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Christopher Lambert (Greystoke) stars as Connor MacLeod, a 460-year old Scottish highlander who runs a New York City antique shop in the 1980s. He’s a member of a rare breed of immortals who are destined to war with each other until only one remains. The last surviving immortal will then win a prophesized ‘prize’. The film opens with MacLeod vanquishing a fellow immortal (Peter Diamond) in a Madison Square Garden parking garage. As a forensics officer (Roxanne Hart) investigates him, MacLeod prepares for the final battle with his final rival, a brute named Kurgan (Clancy Brown) who is creating chaos around the city. When they finally clash, who will be the last man standing, and what will be his prize?
Highlander divides its time between present-day 1980s and flashbacks from the sixteenth century. The present-day scenes provide intrigue and action, but the flashbacks are where Highlander‘s heart is. That’s where we meet Ramirez, played by Sean Connery, a fellow immortal who teaches Connor about his immortality and what destiny has in store for them. It’s also where we meet Connor’s wife (Beattie Edney), who grows old and dies while Connor remains young. These relationships give Highlander considerable dramatic weight, enabling it to exceed our expectations for a sci-fi/action genre flick.
The casting of Christopher Lambert is a dicey one given the actor didn’t speak English and struggles with a lot of his dialogue. But somehow, it doesn’t ruin the movie. He’s oddly alluring. Connery’s performance is in broad strokes, but he definitely brings charisma to the proceedings. Perhaps the biggest standout performance, however, is from Clancy Brown. His villainous Kurgan is a grotesque, animalistic, growling behemoth who rapes, murders, and beheads his way through time and space.
Australian director Russell Mulcahy (Razorback) works wonders to give Highlander an epic scale on a tight budget. His experience in music videos is evident in the film’s stylish climax, where Connor and Kurgan duel in silhouette against a wall of blue windows overlooking New York. The film packs a little too much storytelling into too short a run time, but it’s certainly never boring. Some moments are cheesy, especially during Connor and Ramirez’s musical training montage — an ’80s trope if there ever was one. But its easy to forgive a little cheese when you feel the movie’s heart is in the right place.
Contributing to that earnestness immeasurably are the musical contributions of composer Michael Kamen and the rock group Queen. Kamen, maybe more than anyone, opens up the scale of this movie with his grand symphonic score. The songs by Queen are a chef’s kiss to the audience, especially when Freddie Mercury belts out the heartbreaking “Who Wants to Live Forever”. The song is heard when Connor returns home to his 16th century home and calls for his wife. When she appears over a small hill, a smiling old woman, the impact of the lyrics and image are pretty profound.
With Alan North, Sheila Gish, Jon Polito, Hugh Quarshie, Celia Imrie, and Christopher Malcolm.