1592 Duncan is born on December 21, the winter solstice, on the shores of Loch Shiel, in Glenfinnan, Scotland ("Prophecy"). When Mary, wife to Ian MacLeod, Chieftain of the Clan MacLeod gives birth to a still-born son, the midwife offers him an abandoned newborn, Duncan, in exchange. Ian is the only one to know Duncan is not his son and ignores where he came from ("Family Tree").
1606 Duncan and his cousin Robert go after a wolf in the Donan Woods. When the wolf attacks, Robert escapes but Duncan faints. He awakes in Immortal witch Cassandra's cottage. She warns him of an enemy he'll have to face someday, Roland Kantos and that she was the wolf. Kantos is already searching for Duncan, but doesn't find him ("Prophecy").
1618 Duncan falls in love with Deborah Campbell, who is promised to Duncan's cousin Robert in a marriage designed to unite the MacLeods and the Campbells. Robert challenges Duncan to battle, after learning Debra loves him. Against his will, Duncan kills Robert. Debra later dies after threatening suicide when Duncan initially refuses to marry her after Robert's death. Although the pair are reconciled, she slips down the side of a cliff. Duncan buries her in an unmarked grave ("Homeland").
1622 On October 2, Duncan is fatally wounded battling the Campbells, but miraculously revives. He is banished from his clan by his father who fears that it is devil's work. Later that year, while wandering through Scotland, he finds his father who tells him of his foundling origins ("Family Tree"). He wanders in the Highland wilderness for a short while (The Element of Fire)
1624 Still not knowing he’s Immortal, or what that means, Duncan returns home after learning his village has been attacked and his father killed. He takes his father’s sword and pursues the killer, Kanwulf. Duncan stabs him, buries his axe and leaves him for dead, unaware he’s also Immortal ("Homeland").
1625 Duncan meets Immortal hermit Timothy of Gillian in a cave, who says Duncan will soon meet his teacher and explains that at the start of the millennium he defeated a great evil that comes into the world every thousand years. Duncan will be the "Champion" for the next millennium. Gilliam then fights him and beheads himself on Duncan's sword, so Duncan can receive his first Quickening and grow stronger to defeat the evil ("Archangel"). After awaking from death after the Battle of Glen Fruin, he meets clansman Connor MacLeod, who becomes his teacher ("The Gathering", Endgame).1 One evening in a tavern in Aberdeen, Duncan tells Connor about his first death and his banishment from the Clan (Watchers CD). Another time, Duncan and Connor exchange memories of their lost loves Heather and Debra (Watchers CD, White Silence).
1626 In Aberdeen, the duo helplessly witnesses as Connor's friend Carmichael is killed when his ship is destroyed by fire, started by Immortal pirate Khordas and his wife Nerissa. Nerissa shoots Connor in the chest, ensuring their escape (The Element of Fire).
1630 Duncan is looking for Connor, who's away on business, while being followed by Immortal Martin Hyde, who fills Duncan’s path with death. When he is unable to find Connor, Hyde appears to him, easily beating him. Hyde, however, is just trying to get him to lead him to Connor and has no interest in Duncan ("Prodigal Son").
1631 In Ravenna, Duncan learns an unstoppable move from Connor (Endgame).
1632 Back in Scotland, Duncan kills an unknown British soldier. It's his first beheading (Scotland the Brave). With Connor, finds Khordas and Nerissa, beheading Nerissa while Khordas escapes. Later that year, Duncan leaves Connor to make it on his own (The Element of Fire).
1634 Scotsman Andrew Murray becomes Duncan's Watcher (Watchers CD). Duncan discovers Devon Marek, son of the Duke of Willoughby, dying of a stab wound in the woods. Realizing Marek is Immortal, he tells him about it and that he will have to give up his inheritance. After Marek tries to kill him, Duncan stabs him. Marek dies in front of his guards and has to give up his inheritance as everyone thinks he's dead, while Duncan escapes ("Black Tower"). Traveling through France, he rescues mentally challenged Immortal Ursa from superstitious peasants and takes him to a monastery ("The Beast Below"). Later, he visits Paris for the first time. Marvelled by it, he decides to see the world and travels to Italy (Zealot).
1635 Meets Immortals Amanda and Rebecca Horne on September 11 in Verona, Italy, when they approach him on the street and flirt with him, dressed as men. Amanda kisses him and picks his pocket. He retrieves it and offers to pay for their drinks ("Legacy").
1636 Italian Giancarlo LoFrano becomes Duncan's Watcher (Watchers CD).
1637 Working for the Doge of Verona, he is charged with protecting his daughter’s virtue. He meets the threat, Immortal Hugh Fitzcairn, but it seems the princess' virtue is long gone. The Doge demands Fitz’s head, but Duncan demands his right to retribution and “kills” Fitz with his sword, thus saving his life. The two become friends and leave Verona ("Star-Crossed").
1639 As the Duke of Milan’s bodyguards, Duncan and Fitz, fight against three swordsmen in Florence. They are enemies of the Duke. During the fight Fitz' Watcher, Guiseppe Montenegro is killed and they get a first look at the Watcher’s symbol, although it has no meaning to them ("The Hunters"). After Montenegro's death, LoFrano supervises Fitz for three years since he spends this time together with MacLeod (Watchers CD).
1640 Having dinner at a French inn, Duncan meets Immortal Kyra when, as Queen Anne’s protector, she battles some of Cardinal Richelieu’s guards. Duncan nobly shares the last room with Kyra and the two end up sharing the bed ("Patient Number 7").
1642 Duncan is 50 years old, when he learns how to read and write with Fitz in England. They have to walk a mile uphill in the snow, back and forth, to learn it ("The Cross of St. Antoine", "Leader of the Pack"). During this time they get acquainted with Immortal Mako ("Under Color of Authority").
1648 In May, Giancarlo LoFrano dies with the plague. A new Watcher is sent to Verona to watch Duncan (Watchers CD).
1653 Duncan travels from Italy aboard a Venician Galley, which is captured by Pirates. Duncan is sold into slavery, and purchased in Algiers by Immortal Hamza el-Kahir, who becomes Hamza's pupil. They meet Immortal Xavier St. Cloud, who challenges Hamza. When Hamza avoids the challenge, Duncan seeks to fill his place. Not accepting that, Hamza fights Xavier and is beheaded in front of Duncan ("Finale", Scimitar).
1655 Leaves Algiers. In October/November, in Venice, he meets Immortal Niccolo Machiavelli and his Immortal "Beauties" (Bernardo Caprio, Eugenia de la Croix, Sergei Aloysovitch, Annette Rouens, Cristofori, Paloma Alcina, Giuletta Fantini, Ruffio Mocenigo and Jean-Pierre) (Measure of a Man).
1657 Haresh Clay and Carter Wellan find Duncan and his new mentor Graham Ashe practicing in a field in Italy. Clay challenges Ashe, who sends Duncan to holy ground. Clay takes Ashe’s head as Duncan watches. Clay calls him a coward for not leaving holy ground ("The End of Innocence").
1658 In Switzerland, Duncan seeks refuge in Immortal Paul's monastery of St. Christopher that offers shelter to beleaguered Immortals. There he meets Kalas, an Immortal with a heavenly singing voice. Kalas’ spirit does not match his voice and Duncan discovers that he has been killing Immortals as they leave holy ground. He has Paul banish Kalas from his beloved monastery. Kalas vows revenge ("Song of the Executioner").
1659 After leaving the monastery and on his way to England, he rescues Immortal Kristin Gilles from two highwaymen in Normandy, France in June. He becomes her protégé and lover as she teaches him how to become a gentleman ("Chivalry"). In his time with Kristin, Duncan was supervised by Kristin’s Watcher Giselle Dupin (Watchers CD).
1660 Falls in love with artist Louise Barton, hired to paint his portrait. Later, discovers that Kristin murdered Louise. Almost killed by Kristin after telling he's leaving her, Duncan fights her but can't bring himself to kill her ("Chivalry"). In Evreux, Duncan meets and befriends Immortal Grace Chandel, a midwife delivering a baby ("Saving Grace").
1662 William Raleigh becomes Duncan's Watcher . In June, Duncan stays overnight in Norwich at the “Red Devil's Inn” and meets Immortal stone-cutter John Garrick, who is working in a church. The two befriend each other and Duncan remains in Norwich until December. When Garrick returns to his family, MacLeod promises to visit him (Watchers CD).
1663 Still in England, Duncan becomes an actor in Immortal Walter Graham's Shakespearean company, playing Kate in "Taming of the Shrew". He argues with Graham over playing Kate nicer, or having a part with a sword fight, and ends up fighting with the actor he replaced ("Timeless"). Raleigh also watches Graham from 1663 to 1665, since he and Duncan spend most of this time together. Raleigh hired on as an actor in Graham’s troop. In October, the troop begins a new play, "The Brushing Bridegroom", even if most regard it as a mistake (Watchers CD).
1665 In the spring, Duncan goes to visit Garrick, who is about to be burned at the stake as a witch. Duncan tries to save him but Garrick is confused after his family's death and stabs him in front of the multitude. When Duncan revives he is thought a witch, narrowly escaping being burned, believing Garrick has as well. Unbeknownst to him, Garrick is recaptured and burned ("Shadows").
1666 The Great Fire of London. Duncan may have been present ("The Blitz").
1670 Much to the displeasure of his Watcher, Duncan spends the winter in the Highlands, tutoring the arrogant son of local Chief Clan in the ways of war. Is challenged and beheads Michel de Bourgogne ("Unholy Alliance").
1680 Duncan first meets Immortal Kiem Sun in China and is with him when he first obtains the information about the Kwanlo root and its properties from a mortal alchemist ("Road Not Taken").2
1689 Duncan is in Killiecrankie, in the army of Dundee against the English (Scotland the Brave).
1728 25 miles away from Dover, England, Immortal Walter Reinhardt of Salzburg attacks the coach in which Duncan is journeying. Reinhardt senses the Buzz and mistakes a young passenger for an Immortal. He challenges him, but his mother pleads for him and Duncan quickly makes it clear that he is the Immortal to be challenged. He disarms Reinhardt and brings the coach safely home ("Revenge is Sweet").
1780 Duncan meets Kiem Sun again in China. Kiem Sun has managed to make a potion from the Kwanlo root and proudly stages a fight between two mortals to demonstrate its powers. Duncan disapprovingly watches as the two men attack each other without feeling fear nor pain. He stops it but can't prevent them from dying. Kiem Sun and him argue about the real usefulness of the root and Duncan realizes his friend is becoming obsessed with it ("The Road Not Taken").
1783 Duncan is the bodyguard of Baron Deshields, who negociates a peace treaty with the French (presumably the Treaty of Paris). One night, a group of acrobats led by Immortal Kuyler entertain the society. But Kuyler kills Baron Deshields during a magic trick and disappears before Duncan can do anything ("For Evil's Sake").
1815 On June 18, on the battlefield of Waterloo (present-day Belgium), Duncan carries a sick soldier on his back and meets Immortal Darius on his way. Darius cures the soldier with a 300-year-old potion and points out to Duncan how useless war is. Duncan is revolted at first, saying he is a warrior who fights for justice, but the sight of the snow-covered battlefield, and Darius telling him that although the war is won, none of these people can rejoice about it because they are dead, have him question his beliefs ("Band of Brothers").
1816 Darius faces thiefs who want to steal gold items in his church in Paris. They are angry to find out that there is no gold anywhere, so they kill Darius on the spot, only to find Duncan out at the door when they escape. Duncan fights them but doesn't kill them because Darius who has just revived asks him not to do so. Then Duncan tells Darius he plans to go to America to see if a new life is possible in a New World ("Band of Brothers").
1840 Duncan wishes farewell to Grace Chandel who goes to Brazil to pursue scientific research in Immortal Carlo Sendaro's plantation ("Saving Grace").
1863 During the American Civil War, Duncan is made prisoner by Confederate soldiers in the second week of August south of Chattanooga while trying to free slaves. While digging his own grave he meets Immortal Lucas Desiree, a Confederate colonel, who treats him and fellow prisoners with humanity. After Duncan gets hanged, Desiree unearths him and helps him to flee. He states he fights the Union not because he wants slavery, but because his friends are on the Confederate side. He tells Duncan he might go north one day ("Innocent Man").
1868 Duncan returns the body of a young Indian named Chaske to his people, situated about 100 miles west of McKewansville in the Great North Woods. He meets the boy's brother, a Lakota warrior called Makina. They become friends and blood brothers ("Mountain Men" - Watcher Chronicles).
1872 Connor MacLeod meets Duncan in a Sioux camp that has been destroyed and his inhabitants massacred by the US Army. Duncan is devastated by the death of Little Deer and Connor can only say words of comfort. They ceremonially burn the bodies. Then Duncan gets permission of the Old Ones to build a house on an holy island near Seacouver to keep away from The Game for a while. Connor disapproves but understands ("The Gathering").
1872 Duncan meets Carl, an Immortal "wild man" who lives alone in the mountains near Seacouver because "everyone wants to know what I know". He agrees to teach Duncan the secrets of wildlife and Duncan teaches him how to fight ("Mountain Men").
1917 Duncan is a paramedic of the British Red Cross. Along with his mortal friend Stan, they try to avoid bombings on the Western Front, but they are killed by a poison gas bomb when the truck bringing the soldiers' pay approaches. The thief is Immortal Xavier St. Cloud, who finds Duncan but fails to kill him as soldiers come to recover the money ("For Tomorrow We Die").
1925 In Seacouver, Immortal Marcus Korolus kills blond women because his former lover, Lenora, revealed his immortality and had him burnt at the stake three hundred years ago. Duncan meets him at Orpheum Theatre and realizes his madness is beyond healing. He fights him and beheads him ("See No Evil").
1926 Duncan and Amanda are circus artists in a circus of the American West Coast. Duncan is called "The Great MacLeod" for his knife throwing abilities ("The Lady and the Tiger").
1938 In Stalinian Russia, Duncan helps people to flee to the West. Immortal Alexei Voshin allowed them to use his ship, the Sea Witch, because Duncan didn't take his head. But Voshin did betray them to the KGB. They put everyone under arrest, including Duncan's friend Niva. Duncan manages to escape by diving into the sea and gets shot at while underwater ("The Sea Witch").
1980 Duncan has been caught without his sword by Kuyler and is forced to flee. He stumbles on Agent Lebrun's car, jumps over the parapet of the Quai de la Tournelle and eventually reaches the boat where Tessa Noël is showing Paris to a tourist group. It's the beginning of their story ("For Evil's Sake").
1988 On December 31, Duncan fights Immortal Walter Reinhardt on the roof of a Seacouver building. Reinhardt accidentally falls off the roof and into the river, while Duncan hides his saber and his own katana before joining Tessa during the countdown to New Year ("Revenge is Sweet").
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Highlander: Endgame
Highlander: Endgame, first released on September 1, 2000, was an attempt to merge characters from both the original film and from the Highlander TV series[4]. The story follows Duncan MacLeod as he confronts Jacob Kell, a renegade Immortal with has assembled a group of fellow warriors and an impressive body-count. Kell, who holds a centuries-old grudge against the elder Connor MacLeod, has taken the lives of Connor's dearest loved ones, and does not follow the traditions of single combat. Connor has spent a decade trying to escape the game in a hidden Watcher fortress known as the Sanctuary, but he and Duncan are forced to confront this new threat that neither one of them can alone succeed against. As the two MacLeods will not break the single combat tradition, Connor convinces Duncan to kill him, thus gaining the power that he needs to defeat Kell.
