Highlander (1986)

Director:

Russell Mulcahy

Writers:

Gregory Widen (story)
Gregory Widen (screenplay) ...

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

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

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:

Thorn EMI Screen Entertainment

Trivia:

Sean Connery and Christopher Lambert got along so well during filming that they called each other by their characters' names even when they were not filming and it was at Lambert's insistence that Connery and his character returned for the sequel.

Goofs:

Continuity: After the Kurgan beheads Kastagir in the alley and stabs the vigilante, the onlookers are watching the scene through the fence. When the camera shot is pulled back, the fence is clearly missing during the light show and then returns in the remaining shots.

Quotes:

Dugal MacLeod: [as the McLeods prepare for battle against the Fraziers] . Are you scared Conner? Ha ha!
Connor MacLeod: No cousin Dugal. I'm not!
Angus MacLeod: Don't talk nonsense, man! I peed my kilt the first time I went into battle!
[Laughter]
Dugal MacLeod: Aye! Angus pees his kilt all the time!
[More laughter]
Dugal MacLeod: .

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Vampire Assassin (2005) (V)

Soundtrack:

Hammer To Fall

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.