Highlander (1986)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Russell Mulcahy

Writers:

Gregory Widen (written by) and
Peter Bellwood (writer) ...

Release Date:

7 March 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Fantasy

Tagline:

He fought his first battle on the Scottish Highlands in 1536. He will fight his greatest battle on the streets of New York City in 1986. His name is Connor MacLeod. He is immortal.

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Immortal | New York City | Scottish | Scotland | Sword

Cast

Christopher Lambert	...	Connor 'The Highlander' MacLeod / Russell Edwin Nash
Roxanne Hart	...	Brenda J. Wyatt
Clancy Brown	...	Victor Kruger / The Kurgan
Sean Connery	...	Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez
Beatie Edney	...	Heather MacLeod
Alan North	...	Lieutenant Frank Moran
Jon Polito	...	Det. Walter Bedsoe
Sheila Gish	...	Rachel Ellenstein
Hugh Quarshie	...	Sunda Kastagir
Christopher Malcolm	...	Kirk Matunas
Peter Diamond	...	Aman Fasil
Billy Hartman	...	Dugal MacLeod
James Cosmo	...	Angus MacLeod
Celia Imrie	...	Kate MacLeod
Alistair Findlay	...	Chief Murdoch

MPAA:

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

Runtime:

116 min | USA:110 min (theatrical version)

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby | 70 mm 6-Track

Certification:

Germany:12 (cut) | Germany:16 (re-rating) (2007) | Germany:18 | Iceland:14 | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Italy:T | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) (director's cut) (1996) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia) (original rating) | South Korea:15 | New Zealand:M | Brazil:14 | Argentina:Atp | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Norway:18 (cut) | Singapore:M18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:18 | Netherlands:16

Filming Locations:

59th Street Bridge, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

EMI Films

Trivia:

The producers tested dozens of actors for the role of Garfield, the cop who berates MacLeod in the police station. The actors were Americans living in England, and the producers decided not to cast any of them because they had developed English accents after living in England for several years.

Goofs:

Continuity: Kurgan drives a Chevrolet Impala which switches to a Dart.

Quotes:

Connor MacLeod: [to Ramirez] If it came down to just us two, would you take my head?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Psych: Rob-a-Bye Baby (#2.8)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

New York, New York

Guilty pleasure #1

Still, one of my favorite movies of all time, especially if I watch the director's cut. Forget the sequel. Forget everything but the first movie. This was Gregory Widen's first screenplay about a world of darkness. It's great fun, but if you're looking for a FILM, just watch the scene cuts. Please, please ignore any of the franchise movies. Highlander succeeds because it's an '80s movie. The special effects, while not novel, were solid. The swords alone are why I watched this movie in my young years. The writing and the acting are why I've come back. As an aside, I know three people who can quote Highlander in its entirety. That's solid, too. It's an epic movie, plowing through the years. Epic battles, and an epic storyline.