The story begins with a flashback to 16th Century Scotland, where we are introduced to Jacob Kell (Bruce Payne), once a friend of Connor MacLeod's (Christopher Lambert). While attempting to execute Connor's mother for witchcraft in the village of Glenfinnan, both Kell and his adopted father, a priest named Father Rainey, are seemingly killed by a vengeful MacLeod. Glenfinnan is set ablaze, as Connor escapes with the corpse of his murdered mother. Jacob Kell is, however, reborn as an Immortal, and has since vowed vengeance against Connor for his foster-father's death. He has spent the last four centuries killing all the people Connor loves, including Rachel Ellenstein (the war orphan from the first Highlander film). He also has gathered a posse of lesser Immortals, who overpower other Immortals, and allow Kell to take their heads. At the start of the film, Kell has over 600 Immortal kills, making him one of the most powerful Immortals ever to walk the Earth.
After Rachel's death, Connor has hidden himself in a place called the Sanctuary, where Immortals are protected by the Watchers (a secret society introduced in the TV series) to prevent there ever being only one Immortal left, and thus risking an evil Immortal from gaining The Prize.
A decade later, Kell and his posse of Immortals attack the Sanctuary, and Connor is believed to be beheaded along with the other Immortals there. Duncan MacLeod (Adrian Paul) is given a vision of this evil act, and investigates. Eventually, he discovers Connor was spared by Kell, so as to allow the evil Immortal to make his life even more miserable. He wants to kill Duncan in order to torture Connor, and given the number of Quickenings he has received, this seems quite likely to occur. Therefore, Connor forces Duncan to kill him, thereby absorbing all of Connor's power in order to defeat Kell.
There is also a subplot concerning Duncan's Immortal wife Kate, a woman whom he wedded and then murdered on their wedding night, in order that she become Immortal. However, this has driven her into the arms of Kell, and he must earn her forgiveness, or face her as an embittered part of Kell's faction.
In the end, after Kell has executed all his faction (supposedly including Kate), Duncan and Kell have a final battle, in which Duncan is victorious. He then goes to Glenfinnan, Scotland to bury Connor.
Trailer Questions:
The trailers for the film feature several shots showing Kell using mystical abilities (such as stopping a sword in midair with some sort of force field, cloning himself, and holding an orb with Connor's screaming head inside of it). Also, Connor and Duncan are shown emerging from some sort of portal.
None of this footage made it into any released version of the film, and the footage is only seen in the trailer. No explanation for the nature of these scenes has ever been willingly released by the producers or film studio, although it has since been revealed that these shots were never intended for inclusion in any finished cut of the movie — they were shot exclusively for its trailer, instead.
The trailer can be viewed here.
No mention of Kell's magical abilities exists in the online version of an early screenplay. However Kell does seem to magically split a sword in two near the end of the film.
Questions of Date:
The year in which the film is set is unclear. The title card at the beginning of the film reads, "Present Day," which would suggest the year 2000 (the date of the film's release). The official Endgame website (which contained several timeline errors), also listed the date as 2000. However, this would set the "10 Years Ago" flashback in 1990, which causes continuity problems with Connor's appearance in the television series pilot (set in 1992).
The producers attempted to address the problem on the DVD release. On the DVD audio commentary, producer William N. Panzer noted, "We sorta like to think that the movie takes place in 2002. Connor and Duncan were together in 1992, as opposed to 1990." Also, the supplementary DVD-ROM timeline uses the 1992/2002 dates.
The canonicity of the revised dates has been brought into question by fans, since the new dates were listed only in the DVD supplements, and not in the film itself. Some fans point out that the flashback occurs in December, yet Duncan MacLeod did not live in Paris in December of 1992 (Duncan tells Connor in the flashback, "You called me up in Paris..."). Additionally, the canonical Highlander comic book series recently referenced the events of Highlander: The Final Dimension (itself set in 1994) in a storyline, which seems to push the dating of Endgame upwards to at least ten years past the third movie.
Even so, fans have not reached a consensus on the "true" date, due to the speculative nature of the criticisms.
Trivia:
During the fight Connor and Duncan have with the brigands, one of the men (Lachlan) picks up a rock as a weapon. As the MacLeods go on the defensive, Duncan says to Lachlan: "Looks like you've lost your edge, lad." This is a reference to Adam Copeland's (Lachlan) "stage" name of Edge in World Wrestling Entertainment.
The original title was Highlander IV: The Immortals (the first drafts worked on by creator Gregory Widen). Later official titles included Highlander: The Search for Connor, and Highlander: World Without End.
There are four shots in this film from the original Highlander (1986). The first is a computer-altered and enhanced shot of Glenfinnan, which was originally the shot of Connor walking away from his village. The second is a shot of the Silvercup sign, pulled from the scene of the Kurgan taking Brenda to the building. And in the rooftop Quickening, two shots of Connor and Heather together are also taken from the original.
In the theatrical version of the film, Methos refers to the Sanctuary as Holy Ground. Many fans were upset that Kell killed Immortals on Holy Ground with no consequences, so all references to the Sanctuary as Holy Ground were deleted from the DVD version of the movie.
Castle Stalker is seen briefly in the film during Connor's flashback scene. This building was also seen in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
There are four shots in this film from the original Highlander (1986). The first is a computer-altered and -enhanced shot of Glenfinnin, which was originally the shot of Connor walking away from his village. The second is a shot of the Silvercup sign, pulled from the scene of the Kurgan taking Brenda to the building. And in the rooftop Quickening, two shots of Connor and Heather together are also taken from the original.
The scene of Duncan in the hilltop in Scotland was the last shot filmed, and arrived for the editors the day they started making release prints.
As Duncan travels toward his rendezvous with Connor, there is a shot of his vehicle passing Silvercup Studios, the scene of the final battle between Connor and Kurgan in the original Highlander.
In the video and DVD releases, the "JVC" logo originally seen in the rooftop scene in the theatrical cut has been airbrushed out. This is because the producers believed it to be "too distracting". They also claim that this particular product placement was unintentional.
In the theatrical version of the film, Methos refers to the Sanctuary as Holy Ground. Many fans were upset that Kell killed Immortals on Holy Ground with no consequences, So all references to the Sanctuary as Holy Ground were deleted from the DVD version of the movie.
In the beginning of the movie, Jacob Kell has 661 kills. At "the last supper" (which can be understood as the metaphore of the Jesus's last supper) he kills five more immortals. That makes him the immortal with 666 kills. Which is the number of the devil.
The original trailer for the film featured Conner MacLeod splitting Jacob Kell in two with his sword and in turn becoming two people. This never happened in the film.
During the fight Connor and Duncan have with the "Tax" thieves one of the men (Lachlan) picks up a rock as a weapon. As the McLeods go on the defensive Duncan says to Lachlan "Looks like you've lost the edge, lad". This is a reference to Adam Copeland's (Lachlan) "stage" name of Edge in the World Wrestling Entertainment.
The main villian in each Highlander movie has a name starting with the letter "K" (in order: Kurgan, Katana, Kane, Kell).
The broadswords used by Connor and Duncan as they spar in the flashback are reproductions of the sword used by Clancy Brown in Highlander (1986).
The old Asian immortal in Kell's "Posse" is in real life Adrian Paul's martial arts instructor.
The original title was "Highlander: World Without End".
Originally meant to act as a bridge between "Highlander" (1992) and the spin-off series "Highlander: The Raven" (1998) continuing on TV. These plans started to go awry when "Highlander: The Raven" was canceled, and production delays started occurring due to cast availability problems. Dimension Films, who had taken on the project as a way of invigorating the franchise, soon realized that their plans for the film were not going to meet expectations and scaled back on its release, effectively throwing the movie away.
The main bulk of filming took place in Romania, at Miramax's behest. Producers William Panzer and Peter Davis were initially opposed to this move.
Not screened for critics prior to release.
Bruce Payne came down with bronchitis during filming, forcing the production to reschedule until such a time when he was well enough to perform, which was about three months later.
The Faith fashion show was filmed in London's Millennium Dome exhibition.
For the scene in the cemetery where they meet following the events at the Sanctuary, Duncan and Connor originally spoke French, because both Paul and Lambert are fluent. However, during post-production it was decided to switch the language over to Scottish Gaelic.
Alternate Cuts:
The 87-minute theatrical version was expanded into a 101-minute Producer's Cut upon home video release. With an improved sound mix and soundtrack, better color-timing, and tweaked visual effects, this film was typically considered a more satisfying cut by fans. It also added in a new ending, in which Kate is revealed to still be alive, as well as several expanded and/or re-edited scenes.
The DVD release also contains a rough cut of the film in cropped widescreen including production counters, with a subplot involving Connor MacLeod giving a Christmas tree to an orphanage every Christmas, an activity picked up by Duncan after Connor's death. Kate does not appear in this version of the film at its conclusion, unlike the other cut included on the DVD.
The VHS release contains the Producer's Cut of the film, however it is presented in the original full frame format so that more of the film is visible. The majority of films are filmed in widescreen format and then cropped with pan-and-scan for VHS or television release. In the case of Highlander: Endgame however, the film was filmed in 4:3 and cropped for theatrical and DVD releases.
Furthermore, Highlander: Endgame was originally leaked as a workprint version many months prior to release and proliferated across the internet. This workprint version is similar to the rough cut of the film released on the second official DVD, but is in the original full frame format so again, more is visible. The workprint features several extended scenes or differing scenes and score/soundtrack from any of official releases whether theatrical or either DVD versions. This workprint does not feature any of the supernatural effects sequences seen in the trailer.
The producers of the film disagreed with Dimension Films on the running length and story structure of the film. They were unsatisfied with the theatrical cut and for the DVD release, they re-edited portions of the film, and added twelve minutes of new footage. These changes include:
There is an addition to the opening scene. We see Connor and Duncan roaming the streets of New York, and Duncan buying a hotdog. Connor tells Duncan he has an errand to run, and he leaves a concerned Duncan behind. Then we go to Rachel walking up the the store.
The shots of the photographs with Rachel and Connor in them are not in the DVD cut. Instead, we see Rachel enter the store, go to the loft, and find a television playing videos of herself and Connor at various points of her life. One part of the video shows Connor giving a young Rachel a music box, which we then see in the loft. The phone rings, and when Rachel answers, the store explodes, just as Connor has walked up to it.
The shots of Connor walking up to the store and Rachel entering are different from the theatrical cut.
The DVD cut has Duncan walking past a payphone on his way to Methos. He answers the phone, and a woman (later revealed as Faith) tells him, "Whatever you fear about Connor MacLeod, fear the worst." She identifies herself as "a friend" and hangs up. As Duncan walks away, we see the Watcher named Matthew sitting at a cafe spying on Duncan and saying into a cellphone, "He's on the move."
Methos's line about the Sanctuary being only holy ground has been removed, and the part of the shot in which he states this has been taken out.
The posse enters, and Winston says, "It's time to show our immortal brother a thing or two."
Cracker Bob has more of an entrance. We see him crash into the loft on his motorcycle, swing his bat, and say, "Did anyone order a club sandwich?" Duncan mocks Bob's outfit, and Bob complains to Faith.
After Methos and Joe have rescued Duncan and are driving away, Methos hands Duncan his katana, which was last seen in the loft where Duncan left it. Methos says, "I managed to retrive that from their lost and found." Duncan, examining the sword, says, "There's blood on it." "I didn't say it was easy," Methos snaps.
The flashback to Kate and Duncan's wedding has been re-edited. We see Duncan sitting at a table with Kate, and one of their friends gets drunk and collapses, while urging them to kiss. They do so, and then we see Duncan, Kate, and their guests dancing. From there, we cut to Connor walking through the door and Duncan embracing him.
The sound of the MacLeod claymore hitting the ground and marking Heather's grave is louder in the DVD cut than in the theatrical cut.
After Duncan and Faith separate at the studio, we see them roaming the streets. Faith goes to Kell's temple, and her apartment inside, where Kell is waiting. The dialogue makes it clear that they have a sexual relationship, and Kell suspects that she may turn over to Duncan's side. We go from this scene to Faith walking about the streets of New York and then entering Duncan's hotel room.
The JVC sign in the rooftop battle has been digitally blurred. It's not the best job, and on the audio commentary, the flaws are pointed out. "One more night," Bill Panzer says sadly.
The fight scene between Kell and Duncan is extended. After Duncan jumps over the railing and retrieves his sword, he lands on the ground underneath the scaffold. Kell jumps down to meet him, lets Duncan get to his feet, and they fight until they cut into a gas main, starting a fire that Duncan runs away to escape. Kell moves to a room full of chains hanging from the ceiling, and Duncan runs in, attacking Kell. Kell knocks Duncan's sword away, and it gets caught in a chain. A control key is accidentally hit, and some of the chains including the one holding the katana move up. Duncan grabs onto another ascending chain to retrieve his sword, and he escapes Kell.
We go to Duncan bandaging a leg wound and taking off his coat. As he walks back towards the complex to find Kell, we pull back to find Matthew looking through a riflescope and aiming at Duncan. "Just watch it!" someone says. Matthew turns to see Joe Dawson. Matthew raises his rifle to aim at Joe, but Joe fires several shots at Matthew with a revolver concealed in his jacket. Matthew dies and Joe walks away. We then go to Duncan standing before Kell on a platform for their final battle. There is swordfight footage not in the theatrical cut before we get to, "A valiant effort, Duncan. Too bad."
In the theatrical cut, Duncan's face morphed into Connor's and back a few times as Duncan stood up and raised his sword. These have been reduced in their visibility and intensity. In the theatrical cut, there were face morphs during the Quickening, and these have been removed completely. After the Quickening, the shots of Duncan falling to the ground have been trimmed so that we see little of the sky, because the special effects for the background had some problems.
The dissolve to Duncan standing at Connor and Heather's graves is faster.
Connor cuts Kell in half down the middle, but the two halves simply transform into two full, separate bodies.
A sword comes flying blade-first towards Kell, and he telekinetically freezes it in mid-air.
Kell holds up a small floating crystal ball with Connor's face in it. The face screams and the crystal ball shatters.
The DVD release features a 100 minute "earlier cut", featuring many different scenes and/or variations.
The theatrical version ends with Duncan on the hilltops of Scotland standing over Connor and Heather's graves. In the DVD there's additional footage.
Quotes:
Connor MacLeod: In the days before memory, there were the Immortals. We were with you then, and we are with you now. We are driven by the endless fight to survive in a Game which knows no limits of time or place. We are the seeds of legend, but our true origin are unknown. We simply are.
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Connor's mother: If your God should persecute me into the next world, then I shall simply have to find myself another.
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Jacob Kell: What you need to understand is that I don't care about the game. I don't care about the rules. I don't even care about these pathetic souls you keep locked away as a barrier to the prize.
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Methos: You know a little about Buddhist monks. Some of them come to cherish life so much that to step on an insect or harm a blade of grass becomes a violation of their creed, so the place themsleves under an extreme form of protective custody, a sanctuary of sorts. Well, for an Immortal who comes to abhor the bloodshed, there's a similar solution - a way to be removed from the game forever. Though the price is unimaginably high, but you are, for all practical purposes, protected from the violence within you.
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Cracker Bob: [complaining about the clothes she designed for him] Faith, I told you I look like a fucking orange.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Duncan MacLeod: [In a showdown with Jin Ke] Some people say you're a man of honor.
Jin Ke: What do you know of honor?
Duncan MacLeod: [Seeing his words have had no effect] Oh great....
Jin Ke: [Fight starts until Duncan disarms Jin Ke] Honor is not in the weapon...it is in the man...
[martial arts combat starts]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Connor MacLeod: Every life I touch ends brutally and for no reason. It's a curse that's followed me for centuries. I can't outrun it and I can't out live it.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jacob Kell: [speaking to Connor MacLeod] Look back at the endless travesties of your life, and you'll see me, always there waiting in the shadows. When friends and lovers are wiped from your sight, I'm there. When those you cherish die abruptly and for no reason, I'm there for you.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Duncan MacLeod: With time, anything can be forgiven, you taught me that.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kate MacLeod: Stealing's wrong. Lying's wrong. Killing's wrong. What you did goes well beyond wrong.
Duncan MacLeod: Fine I deserve that but I want a chance to make it right.
