Highlander (1986)

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

Director:

Russell Mulcahy

Writers:

Gregory Widen (story), Gregory Widen (screenplay)

Stars:

Christopher Lambert, Sean Connery, Clancy Brown

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Christopher Lambert	...	Connor MacLeod
Roxanne Hart	...	Brenda Wyatt
Clancy Brown	...	Kurgan
Sean Connery	...	Ramirez
Beatie Edney	...	Heather (as Beattie Edney)
Alan North	...	Lt. Frank Moran
Sheila Gish	...	Rachel Ellenstein
Jon Polito	...	Det. Walter Bedsoe
Hugh Quarshie	...	Sunda Kastagir
Christopher Malcolm	...	Kirk Matunas
Peter Diamond	...	Fasil
Billy Hartman	...	Dugal MacLeod
James Cosmo	...	Angus MacLeod
Celia Imrie	...	Kate
Alistair Findlay	...	Chief Murdoch

Storyline

In New York City, the owner of a sophisticated antique shop Russell Edwin Nash is challenged to a sword fight in the parking lot of the Madison Square Garden by a man called Iman Fasil that is beheaded by Russell. He hides his sword and is arrested by the police while leaving the stadium. Russell recalls his life in the sixteenth century in Scotland, when he is Connor MacLeod, and is fatally wounded in a battle against another Clan. However, he surprisingly survives and his Clan believes he has a pact with the devil and expels him from their lands. Then he meets Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez, who explains that he is immortal unless he is beheaded. Further, the immortals dispute a game killing each other and in the end only one survives receiving a prize with the power of the other immortals. Russell is released by the police, but the snoopy forensic agent Brenda J. Wyatt is attracted by the case since she found fragments of an ancient Katana and follows Russell. But the also ...

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Plot Keywords:

immortal | swordsman | scotland | cult film | combat | 

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Taglines:

There can be only one.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Fantasy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Some scenes were deleted from the movie and ended up being lost forever when they were destroyed in warehouse fire. One of these was a duel sequence that introduced an Asian immortal named Yung Dol Kim. In this deleted scene, Kim was working as a night security guard in a New York City office building at the time of the Gathering, where he was challenged by the Kurgan. Kim fights Japanese two-sword style. During the fight, Kim surrenders wearying of Immortal life and is willing to suicide himself. The Kurgan takes his head and the body explodes out of the fortieth floor of the building. In the continuity of the movie, the Kurgan's duel with Kim takes place before his duel with Kastagir. A few stills from the sequence, some in color, and others in black-and-white, did survive and were later used in the collectible card game based on this movie for cards featuring the Kim character. Other deleted and lost scenes are a flashback where Connor meets with Thomas Jefferson, a bar scene when Connor and Kastagir go out for a drink and are partying in the bar, where they meet Detective Walter Bedsoe, who ends up drinking and partying with them. This scene also expanded more on Kastagir and Connor's relationship, and revealed that they met during the American Revolutionary War. There was also a scene in which Connor shows Brenda his katana, the sword she was so intrigued about after finding metal shards from it in the parking garage, after their sex scene.

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Goofs

Brenda, a weapons expert, calls the sword a "samurai". Samurai refers to the Japanese swordsman. His weapon is called a "katana". (In mitigation, she is talking to non-experts and may well just be dumbing down for their sake.)

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Quotes

Rachel: Will you listen to me for one moment? You can't hide your feelings from me! I've known you too long.
Connor MacLeod: What feelings?
Rachel: How about loneliness?
Connor MacLeod: I'm not lonely. I've got everything I need right here.
Rachel: Oh no you don't. You refuse to let anyone love you.
Connor MacLeod: Love is for poets.

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Alternate Versions

Uncut version has Fazil doing a backward cartwheel as he flees from MacLeod in the parking garage.

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Connections

Referenced in Na plovárne: Na plovárne s Christopherem Lambertem (2014)

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Soundtracks

Gimme the Prize (Kurgan's Theme)
(uncredited)
Performed by Queen
Written by Brian May

User Reviews

A Good Film Whose Reputation Has Been Dragged Down By Poor Sequels

When I first saw this film, I thought it was great. Connery is good, Lambert does passably well, the effects are good, the idea of a bunch of special individuals who had known about each other (and in some cases, liked each other) for centuries being drawn together, knowing that only one could come out alive. The effects were, at the time, good and had not been flogged to death. I even enjoyed the introductory clan-on-clan warfare.

Then came Highlander 2, a film which deserved its place on the Bottom 100 and the nadir of Sean Connery's career. As someone else said about that film: "don't break every rule you set up in the first film." Even the series didn't do that. And the reputation of the first good film suffered.

Separating the first film from the bad sequels, and a series that a lot of people can take or leave, it is still a good film. Unfortunately, a good idea was taken and flogged to death afterward.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 March 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dark Knight

Filming Locations:

The Storr, Isle of Skye, Highland, Scotland, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$16,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,453,021, 9 March 1986

Gross USA:

$5,900,000

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$5,900,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Thorn EMI Screen Entertainment, Davis-Panzer Productions, Highlander Productions Limited

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min 110 min (theatrical)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo (35 mm prints) 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1