Highlander
(R, 1:56:39, Released 1986)
| Genres: | Action & Adventure, Science Fiction & Fantasy |
| Release Date: | Mar 7, 1986 |
| DVD Release Date: | Mar 15, 2000 |
| Starring: | Christopher Lambert, Roxanne Hart, Clancy Brown, Sean Connery, Beatie Edney, Alan North, Sheila Gish, Jon Polito, Ron Berglas, Anthony Fusco |
| Directed by: | Russell Mulcahy |
| Synopsis: | With the ultimate throw-down -- "There can be only one" -- Highlander captured the imaginations of fantasy fans seeking a well-executed swordplay epic, becoming a cult classic in the process. Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert) is one of a waning few survivors of a clan of immortals. The breed have been dueling each other for centuries in the quest to be the last one remaining, and hence achieve a supreme enlightenment that would be dangerous in the wrong hands. The immortals can only die by decapitation, so they hunt each other over the centuries and across continents to meet for each decisive duel, which will bring one of them a step closer to ultimate power. In present-day America, the troubled hero MacLeod lives a brooding and lonely existence, having lost his true love centuries ago. The evil Kurgan (Clancy Brown), an immortal who plans to use his power toward unspeakable ends, has fought MacLeod before but is still trying to finish him off. After emerging victorious from a parking garage skirmish with the third-to-last immortal, MacLeod knows that only Kurgan is left, and the two are on a collision path toward the inevitable. In the film's numerous flashbacks to the past, Sean Connery plays Ramirez, the immortal who first tutors MacLeod after the hero survives a mortal battle wound, prompting his fearful village to banish him. Roxanne Hart plays MacLeod's modern-day love interest, who tries to help him while struggling to believe his incredible story. The director's cut runs four minutes shorter. ~ Derek Armstrong, Rovi |
| Full movie details |
Highlander provided by Hulu.com
Refresh
It sounds awfully quiet in here... Be the first to say something!
My Rating:
| All of Flixster: | (62764) |
My Friends' Reviews
Log in to see your friends' reviews.
Other Top Reviews
-
January 3, 2012
Highlander is almost awesome in it's badness. From visible equipment, mismatched audio/visual, incredibly bad acting, cheesy and cringe-worthy dialogue, bad music, and some pretty awful special effects, Highlander had me torn: It has a really interesting and original concept that made me want to keep watching, but at the same time, it was so bad that I just wanted it to stop. I can't believe that they made this into a 5 movie series. Who would go see it?? Not me, that's for sure.
-
November 29, 2011
A race of immortals who have been living amongst us through the centuries are destined to fight to the death to claim "The Prize". With its formula of large men with phallic weapons lopping each others heads off in modern day New York City to a Brian May guitar riff, Highlander is one of those films that could only have been made in the 80s. The "modern day" scenes have actually aged rather badly thanks to some ropey effects, TV standard photography and dodgy score, but the real joy of Highlander is in the brilliant concept which is only really explored in the best parts of the film; the flashbacks. These are done so very well, and the presence of Sean Connery as Connor's mentor raises the film above its otherwise dubious pedigree. There's great chemistry between the stars and Clancy Brown makes an amusingly maniacal villain which makes it all the more obvious that there just isn't enough screen time devoted to the immortals themselves. A bit of a nostalgic guilty pleasure for me and I've still got a soft spot for Highlander despite its many flaws. There can be only one!
-
November 13, 2011
There can only be one movie with immortal time crossing sword action packed adventure, romance, with a ton of awesome songs from Queen. This is that movie! Finally I watched the entire movie, and I loved it.
-
July 17, 2011
Exciting cult film of a 16th-century nobleman known as the Highlander battles villians across Continents and centuries. I was especially impressed with the way that flashbacks were interwoven with the ongoing story. In fact, this is the only flashback movie I have ever liked.
The casting was excellent, as was the acting. With Connor Macleod I'm giving a fantastic character who is brilliantly realized through Chrisopher Lambert's complex performance. The change he goes through from young, innocent Scotsman to a sad, world weary antiques dealer is a wonderful achievement. I actually feel through his performance how lonely the life of an immortal must be, and how he keeps people at a distance whereas to not get too deeply involved. Sean Connery has a pleasant supporting role as an immortal who teaches Lambert the art of swordplay. Clancy Brown's performance as The Kurgan was joyfully terrifying.
