Highlander: The Search for Vengeance (2007) (V)

Directors:

Yoshiaki Kawajiri
Takuji Endo
(more)

Writers:

David Abramowitz (written by) and
Gregory Widen (characters)

Release Date:

5 June 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Action | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

In revenge, patience is a virtue. And after a thousand years, Colin MacLeod doesn't give a damn about virtue ...

Plot:

An anime continuation of the HIGHLANDER saga, following immortal Colin MacLeod's quest for revenge in the future.

Plot Keywords:

Immortal | Highlander | Hate | Blood | Warrior

Cast

Alistair Abell	...	Colin MacLeod (voice)
Debi Mae West	...	Dahlia (voice) (as Eid Lakis)
Zachary Samuels	...	Marcus Octavius (voice)
Scott McNeil	...	Amergan / Gregor / Lab Director (voice) (as Scott Mcneil)
Ogie Banks	...	Joe (voice) (as Hank Banks)
Janyse Jaud	...	Kyala (voice)
Jim Byrnes	...	Doc / Rudy (voice)
Kathleen Barr	...	Moya (voice)
Emma Fairley	...	Deborah (voice)
Roger Franks	...	Sergeant (voice)
Dave B. Mitchell	...	Malike / Additional Voices (voice) (as David B. Mitchell)
David Abramowitz	...	Additional Voices (voice)
Rebekah Brown	...	Additional Voices (voice)
Bill Fennell	...	Additional Voices (voice)
Gavin Hammon	...	Additional Voices (voice)
Bob Johnson	...	Additional Voices (voice)
Dennis Kleinman	...	Additional Voices (voice)
Thomas Perkins	...	Additional Voices (voice) (as Thomas N. Perkins)
Stephanie Sheh	...	Additional Voices (voice)
Andrew Tucker	...	Additional Voices (voice)

Directed by
Yoshiaki Kawajiri
Takuji Endo		(visual director)
Hiroshi Hamazaki		(co-director) (as Hiroshi Hamasaki)

Writing credits
David Abramowitz		(written by)
Gregory Widen		characters

Produced by
Peter S. Davis	....	producer (as Peter Davis)
Kevin Eastman	....	co-producer
Thomas K. Gray	....	producer
Francis Kao	....	executive producer
Shinichi Kobayashi	....	associate producer
Masao Maruyama	....	co-producer
William N. Panzer	....	producer (as William Panzer)
Joe Pearson	....	co-producer
Galen Walker	....	producer

Original Music by
Jussi Tegelman
Nathan Wang

Casting by
Dawn Hershey

Makeup Department
Jessica Moore	....	special makeup effects

Art Department
Hiroshi Hamazaki	....	storyboards (as Hiroshi Hamasaki)
Yoshiaki Kawajiri	....	storyboards

Sound Department
Patrick Giraudi	....	sound re-recording mixer
Wes Swales	....	sound recordist (as Wesley Swales)
Jeremy Duché	....	additional foley artist (uncredited)

Animation Department
Hisashi Abe	....	character designer
Hisashi Abe	....	executive animation director
Kevin Eastman	....	animation supervisor
Yutaka Minowa	....	assistant animation director
Yutaka Minowa	....	character designer
Masami Ozone	....	mechanical animation director
Joe Pearson	....	animation supervisor
Satoshi Tazaki	....	animation director (as Satoshi Tasaki)
Cindy H. Yamauchi	....	key animator (as Hideko Yamauchi)

Casting Department
Pamela Mattioli	....	additional casting: Los Angeles
Sharon Thompson	....	additional casting: Los Angeles

Editorial Department
Heidi Tebo	....	project manager: The Post Group

Music Department
Harry Cody	....	musician: guitars
Lisa Hannan	....	music editor
Jessica Harrison	....	vocals

Thanks
William N. Panzer	....	in memoriam (as William Panzer)

Production Companies

• Imagi Animation Studios

Distributors

• Go! Cinema (2008) (Japan) (theatrical) (director's cut)
• Ascot Elite Home Entertainment (2008) (Germany) (DVD)
• Madman Entertainment (2008) (Australia) (DVD)
• Madman Entertainment (2008) (New Zealand) (DVD)
• Starz Media (2008) (UK) (DVD)
• Starz Media (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• Tohokushinsha Film (2008) (Japan) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Airwaves Sound Design  dialogue recording: Vancouver, B.C., Canada
• Aoi Studio  sound recording studio
• BLT Productions  special thanks (as B.L.T. Productions, Inc.)
• Koko Productions  dialogue recording: Vancouver, B.C., Canada
• North Hollywood Sound  dialogue recording: North Hollywood, CA
• Techno Sound  sound recording production (as Techno Sound Tokyo)
• Virtualmix  post-production facilities
• Weissmann, Wolff, Bergman, Coleman, Grodin & Evall (WWBCG&E)  legal services (as Weissman Wolff Bergman Coleman Grodin & Evall, LLC.)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

Germany:86 min (European Film Market) | 96 min (Director's Cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:M18 | Australia:M | South Korea:15 | Germany:16

Company:

Imagi Animation Studios

Trivia:

The film was a joint American/Japanese production, with the American production company writing, producing, and providing music and voice acting, and the Japanese production company directing, storyboarding, and animating.

Quotes:

Malike:I lived a thousand years, boy. I have killed a hundred like you. Eh! There can be only ONE!

Movie Connections:

Follows "Highlander: The Raven" (1998)

Soundtrack:

Sacrament

Very disappointing

I am big fan of Yoshiaki Kawajiri and it pains me to see such a production with his name on it. Yes, the visuals are great, but even they get irritating as the movie goes on, because someone decided that almost every action scene and many of the ordinary ones should be done with 3D, and when you see that same method re-used for the 50th time in just 80 minutes... well not only isn't it impressive anymore but very annoying.

Whatever the problems the movie had, I wouldn't be that disappointed if it wasn't the *STORY* - awful, cliché after cliché, unbelievably cheesy b-movie lines and one of the worst juxtaposion of sex scene ever (lighting candles??? what the hell?!)... The script really ruins everything good, and the characters are very flat and stereotypical, not to mention most of their designs are almost copy&paste from Kawajiri's previous works. And not only the characters are copied but whole scenes (e.g. the battle on the rooftops - Animatrix: Program), and though not 1:1 you still get a bitter deja-vu quite often.

So thank you but I'd stick with Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust and Ninja Scroll - Highlander is no way near them.