Kate MacLeod: You want to make it right? Then give me back the ability to have children, to grow old with the man I love. How about anything that resembles a normal life? And you took it all away from me.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kate MacLeod: Until the day we are reborn.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jacob Kell: A woman is a temple built on a sewer.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Duncan MacLeod: You're missing the point, Kate. The difference between Connor and I is that as long as you're still alive, there's a chance that one day I might be forgiven. It may take years. Centuries even. But at least I can carry that hope inside me. That's one blessing of immortality; there's always tomorrow. Even for us.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jin Ke: Men, for the most part can mend their ways only after they have made a mistake.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Connor MacLeod: Life brings hope and pain, but revenge never brings redemption.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Duncan MacLeod: No, Connor! Not like this! Come on, stop! Connor, stop!
Connor MacLeod: Duncan!
[long pause. Then quietly]
Connor MacLeod: One of us has to die now, old friend.
Duncan MacLeod: No.
Connor MacLeod: And you know it.
Duncan MacLeod: No.
Connor MacLeod: Good-bye, Duncan, my true brother.
Duncan MacLeod: I love you, Connor.
[takes Connor's head]
The story begins with a flashback to 16th Century Scotland, where we are introduced to Jacob Kell (Bruce Payne), once a friend of Connor MacLeod's (Christopher Lambert). While attempting to execute Connor's mother for witchcraft in the village of Glenfinnan, both Kell and his adopted father, a priest named Father Rainey, are seemingly killed by a vengeful MacLeod. Glenfinnan is set ablaze, as Connor escapes with the corpse of his murdered mother. Jacob Kell is, however, reborn as an Immortal, and has since vowed vengeance against Connor for his foster-father's death. He has spent the last four centuries killing all the people Connor loves, including Rachel Ellenstein (the war orphan from the first Highlander film). He also has gathered a posse of lesser Immortals, who overpower other Immortals, and allow Kell to take their heads. At the start of the film, Kell has over 600 Immortal kills, making him one of the most powerful Immortals ever to walk the Earth.
After Rachel's death, Connor has hidden himself in a place called the Sanctuary, where Immortals are protected by the Watchers (a secret society introduced in the TV series) to prevent there ever being only one Immortal left, and thus risking an evil Immortal from gaining The Prize.
A decade later, Kell and his posse of Immortals attack the Sanctuary, and Connor is believed to be beheaded along with the other Immortals there. Duncan MacLeod (Adrian Paul) is given a vision of this evil act, and investigates. Eventually, he discovers Connor was spared by Kell, so as to allow the evil Immortal to make his life even more miserable. He wants to kill Duncan in order to torture Connor, and given the number of Quickenings he has received, this seems quite likely to occur. Therefore, Connor forces Duncan to kill him, thereby absorbing all of Connor's power in order to defeat Kell.
There is also a subplot concerning Duncan's Immortal wife Kate, a woman whom he wedded and then murdered on their wedding night, in order that she become Immortal. However, this has driven her into the arms of Kell, and he must earn her forgiveness, or face her as an embittered part of Kell's faction.
In the end, after Kell has executed all his faction (supposedly including Kate), Duncan and Kell have a final battle, in which Duncan is victorious. He then goes to Glenfinnan, Scotland to bury Connor.
Trailer Questions:
The trailers for the film feature several shots showing Kell using mystical abilities (such as stopping a sword in midair with some sort of force field, cloning himself, and holding an orb with Connor's screaming head inside of it). Also, Connor and Duncan are shown emerging from some sort of portal.
None of this footage made it into any released version of the film, and the footage is only seen in the trailer. No explanation for the nature of these scenes has ever been willingly released by the producers or film studio, although it has since been revealed that these shots were never intended for inclusion in any finished cut of the movie — they were shot exclusively for its trailer, instead.
The trailer can be viewed here.
No mention of Kell's magical abilities exists in the online version of an early screenplay. However Kell does seem to magically split a sword in two near the end of the film.
Questions of Date:
The year in which the film is set is unclear. The title card at the beginning of the film reads, "Present Day," which would suggest the year 2000 (the date of the film's release). The official Endgame website (which contained several timeline errors), also listed the date as 2000. However, this would set the "10 Years Ago" flashback in 1990, which causes continuity problems with Connor's appearance in the television series pilot (set in 1992).
The producers attempted to address the problem on the DVD release. On the DVD audio commentary, producer William N. Panzer noted, "We sorta like to think that the movie takes place in 2002. Connor and Duncan were together in 1992, as opposed to 1990." Also, the supplementary DVD-ROM timeline uses the 1992/2002 dates.
The canonicity of the revised dates has been brought into question by fans, since the new dates were listed only in the DVD supplements, and not in the film itself. Some fans point out that the flashback occurs in December, yet Duncan MacLeod did not live in Paris in December of 1992 (Duncan tells Connor in the flashback, "You called me up in Paris..."). Additionally, the canonical Highlander comic book series recently referenced the events of Highlander: The Final Dimension (itself set in 1994) in a storyline, which seems to push the dating of Endgame upwards to at least ten years past the third movie.
Even so, fans have not reached a consensus on the "true" date, due to the speculative nature of the criticisms.
Trivia:
During the fight Connor and Duncan have with the brigands, one of the men (Lachlan) picks up a rock as a weapon. As the MacLeods go on the defensive, Duncan says to Lachlan: "Looks like you've lost your edge, lad." This is a reference to Adam Copeland's (Lachlan) "stage" name of Edge in World Wrestling Entertainment.
The original title was Highlander IV: The Immortals (the first drafts worked on by creator Gregory Widen). Later official titles included Highlander: The Search for Connor, and Highlander: World Without End.
There are four shots in this film from the original Highlander (1986). The first is a computer-altered and enhanced shot of Glenfinnan, which was originally the shot of Connor walking away from his village. The second is a shot of the Silvercup sign, pulled from the scene of the Kurgan taking Brenda to the building. And in the rooftop Quickening, two shots of Connor and Heather together are also taken from the original.
In the theatrical version of the film, Methos refers to the Sanctuary as Holy Ground. Many fans were upset that Kell killed Immortals on Holy Ground with no consequences, so all references to the Sanctuary as Holy Ground were deleted from the DVD version of the movie.
Castle Stalker is seen briefly in the film during Connor's flashback scene. This building was also seen in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
There are four shots in this film from the original Highlander (1986). The first is a computer-altered and -enhanced shot of Glenfinnin, which was originally the shot of Connor walking away from his village. The second is a shot of the Silvercup sign, pulled from the scene of the Kurgan taking Brenda to the building. And in the rooftop Quickening, two shots of Connor and Heather together are also taken from the original.
The scene of Duncan in the hilltop in Scotland was the last shot filmed, and arrived for the editors the day they started making release prints.
As Duncan travels toward his rendezvous with Connor, there is a shot of his vehicle passing Silvercup Studios, the scene of the final battle between Connor and Kurgan in the original Highlander.
In the video and DVD releases, the "JVC" logo originally seen in the rooftop scene in the theatrical cut has been airbrushed out. This is because the producers believed it to be "too distracting". They also claim that this particular product placement was unintentional.
In the theatrical version of the film, Methos refers to the Sanctuary as Holy Ground. Many fans were upset that Kell killed Immortals on Holy Ground with no consequences, So all references to the Sanctuary as Holy Ground were deleted from the DVD version of the movie.
In the beginning of the movie, Jacob Kell has 661 kills. At "the last supper" (which can be understood as the metaphore of the Jesus's last supper) he kills five more immortals. That makes him the immortal with 666 kills. Which is the number of the devil.
The original trailer for the film featured Conner MacLeod splitting Jacob Kell in two with his sword and in turn becoming two people. This never happened in the film.
During the fight Connor and Duncan have with the "Tax" thieves one of the men (Lachlan) picks up a rock as a weapon. As the McLeods go on the defensive Duncan says to Lachlan "Looks like you've lost the edge, lad". This is a reference to Adam Copeland's (Lachlan) "stage" name of Edge in the World Wrestling Entertainment.
The main villian in each Highlander movie has a name starting with the letter "K" (in order: Kurgan, Katana, Kane, Kell).
The broadswords used by Connor and Duncan as they spar in the flashback are reproductions of the sword used by Clancy Brown in Highlander (1986).
The old Asian immortal in Kell's "Posse" is in real life Adrian Paul's martial arts instructor.
The original title was "Highlander: World Without End".
Originally meant to act as a bridge between "Highlander" (1992) and the spin-off series "Highlander: The Raven" (1998) continuing on TV. These plans started to go awry when "Highlander: The Raven" was canceled, and production delays started occurring due to cast availability problems. Dimension Films, who had taken on the project as a way of invigorating the franchise, soon realized that their plans for the film were not going to meet expectations and scaled back on its release, effectively throwing the movie away.
The main bulk of filming took place in Romania, at Miramax's behest. Producers William Panzer and Peter Davis were initially opposed to this move.
Not screened for critics prior to release.
Bruce Payne came down with bronchitis during filming, forcing the production to reschedule until such a time when he was well enough to perform, which was about three months later.
The Faith fashion show was filmed in London's Millennium Dome exhibition.
For the scene in the cemetery where they meet following the events at the Sanctuary, Duncan and Connor originally spoke French, because both Paul and Lambert are fluent. However, during post-production it was decided to switch the language over to Scottish Gaelic.
Alternate Cuts:
The 87-minute theatrical version was expanded into a 101-minute Producer's Cut upon home video release. With an improved sound mix and soundtrack, better color-timing, and tweaked visual effects, this film was typically considered a more satisfying cut by fans. It also added in a new ending, in which Kate is revealed to still be alive, as well as several expanded and/or re-edited scenes.
The DVD release also contains a rough cut of the film in cropped widescreen including production counters, with a subplot involving Connor MacLeod giving a Christmas tree to an orphanage every Christmas, an activity picked up by Duncan after Connor's death. Kate does not appear in this version of the film at its conclusion, unlike the other cut included on the DVD.
The VHS release contains the Producer's Cut of the film, however it is presented in the original full frame format so that more of the film is visible. The majority of films are filmed in widescreen format and then cropped with pan-and-scan for VHS or television release. In the case of Highlander: Endgame however, the film was filmed in 4:3 and cropped for theatrical and DVD releases.
Furthermore, Highlander: Endgame was originally leaked as a workprint version many months prior to release and proliferated across the internet. This workprint version is similar to the rough cut of the film released on the second official DVD, but is in the original full frame format so again, more is visible. The workprint features several extended scenes or differing scenes and score/soundtrack from any of official releases whether theatrical or either DVD versions. This workprint does not feature any of the supernatural effects sequences seen in the trailer.
The producers of the film disagreed with Dimension Films on the running length and story structure of the film. They were unsatisfied with the theatrical cut and for the DVD release, they re-edited portions of the film, and added twelve minutes of new footage. These changes include:
There is an addition to the opening scene. We see Connor and Duncan roaming the streets of New York, and Duncan buying a hotdog. Connor tells Duncan he has an errand to run, and he leaves a concerned Duncan behind. Then we go to Rachel walking up the the store.
The shots of the photographs with Rachel and Connor in them are not in the DVD cut. Instead, we see Rachel enter the store, go to the loft, and find a television playing videos of herself and Connor at various points of her life. One part of the video shows Connor giving a young Rachel a music box, which we then see in the loft. The phone rings, and when Rachel answers, the store explodes, just as Connor has walked up to it.
The shots of Connor walking up to the store and Rachel entering are different from the theatrical cut.
The DVD cut has Duncan walking past a payphone on his way to Methos. He answers the phone, and a woman (later revealed as Faith) tells him, "Whatever you fear about Connor MacLeod, fear the worst." She identifies herself as "a friend" and hangs up. As Duncan walks away, we see the Watcher named Matthew sitting at a cafe spying on Duncan and saying into a cellphone, "He's on the move."
Methos's line about the Sanctuary being only holy ground has been removed, and the part of the shot in which he states this has been taken out.
The posse enters, and Winston says, "It's time to show our immortal brother a thing or two."
Cracker Bob has more of an entrance. We see him crash into the loft on his motorcycle, swing his bat, and say, "Did anyone order a club sandwich?" Duncan mocks Bob's outfit, and Bob complains to Faith.
After Methos and Joe have rescued Duncan and are driving away, Methos hands Duncan his katana, which was last seen in the loft where Duncan left it. Methos says, "I managed to retrive that from their lost and found." Duncan, examining the sword, says, "There's blood on it." "I didn't say it was easy," Methos snaps.
The flashback to Kate and Duncan's wedding has been re-edited. We see Duncan sitting at a table with Kate, and one of their friends gets drunk and collapses, while urging them to kiss. They do so, and then we see Duncan, Kate, and their guests dancing. From there, we cut to Connor walking through the door and Duncan embracing him.
The sound of the MacLeod claymore hitting the ground and marking Heather's grave is louder in the DVD cut than in the theatrical cut.
After Duncan and Faith separate at the studio, we see them roaming the streets. Faith goes to Kell's temple, and her apartment inside, where Kell is waiting. The dialogue makes it clear that they have a sexual relationship, and Kell suspects that she may turn over to Duncan's side. We go from this scene to Faith walking about the streets of New York and then entering Duncan's hotel room.
The JVC sign in the rooftop battle has been digitally blurred. It's not the best job, and on the audio commentary, the flaws are pointed out. "One more night," Bill Panzer says sadly.
The fight scene between Kell and Duncan is extended. After Duncan jumps over the railing and retrieves his sword, he lands on the ground underneath the scaffold. Kell jumps down to meet him, lets Duncan get to his feet, and they fight until they cut into a gas main, starting a fire that Duncan runs away to escape. Kell moves to a room full of chains hanging from the ceiling, and Duncan runs in, attacking Kell. Kell knocks Duncan's sword away, and it gets caught in a chain. A control key is accidentally hit, and some of the chains including the one holding the katana move up. Duncan grabs onto another ascending chain to retrieve his sword, and he escapes Kell.
We go to Duncan bandaging a leg wound and taking off his coat. As he walks back towards the complex to find Kell, we pull back to find Matthew looking through a riflescope and aiming at Duncan. "Just watch it!" someone says. Matthew turns to see Joe Dawson. Matthew raises his rifle to aim at Joe, but Joe fires several shots at Matthew with a revolver concealed in his jacket. Matthew dies and Joe walks away. We then go to Duncan standing before Kell on a platform for their final battle. There is swordfight footage not in the theatrical cut before we get to, "A valiant effort, Duncan. Too bad."
In the theatrical cut, Duncan's face morphed into Connor's and back a few times as Duncan stood up and raised his sword. These have been reduced in their visibility and intensity. In the theatrical cut, there were face morphs during the Quickening, and these have been removed completely. After the Quickening, the shots of Duncan falling to the ground have been trimmed so that we see little of the sky, because the special effects for the background had some problems.
The dissolve to Duncan standing at Connor and Heather's graves is faster.
Connor cuts Kell in half down the middle, but the two halves simply transform into two full, separate bodies.
A sword comes flying blade-first towards Kell, and he telekinetically freezes it in mid-air.
Kell holds up a small floating crystal ball with Connor's face in it. The face screams and the crystal ball shatters.
The DVD release features a 100 minute "earlier cut", featuring many different scenes and/or variations.
The theatrical version ends with Duncan on the hilltops of Scotland standing over Connor and Heather's graves. In the DVD there's additional footage.
