a neon sign, no less.
- So why does Highlander stand out from Krull or Masters of the Universe or any of the myriad b-list fantasy films from my youth? Well, one reason is the film's strange take on being an immortal. Sometimes immortality can be funny, like when you sink to the bottom of a lake without drowning or win duels simply by staying alive. Plus, it's useful for killing Nazis. But then there are the downsides of getting banished from your hometown, watching loved ones (Beatie Edney) die, or having to reinvent your identity every several decades. It's nothing terribly profound, but the film does feature an impressive variety of tones. Also notable is the film's bizarre casting of a Swiss-American actor as a Scot and a Scot as an Egyptian Spaniard. The real reason for Highlander's enduring fame, however, is that it is a movie predicated upon swordfighting decapitation. It's a niche, sure, but a memorable one.
- Alan North and Jon Polito were also in this film as cops.
