Highlander (1986)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Russell Mulcahy

Writers:

Gregory Widen (written by) and
Peter Bellwood (writer) ...

Release Date:

7 March 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Fantasy

Tagline:

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.

Plot:

An immortal Scottish swordsman must confront the last of his immortal opponent, a murderously brutal barbarian who lusts for the fabled "Prize".

Plot Keywords:

Immortal | New York City | Scottish | Scotland | Sword

Cast

Christopher Lambert	...	Connor 'The Highlander' MacLeod / Russell Edwin Nash
Roxanne Hart	...	Brenda J. Wyatt
Clancy Brown	...	Victor Kruger / The Kurgan
Sean Connery	...	Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez
Beatie Edney	...	Heather MacLeod
Alan North	...	Lieutenant Frank Moran
Jon Polito	...	Det. Walter Bedsoe
Sheila Gish	...	Rachel Ellenstein
Hugh Quarshie	...	Sunda Kastagir
Christopher Malcolm	...	Kirk Matunas
Peter Diamond	...	Aman Fasil
Billy Hartman	...	Dugal MacLeod
James Cosmo	...	Angus MacLeod
Celia Imrie	...	Kate MacLeod
Alistair Findlay	...	Chief Murdoch

MPAA:

Rated R for strong action violence, a scene of sexuality and some language.

Runtime:

116 min | USA:110 min (theatrical version)

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby | 70 mm 6-Track

Certification:

Germany:12 (cut) | Germany:16 (re-rating) (2007) | Germany:18 | Iceland:14 | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Italy:T | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) (director's cut) (1996) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia) (original rating) | South Korea:15 | New Zealand:M | Brazil:14 | Argentina:Atp | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Norway:18 (cut) | Singapore:M18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:18 | Netherlands:16

Filming Locations:

59th Street Bridge, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

EMI Films

Trivia:

The quickening is a term for when a baby in the womb shows its first sign of life, its first noticeable movement within the womb.

Goofs:

Continuity: Speed of Sean Connery's legs moving when he runs along the beach VERY different to that of the stunt double's.

Quotes:

Connor MacLeod: I don't like boats. I don't like water. I'm a man not a fish.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Undergrads: Rivalries (#1.8)" (2001)

Soundtrack:

New York, New York

A Classic of the 80's

Highlander is perhaps the definitive modern-day, non-horror fantasy adventure. The use of flashbacks within the story is perhaps not unique, but the concept sees its full fruition here. Such integral "flashback storytelling" would later be borrowed by many movies and TV shows (the Highlander series itself, Forever Knight, and Outlaws among the latter). Everyone is well cast, from the major roles (Lambert, Brown, Connery, Hart, and North) to the minor roles (Peter Diamond, Hugh Quarshie, Sheila Gish, and Christopher Malcolm, among others). Of necessity, must be seen in the Director's Cut version. Various web sites also have the further "missing scenes," including the Kurgan's battle with Immortal Yung Dol Kim, and Kastagir and MacLeod actually having that party they mention.