Quotes:
Connor MacLeod: In the days before memory, there were the Immortals. We were with you then, and we are with you now. We are driven by the endless fight to survive in a Game which knows no limits of time or place. We are the seeds of legend, but our true origin are unknown. We simply are.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Connor's mother: If your God should persecute me into the next world, then I shall simply have to find myself another.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jacob Kell: What you need to understand is that I don't care about the game. I don't care about the rules. I don't even care about these pathetic souls you keep locked away as a barrier to the prize.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Methos: You know a little about Buddhist monks. Some of them come to cherish life so much that to step on an insect or harm a blade of grass becomes a violation of their creed, so the place themsleves under an extreme form of protective custody, a sanctuary of sorts. Well, for an Immortal who comes to abhor the bloodshed, there's a similar solution - a way to be removed from the game forever. Though the price is unimaginably high, but you are, for all practical purposes, protected from the violence within you.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cracker Bob: [complaining about the clothes she designed for him] Faith, I told you I look like a fucking orange.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Duncan MacLeod: [In a showdown with Jin Ke] Some people say you're a man of honor.
Jin Ke: What do you know of honor?
Duncan MacLeod: [Seeing his words have had no effect] Oh great....
Jin Ke: [Fight starts until Duncan disarms Jin Ke] Honor is not in the weapon...it is in the man...
[martial arts combat starts]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Connor MacLeod: Every life I touch ends brutally and for no reason. It's a curse that's followed me for centuries. I can't outrun it and I can't out live it.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jacob Kell: [speaking to Connor MacLeod] Look back at the endless travesties of your life, and you'll see me, always there waiting in the shadows. When friends and lovers are wiped from your sight, I'm there. When those you cherish die abruptly and for no reason, I'm there for you.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Duncan MacLeod: With time, anything can be forgiven, you taught me that.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kate MacLeod: Stealing's wrong. Lying's wrong. Killing's wrong. What you did goes well beyond wrong.
Duncan MacLeod: Fine I deserve that but I want a chance to make it right.
Kate MacLeod: You want to make it right? Then give me back the ability to have children, to grow old with the man I love. How about anything that resembles a normal life? And you took it all away from me.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kate MacLeod: Until the day we are reborn.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jacob Kell: A woman is a temple built on a sewer.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Duncan MacLeod: You're missing the point, Kate. The difference between Connor and I is that as long as you're still alive, there's a chance that one day I might be forgiven. It may take years. Centuries even. But at least I can carry that hope inside me. That's one blessing of immortality; there's always tomorrow. Even for us.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jin Ke: Men, for the most part can mend their ways only after they have made a mistake.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Connor MacLeod: Life brings hope and pain, but revenge never brings redemption.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Duncan MacLeod: No, Connor! Not like this! Come on, stop! Connor, stop!
Connor MacLeod: Duncan!
[long pause. Then quietly]
Connor MacLeod: One of us has to die now, old friend.
Duncan MacLeod: No.
Connor MacLeod: And you know it.
Duncan MacLeod: No.
Connor MacLeod: Good-bye, Duncan, my true brother.
Duncan MacLeod: I love you, Connor.
[takes Connor's head]
Highlander: The Sorcerer (The Final Dimension)
Highlander III: The Sorcerer (alternatively titled Highlander: the Final Dimension) was first released on November 25, 1994. The third movie contradicts both the second film and the television series, acting as a stand-alone sequel[3]. MacLeod battles a warrior who missed the original Gathering because he was buried deep in a Japanese cave that is holy ground, isolating them from the supposedly final contest of the first film. Kane (played by Mario Van Peebles) is a master of the "power of illusion," which allows him to create false imagery to deceive his enemies. Connor, who has lived with his adopted son John for years with the belief that he is the final Immortal, must return to New York and finish the job he started back in 1985. Along the way, he finds a new love, Dr. Alex Johnson (Deborah Unger)
16th Century
Some time after the death of his wife Heather, Connor travels to Japan to request training from the Immortal Japanese sorcerer Nakano. Nakano holds his residence in a cave of Mount Niri, and has gained a reputation as a master of Illusion. However, another Immortal named Kane is also interested in mastering the power of Illusion. He is making his way across Asia in order to reach Nakano again, with two henchmen in tow (Khabul Khan and Senghi Khan). Entering a nearby village seeking information, they proceed to burn it to the ground, and massacre its population. Eventually, they reach the cave. Kane soon manages to defeat and decapitate Nakano, despite Connor's attempts to prevent this. However, the energies released during the battle cause the cave to collapse. The Highlander manages to escape in time, but Kane and his men are left trapped inside the depths of the mountain. Their situation prevents them from participating in "The Gathering" of 1985.
18th Century
In 1788/1789, Connor was in France, where he makes the acquaintance of Sarah Barrington, an Englishwoman visiting relatives there, and who happens to resemble the future Alex Johnson. The two eventually become lovers. However, when the French Revolution begins, MacLeod becomes involved.
MacLeod is captured, and sentenced to death by guillotine for treason against King Louis XVI of France. His Immortal friend Pierre Bouchet explains that he was tired of his immortal life, and dupes the guards into executing him in his place. Connor is falsely reported deceased. Believing her lover dead, Sarah is left grieving. After his escape, MacLeod returns to discover that she has moved on with her life by marrying another man, and having children.
Modern Day
In 1994, Connor is living with his adopted son John in Marakesh. It is revealed that in 1987, Brenda Wyatt, the woman he married after the Gathering, was killed in a car accident. Although he survived the accident himself, he still believes that "The Game" is over. Meanwhile, in Japan, two archaeologists have started excavating a cave in order to discover whether the legend of the sorceror Nakano was based on fact. One of these archaeologists is Dr. Alexandra "Alex" Johnson, whose interests in the legend eventually lead her to Connor MacLeod. Connor is intrigued by Alex due to her resemblance to Sarah.
The excavations free Kane, who immediately sets out in pursuit of Connor. MacLeod leaves John in the care of his friend Jack Donovan, and then departs to New York City to engage in the final showdown for the Prize. However, as Khabul's decapitated body is found in a hospital washroom, Lt. John Stenn goes on the trail of the main suspect of the 1985 "headhunter" case, Russell Nash. Russell Nash was the alias used by MacLeod during the time of the Gathering. As Alex investigates a piece of cloth found on the site, she discovers that it is a shred of a kilt, with a design that designates a branch of the MacLeod family. This leads her to Nash Antiques, where Connor has returned in preparation for the battle against Kane. The Highlander is confronted on Holy Ground at a former Buddhist shrine by Kane, who proceeds to challenge him. The resulting fight is a violation of the Immortal Golden Rule; the battle ends when MacLeod's katana blade is shattered. Kane flees, and Connor decides to return to Scotland to build another sword. Alex tracks him down, and the two quickly fall in love. However, the trip is cut short, as MacLeod learns from Jack Donovan that his son John is on a plane bound for New York. MacLeod returns as quickly as possible, but he's too late. Kane abducts John, and holds him hostage to lure MacLeod to him. MacLeod meets Kane in an old church mission, and then follows him into an abandoned power plant for their final battle. The Highlander defeats Kane, wins the Prize by receiving the final Quickening, and returns to Scotland with Alex and John to live out the rest of his natural life.
Cast:
Christopher Lambert as Connor MacLeod/Russell Nash
Mario Van Peebles as Kane
Deborah Kara Unger as Alex Johnson/Sarah Barrington
Martin Neufeld Lt. as John Stenn
Mako as Nakano
Raoul Trujillo as Senghi Khan
Jean-Pierre Perusse as Khabul Khan
Daniel Do as Dr. Fuji Takamura
Gabriel Kakon as John MacLeod
Louis Bertignac as Pierre Bouchet
Michael Jayston as Jack Donovan
Triva:
Ignores the events of Highlander II: The Quickening (1991) (after the poor reception of Highlander II, the fan-rumor was that this film would be entitled "Highlander III: The Apology").
Although Khan's "Warrior #1" is never referred to by name on-screen, the script refers to him as "Khabul Khan."
Actress Deborah Kara Unger did her love scenes with 'Christopher Lambert' herself, declining to use a body double.
At one point, Christopher Lambert walked off the production over a pay dispute.
Some scenes for this film were shot in Morocco.
The US theatrical release was rated PG-13, and a slightly-longer "R"-rated Special Director's Cut was later released on home video.
In a 1996 Cinefantastique interview, Highlander producer William Panzer mentioned that several references to the TV series' continuity were inserted into Highlander: The Final Dimension, meant as a means of linking that film to the TV universe.
Reportedly, Christopher Lambert considered this film to be the "real" sequel to the original film since the actual Highlander II was such a radical departure from what the first film established
Errors:
Errors in geography: "Bienvenue à Montréal" ("Welcome to Montreal") sign in an airport supposedly in Newark.
Miscellaneous: US Navy Submarine Service insignia pin (Dolphins) on Japanese security guard's hat.
Crew or equipment visible: Dolly tracks visible when Conor is in the Psycho ward.
Miscellaneous: When Connor's sword is shattered by Kane's sword, it shatters all the way down to the tsuba, or guard. In subsequent scenes with Connor holding the broken sword, the blade extends 2-3 inches out from the tsuba.
Continuity: When MacLeod arrives in New York City, he is seen walking down Broadway, and the streets and sidewalks are clean. Then he turns into a side street, and it is ankle-deep in snow.
Crew or equipment visible: When McLeod is back in his antique shop, saying "Welcome back, McLeod", a silhouette of a crew member is visible in lower right.
Alternate Versions:
The version released to video tape in the US has two extra scenes. The first addition is a scene early on when Kane first arrives in New York in which he picks up a prostitute. The second is the love scene between Conner and the reporter Alex, which contains more explicit footage. Both scenes are reported to be present in European theatrical prints.
In the trailer for this film, there was a clip of the scene where Kane tells Connor about Kane and says, "Some say he is the Devil himself..." This line never made it to the final cut of the movie.
In the European version of the film, Kane says, "Highlander is out there somewhere, and he owes me for all those years." after he escapes from the cave in 1994. In the US version, he says, "Highlander is out there somewhere, and he owes me 400 years." It makes a little more sense in the European version because Kane would have no way of knowing how long he was in the cave.
In the US version of the film, a rock song plays over the final credits. In the European version, "Bonny Portmore" by Loreena McKennit plays over the final credits.
In the US version of the movie, we see Kane use his sorcerer's powers to transport himself to New York. In the European version, we simply see Kane walk out of a shipyard, implying that he got to New York by stowing away on a ship.
UK video version is cut by 57 sec. to maintain a "15" certificate.
Finish the movie by BUYING THE DVD !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
16th Century
Some time after the death of his wife Heather, Connor travels to Japan to request training from the Immortal Japanese sorcerer Nakano. Nakano holds his residence in a cave of Mount Niri, and has gained a reputation as a master of Illusion. However, another Immortal named Kane is also interested in mastering the power of Illusion. He is making his way across Asia in order to reach Nakano again, with two henchmen in tow (Khabul Khan and Senghi Khan). Entering a nearby village seeking information, they proceed to burn it to the ground, and massacre its population. Eventually, they reach the cave. Kane soon manages to defeat and decapitate Nakano, despite Connor's attempts to prevent this. However, the energies released during the battle cause the cave to collapse. The Highlander manages to escape in time, but Kane and his men are left trapped inside the depths of the mountain. Their situation prevents them from participating in "The Gathering" of 1985.
18th Century
In 1788/1789, Connor was in France, where he makes the acquaintance of Sarah Barrington, an Englishwoman visiting relatives there, and who happens to resemble the future Alex Johnson. The two eventually become lovers. However, when the French Revolution begins, MacLeod becomes involved.
MacLeod is captured, and sentenced to death by guillotine for treason against King Louis XVI of France. His Immortal friend Pierre Bouchet explains that he was tired of his immortal life, and dupes the guards into executing him in his place. Connor is falsely reported deceased. Believing her lover dead, Sarah is left grieving. After his escape, MacLeod returns to discover that she has moved on with her life by marrying another man, and having children.
Modern Day
In 1994, Connor is living with his adopted son John in Marakesh. It is revealed that in 1987, Brenda Wyatt, the woman he married after the Gathering, was killed in a car accident. Although he survived the accident himself, he still believes that "The Game" is over. Meanwhile, in Japan, two archaeologists have started excavating a cave in order to discover whether the legend of the sorceror Nakano was based on fact. One of these archaeologists is Dr. Alexandra "Alex" Johnson, whose interests in the legend eventually lead her to Connor MacLeod. Connor is intrigued by Alex due to her resemblance to Sarah.
The excavations free Kane, who immediately sets out in pursuit of Connor. MacLeod leaves John in the care of his friend Jack Donovan, and then departs to New York City to engage in the final showdown for the Prize. However, as Khabul's decapitated body is found in a hospital washroom, Lt. John Stenn goes on the trail of the main suspect of the 1985 "headhunter" case, Russell Nash. Russell Nash was the alias used by MacLeod during the time of the Gathering. As Alex investigates a piece of cloth found on the site, she discovers that it is a shred of a kilt, with a design that designates a branch of the MacLeod family. This leads her to Nash Antiques, where Connor has returned in preparation for the battle against Kane. The Highlander is confronted on Holy Ground at a former Buddhist shrine by Kane, who proceeds to challenge him. The resulting fight is a violation of the Immortal Golden Rule; the battle ends when MacLeod's katana blade is shattered. Kane flees, and Connor decides to return to Scotland to build another sword. Alex tracks him down, and the two quickly fall in love. However, the trip is cut short, as MacLeod learns from Jack Donovan that his son John is on a plane bound for New York. MacLeod returns as quickly as possible, but he's too late. Kane abducts John, and holds him hostage to lure MacLeod to him. MacLeod meets Kane in an old church mission, and then follows him into an abandoned power plant for their final battle. The Highlander defeats Kane, wins the Prize by receiving the final Quickening, and returns to Scotland with Alex and John to live out the rest of his natural life.
Cast:
Christopher Lambert as Connor MacLeod/Russell Nash
Mario Van Peebles as Kane
Deborah Kara Unger as Alex Johnson/Sarah Barrington
Martin Neufeld Lt. as John Stenn
Mako as Nakano
Raoul Trujillo as Senghi Khan
Jean-Pierre Perusse as Khabul Khan
Daniel Do as Dr. Fuji Takamura
Gabriel Kakon as John MacLeod
Louis Bertignac as Pierre Bouchet
Michael Jayston as Jack Donovan
Triva:
Ignores the events of Highlander II: The Quickening (1991) (after the poor reception of Highlander II, the fan-rumor was that this film would be entitled "Highlander III: The Apology").
Although Khan's "Warrior #1" is never referred to by name on-screen, the script refers to him as "Khabul Khan."
Actress Deborah Kara Unger did her love scenes with 'Christopher Lambert' herself, declining to use a body double.
At one point, Christopher Lambert walked off the production over a pay dispute.
Some scenes for this film were shot in Morocco.
The US theatrical release was rated PG-13, and a slightly-longer "R"-rated Special Director's Cut was later released on home video.
In a 1996 Cinefantastique interview, Highlander producer William Panzer mentioned that several references to the TV series' continuity were inserted into Highlander: The Final Dimension, meant as a means of linking that film to the TV universe.
Reportedly, Christopher Lambert considered this film to be the "real" sequel to the original film since the actual Highlander II was such a radical departure from what the first film established
Errors:
Errors in geography: "Bienvenue à Montréal" ("Welcome to Montreal") sign in an airport supposedly in Newark.
Miscellaneous: US Navy Submarine Service insignia pin (Dolphins) on Japanese security guard's hat.
Crew or equipment visible: Dolly tracks visible when Conor is in the Psycho ward.
Miscellaneous: When Connor's sword is shattered by Kane's sword, it shatters all the way down to the tsuba, or guard. In subsequent scenes with Connor holding the broken sword, the blade extends 2-3 inches out from the tsuba.
Continuity: When MacLeod arrives in New York City, he is seen walking down Broadway, and the streets and sidewalks are clean. Then he turns into a side street, and it is ankle-deep in snow.
Crew or equipment visible: When McLeod is back in his antique shop, saying "Welcome back, McLeod", a silhouette of a crew member is visible in lower right.
Alternate Versions:
The version released to video tape in the US has two extra scenes. The first addition is a scene early on when Kane first arrives in New York in which he picks up a prostitute. The second is the love scene between Conner and the reporter Alex, which contains more explicit footage. Both scenes are reported to be present in European theatrical prints.
