Hidden Gems: Highlander (1986)

*This article was drafted before the sad passing of Sean Connery on 31st October. An actual worldwide legend, famous for being the first (and iconic) James Bond. A diehard Scottish patriot, who started from very little, who went on to star in some of the biggest Hollywood movies, from Indiana Jones, The Untouchables, to The Rock and The Hunt for Red October. The world is a little worse off for his passing, and his unique accent has made been parodied by everyone at some point, making him famous the world over. This article is in part, dedicated to him RIP.

Now I know what you’ll be thinking, ‘Highlander…that 80’s movie with a French actor playing a Scottish guy with Queen doing the soundtrack??’. The short answer is yes! Why, well why not, maybe it’s the nostalgia, maybe it’s a sense of (weak I know) patriotism, the soundtrack, perhaps the story, the acting or even just the concept.

A cultural phrase to be used in social situations to show superiority

The movie tells the story of a highlander in 1536, called Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert) who after being killed on the battlefield by evil skull-wearing Kurgan (Clancy Brown), returns to life and is driven out of his clan and village. He wanders the highlands and marries a woman called Heather (seriously) before encountering a 2000 year old Egyptian, sporting a Spanish accent called Juan Sanchez-Villalobos Ramirez (played by Sean Connery, I mean c’mon who doesn’t want to see a Scotsman playing a Egyptian/Spaniard character in a movie called highlander?!?) who explains Connor is an immortal who can only die by being beheaded, as is Ramirez himself. These immortals duel one another hoping to kill and gain all the knowledge and experience from the loser when they are beheaded. The end game is for the final 2 immortals, on earth, to engage in mortal combat until only one remains, and gains the ultimate prize, the knowledge and energy of all immortals combined. Ramirez stresses how important for all of humanity, it is that this power doesn’t fall into the hands of someone like the Kurgan, as ultimately ‘There can be only one’. Fast forward to 1985 and the inevitable has happened with only Connor and The Kurgan remaining and the impending show down between good and evil.

So far, so good vs evil stereotype, the movie appears. However this would be a discredit to the movie itself. It takes the tired story of good versus evil, but gives us the twist that it’s been taking place over hundreds of years, if not thousands of years as hinted by Ramirez , who himself is 2000 years by the time he meets Connor. It also unique in that there is many players in the battle, how many we are never told, but that it takes place over such a long period of time, it’s fair to believe there are many immortals walking the earth. Similarly so, beyond the obviously evil Kurgan and the morally decent Connor we don’t know the motives of these other immortals. We do meet a few others beyond Connor, Ramirez and Kurgan, one of which Sunda Kastagir is a close friend of Connors, both of whom don’t wish to fight each other but know it may be an inevitability which also gives the story an extra dimension. The villain, The Kurgan, is also an extremely interesting character, played perfectly by Clancy Brown. He has some incredible scenes where he shows some real menace, and you get the impression he is evil personified. He also delivers some excellent one-liners, watch for the church scene when he starts to flick his tongue at some horrified nun’s before telling Connor ‘Nun’s…no sense of humour’.

‘It’s better to burn out, than to fade away’

Kurgan

An absolute classic from big Freddie and the boys

This movie is a product of its time, let’s get that one cleared up straight away. Filmed in a time when action movies, featured guys whose bicep circumference was larger than your thighs, holding a light machine gun in each arm mowing down hordes of bad guys, while walking away from an explosion in the background spouting one liners like ‘to survive war, you gotta become war’ (bonus points for you if you know the movie). So it had to do something different to stand out, but also it does contain the cliched rooftops fights, needless background explosions, and at least one guy spraying a machine gun, to make it qualify as a true 80’s action movie. It’s no worse or better for it. What it does do incredibly interestingly however is a having an amazing soundtrack featuring Queen (yes that Queen of Bohemian Rhapsody fame), to really give it an 80’s edge. Several big songs by them such as ‘A kind of Magic’, ‘Princes of the Universe’ ‘Hammer to Fall’ all appear. The most prominent Queen song in the movie ‘Who Wants to Live Forever’ was written by Brian May after seeing the footage in the movie of Connor and Heathers time together. Even more amazing is the fact no official soundtrack for the movie was ever released, even though the intention was there.