The special effects are very well done and the costumes are fantastic. And the sword-fighting scenes are quite okay.
Best quotes: Hey, it's a kind of magic! and Don't lose your head. -
July 5, 2011
I'll be the first to admit that Highlander is not exactly the heights of quality, but I won't deny that this movie has high repeatability. Seeing Christopher Lambert and Sean Connery kicking ass in some nice sword fights is reason enough to see this little gem. So what if the acting isn't all that great, or the pacing of the movie isn't all that perfect. It's still enjoyable as hell.
-
June 14, 2011
A classic fantasy adventure with great action sequences and the fantastic music of Queen to keep the momentum going. Highlander does have it's flaws, but it's characters, style, and action make this film very fun to watch.
-
May 23, 2011
A timeless and utterly original epic that still has it all and proves it with all it's action-packed eternity. A masterpiece of the action-fantasy genre. A dazzling, stylish and breathtaking action-packed adventure. It packs powerful emotion, thrilling sword-play, a great soundtrack and fantastic characters all in one brilliant picture. Christopher Lambert and Sean Connery are magnificent. One of Director, Russell Mulcahy's best films.
-
February 21, 2011
I think I was the only kid at school in 1986 who had not seen Highlander and I always felt I was missing out on something. It only took 25 years to catch up with it but I can't help but think that I probably would have enjoyed it more had I have watched it back then but I suppose that's my point - Good for prosperity, like with most 80's films, but if you didn't see it then you probably won't like it now through the eyes of an adult. To be honest it's a rather stupid film with horrible acting, horrible script (not to mention racist and homophobic in places) and above all, it has a stupid story - I liked the idea of immortals that have been alive for centuries but it was never really used to its full potential I feel. I'm gluten for punishment though so I'll probably catch the sequels if they're on TV but I just find it hard to hide my disappointment with this one.
-
January 5, 2011
Highlander is the story of an immortal swordsman who is part of of a scottish tribe known as Highlanders. One of the fantasy action adventure films that I have ever seen, Highlander is one original piece of cinema from director Russell Mulcahy. The story is very thrilling and it's action packed with great sword fights and great acting. Christopher Lambert gives a great performance and so does Sean Connery. However the standout performance belongs to Clancy Brown as Kurgan, the main villain of the film who sets out to defeat the remaining Highlanders to get the ultimate prize. Director Mulcahy directs this incredible film with flair and his vision is astounding. Highlander is a well made, well told action fantasy film and is one of the best action films of the 1980's. There are many aspects to love about the film, one is the killer soundtrack by Queen and second is the awesome action that Highlander offers, and third its the concept of the entire film, very original and intriguing. The cast deliver strong performances and it elevates the film to a whole new level of good. If you love films such as Braveheart and The Lord Of The Rings and other fantasy action films, then give Highlander a viewing, it's a richly detailed action packed picture with a great story and terrific actors.Highlander is a highly underrated film that doesn't deserve the flack it has received. Watch only if you like fantasy action films.
-
November 23, 2010
Still one of my favorite movies with one of the best villains. If I could time travel I would not kill baby Hitler but I would instead stop the sequels and TV show from being made.
-
November 4, 2010
I didn't like this movie. I thought it was extremely boring and stupid. It got interesting at some parts but overall it wasn't worth my time.
Grade: D -
May 29, 2010
While Highlander is by no means a good movie, it is so bizarre and entertaining to make for a great viewing experience. The plot is all over the place and hypocritical, but I wouldn't want it any other way. It defies all logic and seriousness with its characters and design. Every time they take you back to the 15th century and then back to 1986, it's like a glorious trip into nonsense. A lot of the credit to this movie has to go to its star, Christopher Lambert. He is by far one of the most strange human beings to ever walk in front of the camera. His over excitement, quadruple accent and vision impairment make Connor MacLeod seem like the most confusing and difficult character to figure out. Another important element is the highly outlandish soundtrack that was done by Queen. "Princes of the Universe" really gives you a sense of what the movie will be like. The interspersing of tracks throughout the movie is hilarious, it seems like no one listens to anything but Queen. With that, you get this strange motivation to love and be captivated by this unique type of movie. Sure it might look like a Terminator knock-off or a Star Wars like premise, but in no way does it have that impression after about five minutes in. I feel like everyone needs to see this at least once because it's just so incredibly fun.
