HIGHLANDER

US/UK, 1986, 116 minutes, Colour.
Christopher Lambert, Sean Connery, Roxanne Hart, Clancy Brown, Jon Polito, Sheila Gish, James Cosmo, Celia Imrie.
Directed by Russell Mulcahy.

Highlander was an entertaining action adventure of the mid-1980s. French actor Christopher Lambert had appeared in Luc Besson’s Subway as well as in The Legend of Greystoke. With Highlander, he began a series of action adventures which was to continue for the next twenty years. There were also four sequels to Highlander, taking his character and inventing other mythologies.

In this film, the mythology is that a highlander of the 16th century is wounded but does not die. His fellow villagers think that he is possessed by the Devil and expel him. He meets a Spaniard, played by Sean Connery with a Scottish accent, who explains to him that he is immortal. Over the centuries, he clashes with the villain, the Kurgan, played by Clancy Brown. He eventually moves into New York in the 20th century, including the local police, a journalist.

The film builds up to a climax between the Highlander, Connor MacLeod?, and the Kurgan. The way to defeat the enemy is only by decapitation and absorbing the power of the loser.

The film caught the popular imagination and sequels continued also for twenty years. This initial film was directed by Australian Russell Mulcahy who had directed such films as Razorback and was to direct Ricochet, Highlander 2: The Quickening, Blue Ice and The Real McCoy?.

1. An enjoyable film? 1980s visuals and visual style, music? history, time travel, heroics, violence?

2. The work of Russell Mulcahy, video clips, visual style, audio-visual, editing?

3. Contemporary New York: grim? The wrestling, the car parks, the slums, the police precincts, museums? The contrast with the highlands, the rugged beauty, the 16th century? The old world and the new? The later Scottish sequences? The World War Two period?

4. Visuals: colour, movement, angles, pace, assault on the senses, delight? Effects and stunts?

5. The musical score and its moods, songs? Video style?

6. The introduction and the notes about the Immortals? Special, their birth, no death, continuing in life, capacity for love, loneliness, the struggle between good and evil, training for survival, fights and destruction, victory and the prize? The theme or immortality, living and not dying? The experience of isolation, changes, adaptation, letting go? The value of ordinary mortality?

7. Russell Nash and the opening, the sweep of the wrestling, focusing on him, the car park, the assault, the vigorous swordfight, the death of the Immortal and the electric reaction? The police and their investigations? Brenda and her curiosity? The book, her becoming involvement, his knowing the truth about her? The pursuit by Kuzzin? The confrontation? Russell's cover, his work, his store? The antiquities? His relationship with Rachel, saving her as a child, her work for him? His leave-taking? Brenda and her being kidnapped? The Silver Cup sign? The spectacular battle, colour, night, the water, grim? The choreography of the battle? His victory? The hero - and the reward of becoming human and mortal?

8. Connor MacLeod: young, in battle, the enemies, his love, his being wounded, death, recovery? People's reaction to him, hostility, not knowing him? His being banished? Wandering? The encounter with Ramirez? Friendship, training, apprenticeship? The warnings about love and commitment? The meeting with Heather, falling in love with her, marrying her, her growing old as he didn't? Connor McLeod? as the Highlander?

9. Kuzzin and his past, the battle, his reappearance? The 20th century bikie, appearance, neck wounds? The hotel and his treatment of the desk clerk, the prostitute? Candy? Crass and brutal? The cars and his crashing, the old couple and the old lady? The police? The kidnapping of Brenda, the spectacular drive, smashes? The final confrontation, battle and defeat?

10. Brenda and her expertise, investigations, her book, in love with Russell, the dates, the affair, being captured, the car chase, hostage on the Silver Cup sign? The happy ending?


11. Heather and her love for Connor, their life together? Her death?

12. Sean Connery's style as Ramirez, dapper, Egypt, his warrior skills, training, wisdom? His death? The voice-over inspiration? His final appearance?

13. The picture of the New York police, personalities, styles, investigations?

14. A popular 1980s concoction of heroics and audio-visual gloss?