Disclaimer: For the purposes of this review, all Highlander's sequels, TV spin-offs, TV reboots, and associated dross are forgotten (but not forgiven) and as little reference to these putrid insults to the human spirit will be made as possible.
I had originally intended to do 2001: A Space Odyssey this time round, but felt more Kubrick would probably give this blog a pretentious film-buff air that, while representing my vanity and wankerish sublimely, is not how I want to come across to other vain, wankery film-buffs. Instead, here's a film that has garnered praise and pure unadulterated hatred in equal measure since its release: Highlander, something I very much adore in spite of its many, many, hilariously many, flaws.
While countless elements of The Shining are parodied and referenced in their own right, for Highlander one need simply know that 'There Can Be Only One!' (preferably bellowed, oversized and/or ridiculously flamboyant sword in hand, while rotoscoped lightning crackles through the frame). Simply put, Connor McLeod (Christopher Lambert) dies in battle against a rival clan in Scotland in 1536 and discovers he is an Immortal, a group of people who are (wait for it) immortal, and can only be truly killed through decapitation. Enter Ramirez (Sean Connery), a kindly and ancient Immortal who teaches Connor the skills necessary to survive 'The Game:' all Immortals are locked in a deadly competition, where the last one alive wins 'The Prize.' Centuries pass, and in 1986 New York Connor finally faces the Kurgan (Clancy Brown) - the Immortal who failed to annihilate him in Scotland - and wins the Prize which, of course, turns out to be mortality. And the power to read minds and influence people, but that's not important.
So, the plot of Highlander is really rather simple, but the director, Russell Mulcahy (of such acclaimed masterpieces as Resident Evil: Extinction and Scorpion King 2), relentlessly thrusts flashbacks at the viewer, slightly complicating MacLeod's story, especially during the last act, when a scene showing a World War Two-era Connor first meeting his assistant Rachel (Sheila Gish) is rashly inserted before the climax, creating a jarring note that provides little to make Connor or Rachel more likeable so late on in the film. Luckily, the crisp and velvety tones of Sean Connery read us a wodge of text before the opening credits, explaining the general concepts of Immortals and the Game a good half hour or so before his physical entrance into the film.
Which brings us on in grand fashion to the quality of the cast. Christopher (or Christophe depending on the market) Lambert has the broodiness required for someone as sullen as MacLeod was clearly written to be, but otherwise he seems an odd choice. A naturalised Frenchman, Lambert can't pull off a Scottish accent for toffee - clearly Mulcahy and co. decided generic 'foreign' and a suitably bizarre and off-hand remark in the film that Connor is form 'lotsa places' would suffice to gloss over this particular howler. Vocal qualities continue to provide a riot as Connery's Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez is (let me get this right) an ancient Egyptian who has wound up living in Spain for the last few centuries who, and why wouldn't he, sounds like Sean Connery in every bloody role ever. Why they cast a genuine Scot who can't/refuses to do other accents against a Frenchman who can't do Scots defies me, but the two have a genuine chemistry on screen that makes their shared scenes among the very best in the film. Connery's uber-tanned, flamboyant attitude brings humour to Highlander, and is sorely missed after Ramirez meets his end at the hands of the Kurgan. Clancy Brown, awesome as ever though for me always slighty Mr. Crabs-esque, is utterly unhinged and gets the second-best costumes of the film (behind Connery, obviously). The Kurgan is the typical action-movie villain of the late 80s and early 90s; huge, mental, and has an odd name/title, which a cursory Google search tells me is something to do with Mongolia.
Highlander, as I've already said, isn't referenced wholesale in pop culture as one could expect; other than Robot Chicken's 'There Can Only Be One Lohan' sketch (episode 2.24), the iconic yell made by every Immortal upon killing another is near-ubiquitous, and without the surrounding framework the reference to Highlander can often be missed. If you don't fancy watching the whole film just so you'll find yourself doing the same thing whenever it seems appropriate in your day-to-day life - and it is perhaps too often: two people fighting over an almond croissant? THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE - do so for the absolutely smashing soundtrack by Queen. Featuring entirely (bar one) original songs including masterpieces 'I Want It All' and 'A Kind of Magic,' Freddie and the band help to give Highlander the deliciously pulpy feel that I reckon Mulcahy was going for all along. At times it's hard to see how tongue-in-cheek or serious the film was intended to be (I put this down almost entirely to Lambert's poor performance), but Connery, Brown, and Queen elevate the film to something I truly love - hilariously cliched in its own right, wilfully ignorant of common sense, and a whole barrel of fun.
[Edit 18/08/2013: Changed original kick-ass poster to something less awesome, but that actually shows up]
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