-
May 22, 2010
"There can only be one!"
An immortal Scottish swordsman must confront the last of his immortal opponent, a murderously brutal barbarian who lusts for the fabled "Prize".
REVIEW
This is, bluntly, not one of sci-fi's finest hours. Leaden acting from Lambert, silly production values (especially during the fight between Connery and Brown), and totally over-the-top music all contribute to dragging this film down to farce level. I've never seen the sequel, but can it really be much worse?
Tons of story elements are ripped off from "Star Wars," which of course ripped off older stories as well. Note that the wise guru character (Connery) is killed by the villain after training the hero to become a master swordsman. Sound familiar? And, as is also the case in "Star Wars," the murdered guru is a much better actor, and a more interesting character, than his disciple. So the moment Connery leaves this movie, my interest tanks. Not that it was really being sustained to begin with. -
August 9, 2009
Probably the best thing about this movie is the fictional accolade, "Oscar for Best Movie Ever Made" given to it by Ricky Bobby. The plot is very interesting but is not drawn out well and is vague. Yes it has Sean Connery as a 2,000 year old Egyptian dressed like Don Quixote, it also has a great soundtrack by Queen. But Christopher Lambert and the bad guy are soooo baaadddd, weird and kind of creepy. Christopher Lambert's accent is crazy, I don't know where that guy came from.
-
October 20, 2008
A fantastic blend of science fiction and real life settings, this film gets just about everything right. Casting was practically perfect, with great performances, particularly by veteran Sean Connery. Connery and Lambert shared a great chemistry off screen which translated well on screen. And Clancy Brown as the Kurgan is to me one of the greatest and most memorable villains of all time. Bad to the bone, with a great, if twisted sense of humor.
The best part aside from the great swordplay were the flashbacks through history, which fleshed out the characters and their journeys through time. The scene transitions from present to past and visa versa were inspired to say the least.
The music by Queen was a masterpiece that superbly complemented the film. One particularly heartbreaking scene was rendered even more tragic by the haunting score. And the opening credits were announced with the pulse pounding "Princes of the Universe."
My only complaint about the film doesn't even involve the film itself, but its sequels. This is a stand alone movie, with an ending that no amount of brilliant writing could have worked around in my opinion. Some prequels would have been interesting, but that's about all that could be done with the story.
My feelings on the film are the same as they were the 1st time I seen it. I'm not sure if this is a movie for everyone, and can't with certainty say that it has a wide appeal. But all the ingredients for a great film are there, and it certainly ranks high amongst my favorites. Highly recommended. -
March 25, 2008
One of the two "Queen" scored films that are more 80's than most can handle. Nothing likea French guy playing a Scottish guy...and a Scottish guy playing an Egyptian Spainard
-
February 9, 2008
Yeah, if you're going to have a dumbass action movie, don't stuff it with an hour's worth of extremely boring dialogue to pad the tragic few beheadings. I'm not renting Highlander for the riveting narrative or characters. I'm renting it because I want to see bitches get cut.
Also, can I use this movie as a jumping point for my disbelief at how many people take Queen SO seriously? They deign to make music for shitty movies like this and people think they're the po-faced deities of rock. I like Queen and all but stop fucking offering them your babies because they did a long song with a cool title. -
October 23, 2007
Romantic immortality story
-
August 26, 2007
Highlander is a Classic ^_^
-
July 18, 2007
When I was younger I was obssessed with this movie and it will always stand as one of my all time favorites. As for the sequels, well..."there can be only one."
-
June 18, 2007
Low-budget awesomeness... though I'm still not so sure as to how one _becomes_ an immortal... a classic nonetheless.
-
January 18, 2007
great, if only the 26 sequels were nearly as good
-
December 27, 2006
The beginning of a very up and down series.
-
December 26, 2006
"There can be only ONE!" Oh, if only...
-
November 26, 2006
Another example of a decent first film but why did they start making sequels