In the trailer for this film, there was a clip of the scene where Kane tells Connor about Kane and says, "Some say he is the Devil himself..." This line never made it to the final cut of the movie.
In the European version of the film, Kane says, "Highlander is out there somewhere, and he owes me for all those years." after he escapes from the cave in 1994. In the US version, he says, "Highlander is out there somewhere, and he owes me 400 years." It makes a little more sense in the European version because Kane would have no way of knowing how long he was in the cave.
In the US version of the film, a rock song plays over the final credits. In the European version, "Bonny Portmore" by Loreena McKennit plays over the final credits.
In the US version of the movie, we see Kane use his sorcerer's powers to transport himself to New York. In the European version, we simply see Kane walk out of a shipyard, implying that he got to New York by stowing away on a ship.
UK video version is cut by 57 sec. to maintain a "15" certificate.
Finish the movie by BUYING THE DVD !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Highlander II: The Quickening
Highlander II: The Quickening, directed by Russell Mulcahy, was released on November 1, 1991. The film mainly takes place in 2024, with flashbacks to events in 1999, and also a very distant past on the planet Zeist. MacLeod designs an energy shield to protect the Earth after its ozone layer began to disintegrate, but the Shield's heavy red clouds and blocking of natural sunlight have plunged mankind into despair. The Shield has also fallen under the control of the Shield Corporation, which taxes heavily for its services in the pursuit of profit. Meanwhile, MacLeod has physically aged into a frail old man — his mortality part of winning the Prize -- and expects that he will eventually die of natural causes. He suddenly rejuvenates and becomes Immortal again upon the sudden arrival of new Immortals, who were sent to kill him by an old enemy on Zeist. He then joins with Louise Marcus (Virginia Madsen), who had led a group of terrorists who try to take down the Shield.
This film offers an alternative origin for the Immortals, who are depicted as aliens exiled to Earth from Zeist. In direct contradiction with the original film, Ramirez and MacLeod were friends before their exile from Zeist. In the original, they first met in Scotland in 1541, with no mention of Zeist whatsoever. This was a primary reason the movie immediately met with harsh criticism from critics and audiences alike.
Russell Mulcahy was disappointed with the movie as originally released, and later made his own "Renegade Version" director's cut with a proper sequencing of various scenes, and the filmmakers' explanation for why the movie turned out as it originally did. Filming had ended late and over-budget, and much of it was done in Argentina, which at the time was experiencing hyperinflation. The insurance company decided to take "creative control" from Mulcahy so that the resulting movie would see maximized revenue [1]. One of Mulcahy's most dynamic alterations was the relabeling of the Zeist footage as a flashback to an ancient, technologically-advanced civilization on Earth, much more in line with the later continuity of the first film and the later TV series[2]. In 2004, a Special Edition was released, featuring several distinct alterations, including new computer-generated visual effects throughout the film.
In August of 1995, news broadcasts announce that the ozone layer is fading and will be completely gone in a matter of months. In Africa millions have died from the effects of unfiltered sunlight. Among the dead is Connor MacLeod’s wife, Brenda Wyatt MacLeod. Before dying, Brenda extracts a promise from Connor that he will solve the problem of the ozone layer.
By 1999, Connor has become the supervisor of a scientific team headed by Dr. Allan Neyman (Allan Rich), which is attempting to create an electromagnetic shield to cover the planet and protect it from the Sun’s radiation. The team succeeds, in effect giving Earth an artificial ozone layer. MacLeod and Neyman are proud to have saved humanity, and believe they will be remembered for a thousand years.
Unfortunately, the shield has the side effect of condemning the planet to a state of constant night. By 2024, the years of darkness have caused humanity to lose hope and fall into a decline. The Shield has fallen under the control of the Shield Corporation. The corporation’s current chief executive, David Blake (John C. McGinley), is focused on profit and is imposing fees for the corporation’s services. A number of terrorist groups have begun trying to take down the Shield, among them Louise Marcus (Virginia Madsen), a former employee of the Shield Corporation.
Meanwhile, Connor MacLeod, now a frail old man, expects to eventually die of natural causes. As he watches a performance of Wagner’s Götterdämmerung, an image of Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez (Sean Connery) appears, and induces MacLeod to recall a forgotten event of his past. Five hundred years earlier, on the planet Zeist, a last meeting is held between the members of a rebellion against the rule of General Katana (Michael Ironside). The rebellion’s leader, Ramirez, chooses “a man of great destiny” from among them, MacLeod, to carry out a mission against Katana. At this moment, Katana and his troops attack, crushing the rebellion. Katana orders his men to capture Ramirez and MacLeod alive, and kill the rest of the rebels. The two captives are put on trial by Zeist’s priests, who sentence them to be exiled and reborn on Earth as Immortals in pursuit of the Prize. Winning the Prize gives the victor the choice to either grow old and die on Earth or to return to Zeist. Katana is unsatisfied with their decision, but the sentence is executed, leading to the events of the previous film.
Back on Earth of 2024, Louise Marcus discovers that the ozone layer has in fact reformed naturally, which means that the Shield is no longer needed. The Shield Corporation is aware of this development, but has chosen to hide it from the general public in order to maintain its main source of profit. Meanwhile, on Zeist, General Katana decides that Connor cannot be allowed to return to Zeist and sends his immortal henchmen Corda (Pete Antico) and Reno (Peter Bucossi) to Earth to kill him.
Louise manages to reach Connor first, and asks for his help in taking down the Shield. To Louise’s disappointment, she finds the passionate person she once admired has grown into a tired old man. MacLeod explains to Louise that he is dying, and expresses his disapproval of terrorism. Before Connor and Louise can finish their conversation, Corda and Reno attack. MacLeod decapitates them both, regaining his youthful appearance by absorbing their energy during the Quickening. In the process, Connor summons Ramirez.
In Glencoe, Scotland the location of his death, Ramirez is revived. He finds himself on a theatrical stage during a performance of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Meanwhile, Connor has found a new lover in Louise Marcus. He attempts unsuccessfully to explain to her the concepts of his immortality. Elsewhere, General Katana arrives in New York, and begins wreaking havoc.
Both Ramirez and Katana soon adapt to their new environment. Ramirez’s earrings are apparently valuable enough to pay both for the new suit he acquires from the finest and oldest tailor’s shop in Scotland, and for an airplane ticket to New York City. Katana finds New York much to his liking. After entertaining himself for a while, Katana manages to locate his old enemy, but their first encounter in centuries proves to be indecisive.
Soon thereafter, Connor is contacted by Ramirez. The latter joins MacLeod and Louise in their plan to take down the Shield. Katana, expecting this, forges an uneasy alliance with David Blake. The conflict between the two sets of allies eventually leads to the deaths of Dr. Allan Neyman, Ramirez, David Blake, and General Katana himself. MacLeod succeeds in taking down the Shield by using the combined energies of his final Quickening from General Katana. Louise sees the stars for the first time in her life. Connor then claims the Prize by returning to Zeist with Louise. (Note: in the theatrical and DVD versions, both remain on Earth.)
Alternate versions:
In 1995, Mulcahy made a director’s cut version known as Highlander II: The Renegade Version. The film was reconstructed largely from scratch, with certain scenes removed and others added back in, and the entire sequence of events changed. All references to the Immortals being aliens from another planet were eliminated; instead, this cut reveals that the Immortals are from an unspecified, distant past on Earth, banished by priests into random locations in the future to keep the Prize from being won in their lifetime (the option to return to the past is an option offered in addition to the mystical Prize and mortality of the first film). This version is generally considered a major improvement on the theatrical release, and obtained a far more favourable reception. Nevertheless, the events of both versions were generally ignored by the subsequent films and series.
Other new sequences include a battle between MacLeod and Katana atop a moving humvee after they escape the security facility, and MacLeod and Louise climbing through a mountain tunnel to emerge above the Shield to confirm that the radiation levels are back to normal. The new version also removes a major continuity gaffe from the theatrical version, which had merged two separate swordfight between MacLeod and Katana into one longer climactic battle. The first sequence has MacLeod and Katana fighting in a large abandoned building about halfway through the movie (with MacLeod using a short sword), and the climactic swordfight takes place much later (with MacLeod using his original katana). Since the two sequences are merged, Connor’s sword changes for no apparent reason. The director’s cut version restores them to two separate battles, although it never shows how or when Connor reacquired his katana. The gaffe wherein Katana's sword changes from his giant "spring loaded" broadsword, to the smaller broadsword used by the two punks still exists in the final battle of both versions.
Still not completely satisfied, producers William Panzer and Peter Davis decided to revisit Highlander II once again in 2004. Dubbed the Special Edition, this cut was nearly identical to the Renegade Version, but with a few alterations. The most obvious change is the introduction of new CGI special effects throughout the film, including a now-blue shield as originally intended. Other significant changes include a small piece of voiceover work by Lambert and the inexplicable removal of a short scene near the end of the film in which Louise Marcus holds off a group of TSC guards with a gun. Shots of a crashed space ship where the Zeistian rebels meet in secret 500 years ago is altered so that it appears "A Very Long Time Ago" some rebels meet at an old stone fortress. However, modern looking firearms are still seen briefly in some of the desert battle sequences, as well as the use of explosives and gas masks.
Controveries:
Upon release, this film was met with harsh criticism by both critics and audiences. One point of controversy was the concept of Immortals being aliens from Planet Zeist. Also, the revival of Ramirez, who had died in the original film, is often viewed as incongruous with the original movie.
Critics and audiences alike pointed out that the characters suffered from a lack of motivation; an example often offered is that no reason was provided for Katana’s sudden interest in Connor after apparently losing contact with him for 506 years, and his insistence on killing his old enemy while he could wait for him to die without outside interference. Also, the two “alien” Immortal protagonists on Zeist have their Scottish and Spanish names that they will have on Earth. [1] They were acquinted with each other on Zeist, but the transport process must have erased their memories. Thus Connor never learns about his true past until his senses the voice of Ramirez, decades after winning the Prize, and he is forced to recall the events of the distant past. This caused confusion for many viewers, even those who had seen the first film.
According to the documentary Highlander II: Seduced by Argentina, the film’s apparent failure is partially result of the bonding company’s interference with the work of director Russell Mulcahy, as well as economic problems within Argentina itself. Mulcahy reportedly hated the final product so much he walked out of the film’s world premiere after viewing its first 15 minutes. For similar reasons, Christopher Lambert threatened to walk out of the project when it was nearing fruition, but he didn’t, due to contract obligation.
Alternate Ending:
A lost alternate ending, commonly known as “The Fairytale Ending,” was shown only in some European theaters and has never been shown in any of the American cuts. The ending shows Connor magically returning to planet Zeist, taking Louise along with him, while Ramirez’ voice is heard in the background. An early version of this ending is shown on the Special Edition however it also includes footage of Virginia Madsen as Louise Marcus speaking to Christopher Lambert as Connor MacLeod. Madsen is on location while Lambert is suspended by wires in front of a blue screen. After a brief exchange where Connor asks Louse to come with him, the theatrical ending is shown where the two embrace in front of a field of stars, then transform into light streaks and fly off into space.
This ending is sometimes seen in televised broadcasts of "Highlander II: The Quickening." The VHS version simply cuts off after Connor looks up at the starry sky and smiles, after the smoke from the explosion of the December Installation clears
Triva:
Grossly contradicts Highlander (1986), its prequel.
Completed production exactly four years later to the day of the first Highlander (1986).
'Lambert, Christopher' normally wears glasses, as his eyesight is very poor. During one of the sword fights, Lambert (sans glasses) nearly severed Michael Ironside's right thumb.
Director Russell Mulcahy disliked the theatrical cut so much, he left the premiere after only 15 minutes.
In the renegade version, a documentary following the film has the filmmakers explain why the original theatrical release contradicted the first film. According to them, the inflation in Argentina had risen so high during filming that the film's insurance company started to take creative control, and made a film they thought would make the most money.
Cameo: [Russell Mulcahy] A technician at Shield Control during the flashback to 1999.
Sean Connery received $3.5 million for nine days of filming.
In unused scenes, it is explained that the Kurgan from the first film was also a resident of the dreaded planet Zeist, hired by General Katana (Michael Ironside) to kill Connor MacLeod ('Lambert, Christopher' ). The final battle between MacLeod and the Kurgan from the 1986 film is shown on a large screen to Zeist bettors, and when the Kurgan fails, Katana sends down the two assassins featured in the final cut of the film to take out MacLeod.
The final fight scene between MacLeod and Katana is composed of two seperate battles. They are shown correctly in the renegade version.
All the subsequent Highlander productions ignore Highlander II, as if it never happened.
During the course of filming Christopher Lambert cut his finger to the bone in the first sword fighting scene and Michael Ironside dislodged his jaw in the dome fight.
Both Christopher Lambert and Michael Ironside did most of their stunts.
Russell Mulcahy was so frustrated at being locked out of production that he tried to have his credit changed to "Alan Smithee". However, a section of his contract forbade him from publicly attacking the film before it was released; the producers informed him that if he had his credit changed they would consider it an attack and launch a lawsuit against him.
'Christopher Lambert' was so disgusted with the re-written script that he wanted to drop out of production, but due to contractual obligation he was forced to finish the film.
Originally, Ramirez was not supposed to be in the film. However, 'Christopher Lambert' had become such good friends with Sean Connery during the making of the original, that he threatened to back out of this film if Connery's character was not added to the sequel.
Virginia Madsen had auditioned for Heather in the original Highlander (1986).
Shortly after production on this film began, Back to the Future Part II (1989) was released. The design team then went back to the drawing board to make the flying sleds used by the Zeist assassins in this film look less like the Spielberg/Zemeckis "Hoverboards".
John C. McGinley made his character's voice as deep as possible in an effort to imitate Orson Welles. He has since admitted that it was a bad idea.
Errors:
Continuity: MacLeod (doesn't) lean out of the car at the prison complex.
Continuity: When Juan Sánchez Villa-Lobos Ramírez was killed in the prison he had the Highlander Katana with him and Connor MacLeod runs out of the prison with his other sword. In the final fight Connor MacLeod has the Highlander Katan again.
Continuity: MacLeod's sword changes from a broadsword to a shortsword several times during the last fight.
Factual errors: Modern day subways have systems against runaways; there's no reason to believe futuristic ones would lack similar precautions.
Incorrectly regarded as goofs: Katana has knowledge of league draft rules and the Wizard of Oz, despite never having visited Earth, but he has a screen he uses to monitor McLeod, so he could have learned about them through it.
Continuity: When Katana is "beamed" to Earth, he is not wearing gloves. When he arrives on Earth, he is wearing them.
Continuity: MacLeod's jacket keeps switching from a black bomber jacket to a full length coat during the final 20 minutes of the film.
Continuity: The Highlander fights a villain on top of a train. During the fight the train drives through a waterfall, forcing the villain to take off his sunglasses. He gets his head cut off, but the loose head is wearing sunglasses again.
Plot holes: Ramirez and MacLeod enter the prison with a car. The guards shoot the car with machine guns from all sides. But MacLeod's friend Louise Marcus, in the trunk of the car, not only survives but is even unhurt.
Crew or equipment visible: In the fight scenes in the beginning of the movie, the lines suspending the actors in the air are clearly visible.
Continuity: Louise Marcus swims into the Shield Corp., pulls off her scuba hood and mask, and has a immaculate hairdo and makeup.
Continuity: Katana brushes his coat against the shield energy and loses a piece, but for the rest of the scene it's intact again.
Continuity: During Connor and Katana fighting around the shield energy they destroy several railings, but then after Katana burns his hand they are all intact again.
Revealing mistakes: When Katana throws Blake out of a window the dummy that hits the ground is very, very obviously a dummy.
Continuity: A fire escape that McLeod uses to reach the ground is seen rising up twice in consecutive shots.