Big Freddie and the boys classic part.2 get the tissues ready

Interestingly for its time as well, the production team behind the movie decided to film the Scotland scenes, in Scotland. The opening fight scene between the 2 clans was filmed at Eilean Donan castle on Loch Duich, even though it meant to be the village of Glenfinnan at Loch Shiel. There is also an underwater scene that was filmed in a Scottish Loch where Connor MacLeod attempts to drown himself to test if he is truly immortal. Of the scene Christopher Lambert had the following to say, “The first time it’s a surprise. I thought the water would be cold, but not that cold. The second time you know it is going to be freezing. The third time you turn away and you say, ‘That’s the last take you’re doing.” The film crew also had difficulties filming battles scenes, as due to the classic Scottish weather the lens of the camera’s kept getting wet, and even the use of hairdryers couldn’t keep them dry enough to get much footage. Still interesting at a time, and on a budget of $19million (for comparison Aliens was released the same year on a budget of $18million that they decided to film for nearly a whole month in Scotland, instead of using Canada or closer to home as a ‘double’ for Scotland.

The final thing which I feel really makes this movie a hidden gem, is the way and the concept of the story is told. It’s obviously interesting that the main character is immortal, and there is lots of fun to be had with the fact he can’t die. But the way this is delved into, as well as the more mental impacts that this brings are what really make the heartbeat of this movie. We see what the affects are on someone who cannot die, while all those around him pass away, it’s no great spoiler to reveal that his early wife Heather dies. In a montage, which lasts less than 120 seconds, we see the decades pass until Heather is bed ridden, old and dying while Queen’s ‘Who wants to Live Forever’ plays. The irony being that to an Immortal these decades would seem like a short period in time, that a mortal’s life would in comparison seem like a drop in the ocean of their time. But we also still see that irrespective of this he is still affected by the loss of love. During the course of the movie Connor’s past is revealed to us continuously through the use of flashbacks, and we see him through the periods of time he has lived, and also the situations he’s found himself in, and ones in which his immortality has helped him (be sure to watch out for the drunken duel with the Aristocrat!). In one scene set during present day, we also see Connor sitting in his study surrounding by all the artifacts and treasures he has collected over his long immortal life. Later we also are treated to an excellent flashback scene, which shows us how his secretary came to be in his life, and what their relationship is like. All of these scenes really help to flesh out the main character, and make us understand how he ticks, as well as keeps us intrigued as to who this man is and what his life has been kept busy with all these years. These parts of the movie work brilliantly and in the same manner as Interview with the Vampire shows the main character through time, and how they have been changed by these times, as well as experienced them first-hand.

Trailer says it all really….hidden gem

Overall you could choose to continue to go through the rest of your life never having seen this movie and it would be no worse for it. It won’t change your world either, but at 111 minutes long, there is probably worse things you can (and probably have/definitely) watch (3 episodes of the Kardashians for example). There are sequels, which expanded on the back story, and later a tv show which continued on the story, none of which are really held in high acclaim, and some attempt to retcon some aspects of the original movie so I wouldn’t recommend seeking these out (although Highlander 3: The Sorcerer isn’t too bad). However sticking with the first Highlander, you’ll become intrigued by an interesting story, horrified by a villain who sometimes you can’t help but laugh with (and like?!), have your feet tapping along to a cracking soundtrack, enjoy Sean Connery attempting a Spanish accent, and want to know the history behind all those items in Conner’s study. By the end you’ll understand why…’There can be only one’…or maybe why you only need to see this one!

‘There can be only one!’

Highlander 1986, various

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