Special mention should be made for one of the elements that works incredibly well in Highlander, and that's the wonderful song score by Laugh out loud decision to have the bad guy do acrobatics to get away, making for an uncommonly amusing fight sequence that is funny instead of But just as soon as you're sure that Mulcahy has a good hand on the directorial reins, we get some appallingly bad fightĬhoreography, including the ludicrious first showdown between MacLeod and a nemesis in a parking garage. The opening flyby of the wrestling arena is amazing, and gorgeous crane shots of ancient Scotland are similarly The transition sequences and several of the establishing shots for various segmentsĪre handled amazingly well. Mulcahy's work here, like the film in total, is uneven at best. Hyperbolic performance, which has him doing everything from destroying an ancient Scottish castle to licking a contemporary priest's hand while inĪ New York City Catholic cathedral. Other electric performance is the over the top turn by Clancy Brown, as the proto-punk villain Victor Kruger. Performance is flat and lacking the tormented energy it really needs to make this character come fully alive. Lambert has turned in some excellent performances in his native French tongue (notably Subway), but here his Lambert is undeniably charismatic, in a caveman-esque sort of way, and perhaps it's unfair to lambast him too badly, as he was still not anythingĬlose to fluent in English when this film was made (as Mulcahy discusses in his commentary), but soulful eyes and a hulking physique do not a Part of Highlander's problem, as it was with his previous film Greystoke, is the Neanderthal presence of star Christopher Lambert. Often just lying there like a decapitated immortal. Connery hams it up, to be sure,īut his performance is like a lightning bolt of energy in a film that otherwise lurches and halts from sequence to sequence, some working, others Quickly from a seemingly mortal wound, and then to school him in the art of what being an immortal really means. The film is also helped immensely by the colorful (both literally andįiguratively) cameo of Sean Connery, who shows up about halfway through the enterprise to explain to MacLeod (Lambert) why he has recovered so Highlander's trips back and forth from 16th century Scotland to "present day" New York City account for some of the film's narrative sweepĪnd help to at least partially ameliorate the often laugh out loud dialogue. AĬlose-up of star Christopher Lambert's face morphs into a wall poster of the Mona Lisa, odd to say the least, but visually arresting. A segue from beneath an icy stream up to the air gets us to two different time periods hundreds of years apart. Highlander does have some things going for it, including some great transitions between time periods which Mulcahy serves up with someĪt times astonishing ingenuity. Not aged very well at all, with wooden performances, oddly (and at times badly) staged action sequences, and lots and lots of big 1980s hair. With a legion of fans, most of whom were probably pretty young when the film was initially released in 1986, and who thrilled to its comic bookĪmbience filled with immortal Scotsmen (and other nationalities) and less than immortal dialogue and action. Somehow, against some formidable odds and initial critical disdain for the effort, Highlander has gone on to achieve considerable cult Mulcahy has had an at best spotty feature film career,Īfter having helped found and develop the then nascent form of the music video (he indeed directed the iconic "Video Killed the Radio Star"), and Larger scheme of things, this particular Wikipedia quote might be termed relatively accurate. (and its sequel, though he disowned that film after its release), does indeed seem to like fast cuts, tracking shots and, yes, glowing lights, so in the Much like John Ford, most of you are probably thinking. Misinformation, are occasional nuggets like this opening description in the Russell Mulcahy article: His work is easily recognized by his use ofĬuts, tracking shots and use of glowing lights. There, scattered amongst the misspellings, grammar fiascoes, and outright If you're ever feeling down and depressed, head on over to Wikipedia. This review repeatsĪppropriate information from my now (appropriately?) ancient 2010 review of the Heirs assigns have been putting out any number of versions of the film over the course of several years, and are now offering "new, improved" 4Kīoth standard and SteelBook packaging. "There can be only one" evidently does not refer to home video releases of Highlander, because Lionsgate and its international Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman, December 16, 2022
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