Continuity: Juan Sánchez Villa-Lobos Ramírez is admiring himself in a wall of monitors just before getting fitted for his new suit. A pedestrian walks in between Ramírez and the camera but does not show up on the monitors.
Factual errors: In the Renegade version, the closing credits list Bruno Curichelli as "Zeist Chief Justice" even though the film has eliminated the whole Planet Zeist angle from the film.
Alternate Versions:
On at least one occasion (06/17/06) another version was shown on TNT. This one differed mostly at the end. Connor takes Katanas head, destroying the shield. We hear Ramirez's voice over as Connor is still standing in the middle of the light ray, with Louise smiling back at him. The movie ends right there with Connor smiling back. The end credits feature a female singer as opposed to Lou Gramm's 'One Dream'.
A 108 min. Director's Cut, titled "Highlander II: The Renegade Version", is available in the U.S.A. on video and features 16 minutes of footage not included in the theatrical release.
In addition to the extra footage, the "Renegade Version" of Highlander II features a different sequence of events, providing continuity lacking from the theatrical release. These changes along with the extra footage allow the movie to follow the plot of the original Highlander movie. The idea of the immortals being from another planet has been done away with, and questions like "What happened to Brenda?" are answered.
A third version of Highlander II exists. This version contains some of the footage from the "Renegade Edition" although the sequence of events is more like the theatrical release. It also contains footage and dialog not seen in either of the other versions. Noteworthy differences include the following: While Katana is fighting the rebels on Zeist soliders from both sides use machine guns. Connor and Louise leave earth for Zeist at the end of the movie. This version is the one commonly used for television broadcasts.
All UK releases are cut to get a "15" rating.
In 1990, Highlander 2: The Quickening was released in America with a running time of 89 minutes and 53 seconds. The Renegade version features an additional 19 minutes and 34 seconds of restored footage, bringing the final running time to 109 minutes and 27 seconds. Below is a list of scene changes (may contain spoilers):
1. PROLOGUE TEXT: A new prologue eases the viewer into the year 2024, the world now inhabited by Connor MacLeod. The new text establishes that the Earth's Ozone Layer has been severely depleted and, in response, the planet has been encased in an electromagnetic shield to protect the population from deadly radiation. After 25 years, however, the necessity of maintaining the shield is being questioned.
2. CONNOR AT THE OPERA HOUSE: As originally scripted, the Renegade Version opens outside an opera house. A restored shot of a water pail overflowing with rain dripping from the ceiling brings us into the crumbling facility, where we find an aging Connor looking through a program. Connor's P.O.V. reveals that this evening's production of "The Valkyrie" is being performed "in the presence of Dr: Alan Neyman President, TSC." Connor locates Alan with his opera glasses, and the two old friends wave to each other. Later in the scene, Connor recalls a long ago battle between his forces and those of the evil Immortal, Katana, presented through a series of flashbacks that are cross cut with scenes from the opera being performed on stage. Katana's dialogue about wanting all of the rebels' heads has been Cult from the Renegade Version.
3. KATANA AND CONNOR IN THE CAVE WITH THE EELS: Prior to grabbing an eel out of the water, Katana now addresses this additional line of dialogue to Connor: "My friends in here remind me of you and Ramirez'
4. THE SENTENCING OF CONNOR AND RAMIREZ BY THE PRIESTS: A restored shot of Connor in his opera box is followed by a shot of a huge set of double doors on the opera house stage. Through the computer magic of CGI, the doors open into the past, where Connor and Ramirez stand before the Priests awaiting judgement. New dialogue in this scene tells us that Connor and Ramirez are rebels who possess an unholy Immortality like Katana. Their punishment is exile into the future where they must do battle, "For there can only be one." The victor will have the choice to "grow old and die in the future or return here with his freedom and his faith restored.
5. CONNOR WATCHES A SHIELD CORPORATION "NEWSCAST" ON HIS CAR TELEVISION: Connor leaves the opera house and watches a news story broadcast by The Shield Corporation (TSC) on his car's television. New dialogue by the newscaster reveals there are rumours of a management shake-up at TSC. Connor's friend Alan has become increasingly isolated, and the fact that he is "unavailable for comment" makes Connor concerned for his safety. The same footage was seen in the American versions, but before Connor goes to the opera. In that version, there is an extended scene in which Connor drives while considering how the world has deteriorated under the Shield, much like the Renegade Versions new prologue.
6. CONNOR TRIES TO CALL ALAN VIA VIDEO PHONE: Worried about his old friend, Connor stops at a video pay phone to call Alan but fails to get past the TSC receptionist. Connor decides not to leave a message. Several street punks show up and harass Connor for money to use in a street corner oxygen dispenser, but they run off when they realise who they're dealing with. Connor returns to his Porsche.
7. TWO GUARDS AT TSC DISCUSS FISH IN THE LAKE: A restored long shot of the Shield generator bears the title "Shield Control" Two guards standing above the generators man-made lake hear a noise - the sound of Louise's underwater commando squad coming to the surface. The two guards report in to the security guard, but when he sees nothing unusual on his monitor, he tells them the sound was just some fish making noise, prompting the guards to argue about whether or not any fish could live in the lake.
8. LOUISE DISCOVERS THE RADIATION LEVEL ABOVE THE SHIELD IS NORMAL: This sequence contains the same footage as the American version, but reordered to make the scene flow more naturally. Now when Louise attempts to determine the radiation level above the Shield, it seems as if 30 seconds have passed while she and her team wait to get an accurate reading. There is also additional dialogue from one of her cohorts as he tries to convince her to get moving before they're all caught.
9. KATANA AND THE PRIESTS WATCH CONNOR ON A VIDEO SCREEN: When Connor arrives at his favourite bar, Katana and the Priests observe him from the distant past on a holographic projection bearing the caption "New York City
July 16, 2024." Katana and the Priests discuss the fact that Connor hasn't made his choice whether to return to the past or remain in the present a revelation that angers Katana, who leaves to locate his assassins.
10. KATANA SENDS CORDA AND RENO TO THE FUTURE: Corda and Reno argue that since Connor is old and will die soon, there is no need for them to go after him. Katana disagrees and sends them to find and kill Connor anyway.
11. CONNOR'S WOUNDED HAND MAGICALLY HEALS IN THE BAR: Speaking newly added dialogue, Connor asks the woman harassing him if she is the type of person who knows when to stop. After the woman attacks and wounds him with a bottle, Connor's injured hand magically heals itself. Distressed, Connor says "Oh no, not again!" Connor's healing now appears as a direct result of Corda and Reno's arrival in the present.
12. CONNOR AND LOuISE MEET FOR THE FIRST TIME: Outside the bar, Connor has his initial encounter with Louise, where additional dialogue reveals that Connor knows he is becoming Immortal again. This dialogue was cut from the American version because Corda and Reno don't arrive until after this conversation and, therefore, Connor is not yet becoming Immortal.
13. EXTENDED FIGHT SCENE BETWEEN CONNOR AND CORDA: The battle sequence between Connor and Corda, is extended before Connor falls onto the top of the train. An additional shot of the train coming out of a tunnel sets up its arrival during the fight scene.
14. CONNOR AND LOUISE KISS... AND MORE!: The restored footage of this section features an extended scene in which Connor and Louise make love against a wall after their first kiss.
15. RAMIREZ'S FIRST FLIGHT: The scene of Ramirez's airplane flight across the Atlantic has been split into two parts. In this shot, Ramirez is seen through the airplane window looking worried. The scene bears the title "Somewhere over the Atlantic."
16. CONNOR AND LOUISE TALK ABOUT THE BLUE SKY: Louise asks Connor if he has ever seen the blue sky, since she is too young to remember it herself. He describes what it was like and she expresses her wish to see the sky at least once before she dies.
17. KATANA WATCHES RENO DIE: From the distant past, Katana watches Connor defeat Reno.
18. THE PSYCHIC COOK TV COMMERCIAL: As in the American version, Katana smashes through the roof of a speeding subway car when he arrives in the present. Restored footage inserted before his arrival shows us the state of television in 2024 as a TV monitor features a tacky promo for a program entitled "The Psychic Cook."
19. MOTHER AND BABY ON THE SUBWAY: Aboard Katana's subway car, extended footage reveals a mother with a baby in a carriage. As Katana hurls the train through the tunnel at blinding speed, there is also additional footage of several passengers being thrown against the back of the car and more blood and gore than in the original release.
20. CONNOR ARRIVES AT TSC: Connor drives up to the TSC entrance in his Porsche. He is allowed to enter the building after a hand scanner at the security desk validates his identity.
21. ALAN AND CONNOR DISCUSS THE SHIELD LAUNCH (RESTORED FLASHBACK 1): The first flashback restored to its correct position in the film occurs when Connor and Alan discuss the day the Shield was launched. In the restored footage, Connor and Alan look at a miniature model of Shield Control (although the plaque still reads "December Installation"). Connor puts on a pair of goggles he finds next to the model and his movement triggers the flashback transition. The camera follows his movement and continues around his body coming to rest on a younger Connor and Alan watching the Shield launch in 1999. In the American version, the 1999 Shield launch scene was placed at the beginning of the film in an attempt to arrange events chronologically :
22. ALAN AND CONNOR DISCUSS THE OZONE LAYER: A new transition from The Shield launch flashback (see description 21) occurs as the camera tilts down from the ceiling to reveal Connor and Alan in Alan's office. Alan communicates to Connor, via computer screen, that the Ozone Layer may be back to normal. Alan tries to give Connor the coordinates he'll need to get above the Shield to take a proper ozone reading, but he has only given Connor half of the information when he is interrupted by Blake.
23. KATANA TAKES A CAB: This scene, in which Katana is driven to an empty warehouse by garrulous cabbie Jerry Pritchett, contains both extra footage and dialogue. Jerry's added dialogue concerns the decayed state of the world and the availability of his sister. In the American version, this scene is immediately followed by Katana's arrival at Blake's board meeting - as if the empty warehouse and the Shield Corporation were the same place.
24. RAMIREZ'S NEW TWO SIDED CONVERSATION WITH A FEMALE AIRLINE PASSENGER: This is the second part of Ramirez's flight across the Atlantic. It bears the title: "Still somewhere over the Atlantic." Ramirez's conversation with a female passenger now includes an added line of dialogue from her. Now, when Ramirez says "Forgive me for asking yet again, but, ah, how do we remain so high above the earth with safety?" She replies "By drinking!"
25. KATANA CALLS TO CONNOR FROM THE TOP OF AN EMPTY WAREHOUSE: Standing atop the warehouse, Katana says "My kind of town. I'm waiting MacLeod. Come to me. I'm waiting." This visual was originally placed at the end of the American version after Blake is killed, without the additional dialogue.
26. RAMIREZ JOKES WITH FEMALE PASSENGER: The producers used Ramirez' "off the wall" line of new dialogue at the end of his Helen of Troy monologue. He says, "But on the contrary, Virginia, all of the most beautiful women had dark hair: Helen of Troy, Cleopatra, Nephertiti, Joan of Arc, to name but a few. In fact, it's well known that the dark haired ladies..." Well you've got to hear it.
27. BRENDA'S DEATH IN NEW YORK, 1998 (RESTORED FLASHBACK 2): Connor visits the grave of his dead wife, Brenda. In a new voice over, Brenda tells him she is sorry to be leaving him so soon. There is a dissolve into a shot of the setting sun (used as the opening shot of the American version) bearing the title: "New York, 1998." Totally new footage follows, revealing Brenda in a hospital bed, burned and covered with bandages, the victim of radiation poisoning. She makes Connor promise to help save others from the radiation that is killing her. This promise becomes Connor's motivation for building the Shield. Brenda dies while holding his hand. As he walks away, the camera pulls back to show a vast hall full of radiation victims. This shot was also found in the American version, but at the beginning of the film. This sequence also includes new music.
28. CONNOR ENTERS THE WAREHOUSE: Connor arrives at the empty warehouse in his Porsche and opens the door. A long shot from inside shows Connor walking in through the doorway.
29. ALAN IS SENT TO MAX AND BLAKE HOLDS A BOARD MEETING: Now correctly re-ordered in the Renegade Version is the scene in which Blake sends Alan to MAX, as well as the scene of the board meeting where Blake discusses "re-shuffling the deck" at TSC. In the American version, these scenes were reversed. At the end of the restored board meeting scene, Blake now has additional dialogue, saying "Ah, Wilson, could we get on this Highlander thing as soon as possible?"
30. CONNOR AND RAMIREZ DISCUSS THE SHIELD COORDINATES: Connor tells Ramirez about the system failure and reveals the Shield coordinates he received from Alan. Ramirez points out that they need the second half of the coordinates before they can go above the Shield.
31. CONNOR AND RAMIREZ ACQUIRE MAX SECURITY UNIFORMS: After the doctor faints, a restored shot shows Connor and Ramirez catching him, followed by another restored shot where they take the guards' uniforms.
32. ALAN REVEALS THE REMAINING SHIELD COORDINATES AND DIES: The scene in which Connor and Louise find Alan in MAX contains both additional footage and dialogue. After giving Connor the remaining Shield coordinates, he tells Connor to go above the shield to confirm that radiation levels are normal. Before Alan dies, Connor assures him they were right to build the shield.
33. KATANA AND BLAKE DISCUSS LOUISE: As they watch Alan's death via video screen, Blake reveals to Katana that Louise is the leader of COBALT. Katana mocks her. Blake vows that Louise and Connor will never make it out of MAX alive.
34. CONNOR AND LOUISE STEAL A TRUCK FROM MAX: Connor and Louise escape from MAX by Knocking out a guard and commandeering a truck. Katana tries to block their path as they drive out of the parking lot, but Connor runs him over.
35. CONNOR FIGHTS KATANA ON THE TRUCK: Connor and Louise follow Alan's coordinates into a deserted area. Katana climbs onto the roof of the speeding truck where an extended fight scene ensues. The fight moves from roof to hood and ends when Katana is thrown from the truck.
36. CONNOR AND LOUISE AT THE SHIELD CONTROL ACCESS TOWER: Alan's coordinates lead CoNNor and Louise to the Shield access towel. They pass a sign reading "Danger Shield Ceiling - Authorized Personnel Only." There are several shots of Connor and Louise climbing a long ladder, surrounded by sparks and explosions.
37. KATANA AND BLAKE DISCUSS CONNOR: When Katana tells Blake his life will be very predictable once Connor is dead, Blake expresses concern that Katana is being overly confident. Katana asks if Blake is betting on him, Blake answers that he always plays the favorite.
38. CONNOR AND LOUISE CLIMB ABOVE THE SHIELD: Connor and Louise emerge onto a mountainside where they discover the blue sky. There are several shots of mountains and clouds as they discover the Ozone Layer has repaired itself
Connor decides that the Shield must come down and that there is only one way to do it. This sequence was filmed in southern Argentina near the ski resort town of Barriloche.
39. BLAKE AND KATANA DISCUSS CONNOR'S NEXT MOVE: Blake worries that Connor, who has been missing for 24 hours, has gotten above the Shield. He fears TSC will end up in Chapter 11 if the truth about the Ozone Layer is revealed. Katana is convinced that all of Connor's roads lead back to him. Blake smugly points out that Katana is wrong, as he points out Connor and Louise speeding through the desert en route to the Shield generator. Katana kills Blake for suggesting he has made a mistake. The American version of this scene is much shorter, with Blake telling Katana he is wrong after Connor and Louise escape from the exhaust fan room in MAX. Katana's reaction in both scenes is the same.
40. GUARDS PATROLLING OUTSIDE OF SHIELD CONTROL: New footage of The Pyramid's exterior and floodgates is followed by a shot of two guards standing on a platform. The final shot of the sequence reveals the bridge over the floodgates is crawling with guards.
41. THE WORLD WITHOUT THE SHIELD: When the satellite above the Earth explodes, there are two new shots of the earth and the city covered by the Shield. These are followed by an extremely wide shot of the Shield as it disappears from the Earth's skies. The two restored shots that follow show open night skies over Jerry's, Connor's favorite bar and over the city skyline.
42. CONNOR AND LOUISE KISS AS SHIELD CONTROL BURNS: Connor and Louise kiss on the edge of a lake as the Shield generator burns in the distance. In voice over, Ramirez reprises his thoughts: "Most people have a full measure of life and most people just watch it slowly drip away. But if you can summon it all up at one time, in one place, you can accomplish something glorious." The films final image is that of the planet Earth, now no longer covered by the Shield.
The 2004 Special Edition version has a scene cut (featured in previous versions). The 2004 version doesn't have the breaking into Shield Control scene near the end of the movie and the shoot out with the Shield Control guards. In the 2004 version, it goes from the shot of the Shield Control guards outside to Louise looking on as Connor walks in to fight Katana
Quotes:
Ramirez: Most people have a full measure of life... and most people just watch it slowly drip away. But if you can summon it all up... at one time... in one place... you can accomplish something... glorious.
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Ramirez: ...we are joined in a way that can never be broken, not even by death. When you need me, you'll only have to call my name. I'll always find you.
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[U.S. Cable-TV Version]
Louise Marcus: Okay, now let me just see if I can get this straight. You come from another planet, and you're mortal there, but you're immortal here until you kill all the guys from there who have come here... and then you're mortal here... unless you go back there, or some more guys from there came here, in which case you become immortal here... again.
Conner MacLeod: Something like that.
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Katana: Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. If you don't take it out and use it, it's going to rust.
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Drunk: Are you MacLeod?
Conner MacLeod: Yes, I am.
Drunk: Great. I always wanted to meet the guy that turned the world to shit.
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Juan Ramirez: You've remembered almost everything I taught you.
Conner MacLeod: I've had a lot of practice lately.
Juan Ramirez: There is no substitute for experience.
Conner MacLeod: What experience? You've been dead for five hundred years.
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Conner MacLeod: You'll have to excuse me. I've gotten some disturbing news.
Louise Marcus: Did somebody die?
Conner MacLeod: Unfortunately not.
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Katana: The remains of your mortal wife. So frail. So earthy. So very dead.
Conner MacLeod: At least she's at peace.
Katana: Peace is highly overrated.
Conner MacLeod: Things don't change, Katana, I like that. After all these years, you're still a jerk.
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Doctor: They were both dead before the car stopped. I'm amazed they got as far as they did. Gosh, I've never seen a mess like that. They must have taken about a hundred bullets or so.
[Connor and Ramirez sit up]
Conner MacLeod: One hundred and eight.
Ramirez: One hundred and twelve, myself.
Conner MacLeod: Aw, come on. You're not counting that little scratch, are you?
Ramirez: Scratch? What are you talking about? It passed right through me. Just look at my splendid waistcoat.
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Louise Marcus: You're nothing but a tired old man.
Conner MacLeod: More than you know.
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David Blake: Oh, I think I've had enough of you. Goodbye, Attila.
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Katana: Nicely played, MacLeod, but the game's not over yet.
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Corda: Time to say goodbye, Highlander!
Conner MacLeod: Why? You going somewhere?
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[MacLeod has just decapitated two villains and has suddenly become 30 years younger]
Louise: Who are you?
Connor MacLeod: I'm Connor MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod. I was banished from the Planet Zeist 500 years ago... and I cannot die.
[They embrace and kiss]
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Juan Ramirez: But on the contrary, Virginia, all of the most beautiful women had dark hair. Helen of Troy, Cleopatra, Nefertiti, Joan of Arc to name a few. In fact, it's well known that these dair haired ladies
[lean in to whisper to Virginia]
Juan Ramirez: like to sit on men's faces.
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Ramirez: [confused after Hamlet actor swears at him] Shithead? What's a shithead?
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[after almost being hit by a truck]
Ramirez: So much for the Horse and Cart
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[Ramirez has been resurrected on stage in the middle of a performance of Hamlet. The actor playing Hamlet tries to continue]
Hamlet: Alas, poor Yorrick. I knew him Horatio...
Ramirez: Actually, it's Ramirez
This film offers an alternative origin for the Immortals, who are depicted as aliens exiled to Earth from Zeist. In direct contradiction with the original film, Ramirez and MacLeod were friends before their exile from Zeist. In the original, they first met in Scotland in 1541, with no mention of Zeist whatsoever. This was a primary reason the movie immediately met with harsh criticism from critics and audiences alike.
Russell Mulcahy was disappointed with the movie as originally released, and later made his own "Renegade Version" director's cut with a proper sequencing of various scenes, and the filmmakers' explanation for why the movie turned out as it originally did. Filming had ended late and over-budget, and much of it was done in Argentina, which at the time was experiencing hyperinflation. The insurance company decided to take "creative control" from Mulcahy so that the resulting movie would see maximized revenue [1]. One of Mulcahy's most dynamic alterations was the relabeling of the Zeist footage as a flashback to an ancient, technologically-advanced civilization on Earth, much more in line with the later continuity of the first film and the later TV series[2]. In 2004, a Special Edition was released, featuring several distinct alterations, including new computer-generated visual effects throughout the film.
In August of 1995, news broadcasts announce that the ozone layer is fading and will be completely gone in a matter of months. In Africa millions have died from the effects of unfiltered sunlight. Among the dead is Connor MacLeod’s wife, Brenda Wyatt MacLeod. Before dying, Brenda extracts a promise from Connor that he will solve the problem of the ozone layer.
By 1999, Connor has become the supervisor of a scientific team headed by Dr. Allan Neyman (Allan Rich), which is attempting to create an electromagnetic shield to cover the planet and protect it from the Sun’s radiation. The team succeeds, in effect giving Earth an artificial ozone layer. MacLeod and Neyman are proud to have saved humanity, and believe they will be remembered for a thousand years.
Unfortunately, the shield has the side effect of condemning the planet to a state of constant night. By 2024, the years of darkness have caused humanity to lose hope and fall into a decline. The Shield has fallen under the control of the Shield Corporation. The corporation’s current chief executive, David Blake (John C. McGinley), is focused on profit and is imposing fees for the corporation’s services. A number of terrorist groups have begun trying to take down the Shield, among them Louise Marcus (Virginia Madsen), a former employee of the Shield Corporation.
Meanwhile, Connor MacLeod, now a frail old man, expects to eventually die of natural causes. As he watches a performance of Wagner’s Götterdämmerung, an image of Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez (Sean Connery) appears, and induces MacLeod to recall a forgotten event of his past. Five hundred years earlier, on the planet Zeist, a last meeting is held between the members of a rebellion against the rule of General Katana (Michael Ironside). The rebellion’s leader, Ramirez, chooses “a man of great destiny” from among them, MacLeod, to carry out a mission against Katana. At this moment, Katana and his troops attack, crushing the rebellion. Katana orders his men to capture Ramirez and MacLeod alive, and kill the rest of the rebels. The two captives are put on trial by Zeist’s priests, who sentence them to be exiled and reborn on Earth as Immortals in pursuit of the Prize. Winning the Prize gives the victor the choice to either grow old and die on Earth or to return to Zeist. Katana is unsatisfied with their decision, but the sentence is executed, leading to the events of the previous film.
Back on Earth of 2024, Louise Marcus discovers that the ozone layer has in fact reformed naturally, which means that the Shield is no longer needed. The Shield Corporation is aware of this development, but has chosen to hide it from the general public in order to maintain its main source of profit. Meanwhile, on Zeist, General Katana decides that Connor cannot be allowed to return to Zeist and sends his immortal henchmen Corda (Pete Antico) and Reno (Peter Bucossi) to Earth to kill him.
Louise manages to reach Connor first, and asks for his help in taking down the Shield. To Louise’s disappointment, she finds the passionate person she once admired has grown into a tired old man. MacLeod explains to Louise that he is dying, and expresses his disapproval of terrorism. Before Connor and Louise can finish their conversation, Corda and Reno attack. MacLeod decapitates them both, regaining his youthful appearance by absorbing their energy during the Quickening. In the process, Connor summons Ramirez.
In Glencoe, Scotland the location of his death, Ramirez is revived. He finds himself on a theatrical stage during a performance of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Meanwhile, Connor has found a new lover in Louise Marcus. He attempts unsuccessfully to explain to her the concepts of his immortality. Elsewhere, General Katana arrives in New York, and begins wreaking havoc.
Both Ramirez and Katana soon adapt to their new environment. Ramirez’s earrings are apparently valuable enough to pay both for the new suit he acquires from the finest and oldest tailor’s shop in Scotland, and for an airplane ticket to New York City. Katana finds New York much to his liking. After entertaining himself for a while, Katana manages to locate his old enemy, but their first encounter in centuries proves to be indecisive.
Soon thereafter, Connor is contacted by Ramirez. The latter joins MacLeod and Louise in their plan to take down the Shield. Katana, expecting this, forges an uneasy alliance with David Blake. The conflict between the two sets of allies eventually leads to the deaths of Dr. Allan Neyman, Ramirez, David Blake, and General Katana himself. MacLeod succeeds in taking down the Shield by using the combined energies of his final Quickening from General Katana. Louise sees the stars for the first time in her life. Connor then claims the Prize by returning to Zeist with Louise. (Note: in the theatrical and DVD versions, both remain on Earth.)
Alternate versions:
In 1995, Mulcahy made a director’s cut version known as Highlander II: The Renegade Version. The film was reconstructed largely from scratch, with certain scenes removed and others added back in, and the entire sequence of events changed. All references to the Immortals being aliens from another planet were eliminated; instead, this cut reveals that the Immortals are from an unspecified, distant past on Earth, banished by priests into random locations in the future to keep the Prize from being won in their lifetime (the option to return to the past is an option offered in addition to the mystical Prize and mortality of the first film). This version is generally considered a major improvement on the theatrical release, and obtained a far more favourable reception. Nevertheless, the events of both versions were generally ignored by the subsequent films and series.
Other new sequences include a battle between MacLeod and Katana atop a moving humvee after they escape the security facility, and MacLeod and Louise climbing through a mountain tunnel to emerge above the Shield to confirm that the radiation levels are back to normal. The new version also removes a major continuity gaffe from the theatrical version, which had merged two separate swordfight between MacLeod and Katana into one longer climactic battle. The first sequence has MacLeod and Katana fighting in a large abandoned building about halfway through the movie (with MacLeod using a short sword), and the climactic swordfight takes place much later (with MacLeod using his original katana). Since the two sequences are merged, Connor’s sword changes for no apparent reason. The director’s cut version restores them to two separate battles, although it never shows how or when Connor reacquired his katana. The gaffe wherein Katana's sword changes from his giant "spring loaded" broadsword, to the smaller broadsword used by the two punks still exists in the final battle of both versions.
Still not completely satisfied, producers William Panzer and Peter Davis decided to revisit Highlander II once again in 2004. Dubbed the Special Edition, this cut was nearly identical to the Renegade Version, but with a few alterations. The most obvious change is the introduction of new CGI special effects throughout the film, including a now-blue shield as originally intended. Other significant changes include a small piece of voiceover work by Lambert and the inexplicable removal of a short scene near the end of the film in which Louise Marcus holds off a group of TSC guards with a gun. Shots of a crashed space ship where the Zeistian rebels meet in secret 500 years ago is altered so that it appears "A Very Long Time Ago" some rebels meet at an old stone fortress. However, modern looking firearms are still seen briefly in some of the desert battle sequences, as well as the use of explosives and gas masks.
Controveries:
Upon release, this film was met with harsh criticism by both critics and audiences. One point of controversy was the concept of Immortals being aliens from Planet Zeist. Also, the revival of Ramirez, who had died in the original film, is often viewed as incongruous with the original movie.
Critics and audiences alike pointed out that the characters suffered from a lack of motivation; an example often offered is that no reason was provided for Katana’s sudden interest in Connor after apparently losing contact with him for 506 years, and his insistence on killing his old enemy while he could wait for him to die without outside interference. Also, the two “alien” Immortal protagonists on Zeist have their Scottish and Spanish names that they will have on Earth. [1] They were acquinted with each other on Zeist, but the transport process must have erased their memories. Thus Connor never learns about his true past until his senses the voice of Ramirez, decades after winning the Prize, and he is forced to recall the events of the distant past. This caused confusion for many viewers, even those who had seen the first film.
According to the documentary Highlander II: Seduced by Argentina, the film’s apparent failure is partially result of the bonding company’s interference with the work of director Russell Mulcahy, as well as economic problems within Argentina itself. Mulcahy reportedly hated the final product so much he walked out of the film’s world premiere after viewing its first 15 minutes. For similar reasons, Christopher Lambert threatened to walk out of the project when it was nearing fruition, but he didn’t, due to contract obligation.
Alternate Ending:
A lost alternate ending, commonly known as “The Fairytale Ending,” was shown only in some European theaters and has never been shown in any of the American cuts. The ending shows Connor magically returning to planet Zeist, taking Louise along with him, while Ramirez’ voice is heard in the background. An early version of this ending is shown on the Special Edition however it also includes footage of Virginia Madsen as Louise Marcus speaking to Christopher Lambert as Connor MacLeod. Madsen is on location while Lambert is suspended by wires in front of a blue screen. After a brief exchange where Connor asks Louse to come with him, the theatrical ending is shown where the two embrace in front of a field of stars, then transform into light streaks and fly off into space.
This ending is sometimes seen in televised broadcasts of "Highlander II: The Quickening." The VHS version simply cuts off after Connor looks up at the starry sky and smiles, after the smoke from the explosion of the December Installation clears
Triva:
Grossly contradicts Highlander (1986), its prequel.
Completed production exactly four years later to the day of the first Highlander (1986).
'Lambert, Christopher' normally wears glasses, as his eyesight is very poor. During one of the sword fights, Lambert (sans glasses) nearly severed Michael Ironside's right thumb.
Director Russell Mulcahy disliked the theatrical cut so much, he left the premiere after only 15 minutes.
In the renegade version, a documentary following the film has the filmmakers explain why the original theatrical release contradicted the first film. According to them, the inflation in Argentina had risen so high during filming that the film's insurance company started to take creative control, and made a film they thought would make the most money.
Cameo: [Russell Mulcahy] A technician at Shield Control during the flashback to 1999.
Sean Connery received $3.5 million for nine days of filming.
In unused scenes, it is explained that the Kurgan from the first film was also a resident of the dreaded planet Zeist, hired by General Katana (Michael Ironside) to kill Connor MacLeod ('Lambert, Christopher' ). The final battle between MacLeod and the Kurgan from the 1986 film is shown on a large screen to Zeist bettors, and when the Kurgan fails, Katana sends down the two assassins featured in the final cut of the film to take out MacLeod.
The final fight scene between MacLeod and Katana is composed of two seperate battles. They are shown correctly in the renegade version.
All the subsequent Highlander productions ignore Highlander II, as if it never happened.
During the course of filming Christopher Lambert cut his finger to the bone in the first sword fighting scene and Michael Ironside dislodged his jaw in the dome fight.
Both Christopher Lambert and Michael Ironside did most of their stunts.
Russell Mulcahy was so frustrated at being locked out of production that he tried to have his credit changed to "Alan Smithee". However, a section of his contract forbade him from publicly attacking the film before it was released; the producers informed him that if he had his credit changed they would consider it an attack and launch a lawsuit against him.
'Christopher Lambert' was so disgusted with the re-written script that he wanted to drop out of production, but due to contractual obligation he was forced to finish the film.
Originally, Ramirez was not supposed to be in the film. However, 'Christopher Lambert' had become such good friends with Sean Connery during the making of the original, that he threatened to back out of this film if Connery's character was not added to the sequel.
Virginia Madsen had auditioned for Heather in the original Highlander (1986).
Shortly after production on this film began, Back to the Future Part II (1989) was released. The design team then went back to the drawing board to make the flying sleds used by the Zeist assassins in this film look less like the Spielberg/Zemeckis "Hoverboards".
John C. McGinley made his character's voice as deep as possible in an effort to imitate Orson Welles. He has since admitted that it was a bad idea.
Errors:
Continuity: MacLeod (doesn't) lean out of the car at the prison complex.
Continuity: When Juan Sánchez Villa-Lobos Ramírez was killed in the prison he had the Highlander Katana with him and Connor MacLeod runs out of the prison with his other sword. In the final fight Connor MacLeod has the Highlander Katan again.
Continuity: MacLeod's sword changes from a broadsword to a shortsword several times during the last fight.
Factual errors: Modern day subways have systems against runaways; there's no reason to believe futuristic ones would lack similar precautions.
Incorrectly regarded as goofs: Katana has knowledge of league draft rules and the Wizard of Oz, despite never having visited Earth, but he has a screen he uses to monitor McLeod, so he could have learned about them through it.
Continuity: When Katana is "beamed" to Earth, he is not wearing gloves. When he arrives on Earth, he is wearing them.
Continuity: MacLeod's jacket keeps switching from a black bomber jacket to a full length coat during the final 20 minutes of the film.
Continuity: The Highlander fights a villain on top of a train. During the fight the train drives through a waterfall, forcing the villain to take off his sunglasses. He gets his head cut off, but the loose head is wearing sunglasses again.
Plot holes: Ramirez and MacLeod enter the prison with a car. The guards shoot the car with machine guns from all sides. But MacLeod's friend Louise Marcus, in the trunk of the car, not only survives but is even unhurt.
Crew or equipment visible: In the fight scenes in the beginning of the movie, the lines suspending the actors in the air are clearly visible.
Continuity: Louise Marcus swims into the Shield Corp., pulls off her scuba hood and mask, and has a immaculate hairdo and makeup.
Continuity: Katana brushes his coat against the shield energy and loses a piece, but for the rest of the scene it's intact again.
Continuity: During Connor and Katana fighting around the shield energy they destroy several railings, but then after Katana burns his hand they are all intact again.
Revealing mistakes: When Katana throws Blake out of a window the dummy that hits the ground is very, very obviously a dummy.
Continuity: A fire escape that McLeod uses to reach the ground is seen rising up twice in consecutive shots.
Continuity: Juan Sánchez Villa-Lobos Ramírez is admiring himself in a wall of monitors just before getting fitted for his new suit. A pedestrian walks in between Ramírez and the camera but does not show up on the monitors.
Factual errors: In the Renegade version, the closing credits list Bruno Curichelli as "Zeist Chief Justice" even though the film has eliminated the whole Planet Zeist angle from the film.
Alternate Versions:
On at least one occasion (06/17/06) another version was shown on TNT. This one differed mostly at the end. Connor takes Katanas head, destroying the shield. We hear Ramirez's voice over as Connor is still standing in the middle of the light ray, with Louise smiling back at him. The movie ends right there with Connor smiling back. The end credits feature a female singer as opposed to Lou Gramm's 'One Dream'.
A 108 min. Director's Cut, titled "Highlander II: The Renegade Version", is available in the U.S.A. on video and features 16 minutes of footage not included in the theatrical release.
In addition to the extra footage, the "Renegade Version" of Highlander II features a different sequence of events, providing continuity lacking from the theatrical release. These changes along with the extra footage allow the movie to follow the plot of the original Highlander movie. The idea of the immortals being from another planet has been done away with, and questions like "What happened to Brenda?" are answered.
A third version of Highlander II exists. This version contains some of the footage from the "Renegade Edition" although the sequence of events is more like the theatrical release. It also contains footage and dialog not seen in either of the other versions. Noteworthy differences include the following: While Katana is fighting the rebels on Zeist soliders from both sides use machine guns. Connor and Louise leave earth for Zeist at the end of the movie. This version is the one commonly used for television broadcasts.
All UK releases are cut to get a "15" rating.
In 1990, Highlander 2: The Quickening was released in America with a running time of 89 minutes and 53 seconds. The Renegade version features an additional 19 minutes and 34 seconds of restored footage, bringing the final running time to 109 minutes and 27 seconds. Below is a list of scene changes (may contain spoilers):
1. PROLOGUE TEXT: A new prologue eases the viewer into the year 2024, the world now inhabited by Connor MacLeod. The new text establishes that the Earth's Ozone Layer has been severely depleted and, in response, the planet has been encased in an electromagnetic shield to protect the population from deadly radiation. After 25 years, however, the necessity of maintaining the shield is being questioned.
2. CONNOR AT THE OPERA HOUSE: As originally scripted, the Renegade Version opens outside an opera house. A restored shot of a water pail overflowing with rain dripping from the ceiling brings us into the crumbling facility, where we find an aging Connor looking through a program. Connor's P.O.V. reveals that this evening's production of "The Valkyrie" is being performed "in the presence of Dr: Alan Neyman President, TSC." Connor locates Alan with his opera glasses, and the two old friends wave to each other. Later in the scene, Connor recalls a long ago battle between his forces and those of the evil Immortal, Katana, presented through a series of flashbacks that are cross cut with scenes from the opera being performed on stage. Katana's dialogue about wanting all of the rebels' heads has been Cult from the Renegade Version.
3. KATANA AND CONNOR IN THE CAVE WITH THE EELS: Prior to grabbing an eel out of the water, Katana now addresses this additional line of dialogue to Connor: "My friends in here remind me of you and Ramirez'
4. THE SENTENCING OF CONNOR AND RAMIREZ BY THE PRIESTS: A restored shot of Connor in his opera box is followed by a shot of a huge set of double doors on the opera house stage. Through the computer magic of CGI, the doors open into the past, where Connor and Ramirez stand before the Priests awaiting judgement. New dialogue in this scene tells us that Connor and Ramirez are rebels who possess an unholy Immortality like Katana. Their punishment is exile into the future where they must do battle, "For there can only be one." The victor will have the choice to "grow old and die in the future or return here with his freedom and his faith restored.
5. CONNOR WATCHES A SHIELD CORPORATION "NEWSCAST" ON HIS CAR TELEVISION: Connor leaves the opera house and watches a news story broadcast by The Shield Corporation (TSC) on his car's television. New dialogue by the newscaster reveals there are rumours of a management shake-up at TSC. Connor's friend Alan has become increasingly isolated, and the fact that he is "unavailable for comment" makes Connor concerned for his safety. The same footage was seen in the American versions, but before Connor goes to the opera. In that version, there is an extended scene in which Connor drives while considering how the world has deteriorated under the Shield, much like the Renegade Versions new prologue.
6. CONNOR TRIES TO CALL ALAN VIA VIDEO PHONE: Worried about his old friend, Connor stops at a video pay phone to call Alan but fails to get past the TSC receptionist. Connor decides not to leave a message. Several street punks show up and harass Connor for money to use in a street corner oxygen dispenser, but they run off when they realise who they're dealing with. Connor returns to his Porsche.
7. TWO GUARDS AT TSC DISCUSS FISH IN THE LAKE: A restored long shot of the Shield generator bears the title "Shield Control" Two guards standing above the generators man-made lake hear a noise - the sound of Louise's underwater commando squad coming to the surface. The two guards report in to the security guard, but when he sees nothing unusual on his monitor, he tells them the sound was just some fish making noise, prompting the guards to argue about whether or not any fish could live in the lake.
8. LOUISE DISCOVERS THE RADIATION LEVEL ABOVE THE SHIELD IS NORMAL: This sequence contains the same footage as the American version, but reordered to make the scene flow more naturally. Now when Louise attempts to determine the radiation level above the Shield, it seems as if 30 seconds have passed while she and her team wait to get an accurate reading. There is also additional dialogue from one of her cohorts as he tries to convince her to get moving before they're all caught.
9. KATANA AND THE PRIESTS WATCH CONNOR ON A VIDEO SCREEN: When Connor arrives at his favourite bar, Katana and the Priests observe him from the distant past on a holographic projection bearing the caption "New York City
July 16, 2024." Katana and the Priests discuss the fact that Connor hasn't made his choice whether to return to the past or remain in the present a revelation that angers Katana, who leaves to locate his assassins.
10. KATANA SENDS CORDA AND RENO TO THE FUTURE: Corda and Reno argue that since Connor is old and will die soon, there is no need for them to go after him. Katana disagrees and sends them to find and kill Connor anyway.
11. CONNOR'S WOUNDED HAND MAGICALLY HEALS IN THE BAR: Speaking newly added dialogue, Connor asks the woman harassing him if she is the type of person who knows when to stop. After the woman attacks and wounds him with a bottle, Connor's injured hand magically heals itself. Distressed, Connor says "Oh no, not again!" Connor's healing now appears as a direct result of Corda and Reno's arrival in the present.
12. CONNOR AND LOuISE MEET FOR THE FIRST TIME: Outside the bar, Connor has his initial encounter with Louise, where additional dialogue reveals that Connor knows he is becoming Immortal again. This dialogue was cut from the American version because Corda and Reno don't arrive until after this conversation and, therefore, Connor is not yet becoming Immortal.
13. EXTENDED FIGHT SCENE BETWEEN CONNOR AND CORDA: The battle sequence between Connor and Corda, is extended before Connor falls onto the top of the train. An additional shot of the train coming out of a tunnel sets up its arrival during the fight scene.
14. CONNOR AND LOUISE KISS... AND MORE!: The restored footage of this section features an extended scene in which Connor and Louise make love against a wall after their first kiss.
15. RAMIREZ'S FIRST FLIGHT: The scene of Ramirez's airplane flight across the Atlantic has been split into two parts. In this shot, Ramirez is seen through the airplane window looking worried. The scene bears the title "Somewhere over the Atlantic."
16. CONNOR AND LOUISE TALK ABOUT THE BLUE SKY: Louise asks Connor if he has ever seen the blue sky, since she is too young to remember it herself. He describes what it was like and she expresses her wish to see the sky at least once before she dies.
17. KATANA WATCHES RENO DIE: From the distant past, Katana watches Connor defeat Reno.
18. THE PSYCHIC COOK TV COMMERCIAL: As in the American version, Katana smashes through the roof of a speeding subway car when he arrives in the present. Restored footage inserted before his arrival shows us the state of television in 2024 as a TV monitor features a tacky promo for a program entitled "The Psychic Cook."
19. MOTHER AND BABY ON THE SUBWAY: Aboard Katana's subway car, extended footage reveals a mother with a baby in a carriage. As Katana hurls the train through the tunnel at blinding speed, there is also additional footage of several passengers being thrown against the back of the car and more blood and gore than in the original release.
20. CONNOR ARRIVES AT TSC: Connor drives up to the TSC entrance in his Porsche. He is allowed to enter the building after a hand scanner at the security desk validates his identity.
21. ALAN AND CONNOR DISCUSS THE SHIELD LAUNCH (RESTORED FLASHBACK 1): The first flashback restored to its correct position in the film occurs when Connor and Alan discuss the day the Shield was launched. In the restored footage, Connor and Alan look at a miniature model of Shield Control (although the plaque still reads "December Installation"). Connor puts on a pair of goggles he finds next to the model and his movement triggers the flashback transition. The camera follows his movement and continues around his body coming to rest on a younger Connor and Alan watching the Shield launch in 1999. In the American version, the 1999 Shield launch scene was placed at the beginning of the film in an attempt to arrange events chronologically :
22. ALAN AND CONNOR DISCUSS THE OZONE LAYER: A new transition from The Shield launch flashback (see description 21) occurs as the camera tilts down from the ceiling to reveal Connor and Alan in Alan's office. Alan communicates to Connor, via computer screen, that the Ozone Layer may be back to normal. Alan tries to give Connor the coordinates he'll need to get above the Shield to take a proper ozone reading, but he has only given Connor half of the information when he is interrupted by Blake.
23. KATANA TAKES A CAB: This scene, in which Katana is driven to an empty warehouse by garrulous cabbie Jerry Pritchett, contains both extra footage and dialogue. Jerry's added dialogue concerns the decayed state of the world and the availability of his sister. In the American version, this scene is immediately followed by Katana's arrival at Blake's board meeting - as if the empty warehouse and the Shield Corporation were the same place.
24. RAMIREZ'S NEW TWO SIDED CONVERSATION WITH A FEMALE AIRLINE PASSENGER: This is the second part of Ramirez's flight across the Atlantic. It bears the title: "Still somewhere over the Atlantic." Ramirez's conversation with a female passenger now includes an added line of dialogue from her. Now, when Ramirez says "Forgive me for asking yet again, but, ah, how do we remain so high above the earth with safety?" She replies "By drinking!"
25. KATANA CALLS TO CONNOR FROM THE TOP OF AN EMPTY WAREHOUSE: Standing atop the warehouse, Katana says "My kind of town. I'm waiting MacLeod. Come to me. I'm waiting." This visual was originally placed at the end of the American version after Blake is killed, without the additional dialogue.
26. RAMIREZ JOKES WITH FEMALE PASSENGER: The producers used Ramirez' "off the wall" line of new dialogue at the end of his Helen of Troy monologue. He says, "But on the contrary, Virginia, all of the most beautiful women had dark hair: Helen of Troy, Cleopatra, Nephertiti, Joan of Arc, to name but a few. In fact, it's well known that the dark haired ladies..." Well you've got to hear it.
27. BRENDA'S DEATH IN NEW YORK, 1998 (RESTORED FLASHBACK 2): Connor visits the grave of his dead wife, Brenda. In a new voice over, Brenda tells him she is sorry to be leaving him so soon. There is a dissolve into a shot of the setting sun (used as the opening shot of the American version) bearing the title: "New York, 1998." Totally new footage follows, revealing Brenda in a hospital bed, burned and covered with bandages, the victim of radiation poisoning. She makes Connor promise to help save others from the radiation that is killing her. This promise becomes Connor's motivation for building the Shield. Brenda dies while holding his hand. As he walks away, the camera pulls back to show a vast hall full of radiation victims. This shot was also found in the American version, but at the beginning of the film. This sequence also includes new music.
28. CONNOR ENTERS THE WAREHOUSE: Connor arrives at the empty warehouse in his Porsche and opens the door. A long shot from inside shows Connor walking in through the doorway.
29. ALAN IS SENT TO MAX AND BLAKE HOLDS A BOARD MEETING: Now correctly re-ordered in the Renegade Version is the scene in which Blake sends Alan to MAX, as well as the scene of the board meeting where Blake discusses "re-shuffling the deck" at TSC. In the American version, these scenes were reversed. At the end of the restored board meeting scene, Blake now has additional dialogue, saying "Ah, Wilson, could we get on this Highlander thing as soon as possible?"
30. CONNOR AND RAMIREZ DISCUSS THE SHIELD COORDINATES: Connor tells Ramirez about the system failure and reveals the Shield coordinates he received from Alan. Ramirez points out that they need the second half of the coordinates before they can go above the Shield.
31. CONNOR AND RAMIREZ ACQUIRE MAX SECURITY UNIFORMS: After the doctor faints, a restored shot shows Connor and Ramirez catching him, followed by another restored shot where they take the guards' uniforms.
32. ALAN REVEALS THE REMAINING SHIELD COORDINATES AND DIES: The scene in which Connor and Louise find Alan in MAX contains both additional footage and dialogue. After giving Connor the remaining Shield coordinates, he tells Connor to go above the shield to confirm that radiation levels are normal. Before Alan dies, Connor assures him they were right to build the shield.
33. KATANA AND BLAKE DISCUSS LOUISE: As they watch Alan's death via video screen, Blake reveals to Katana that Louise is the leader of COBALT. Katana mocks her. Blake vows that Louise and Connor will never make it out of MAX alive.
34. CONNOR AND LOUISE STEAL A TRUCK FROM MAX: Connor and Louise escape from MAX by Knocking out a guard and commandeering a truck. Katana tries to block their path as they drive out of the parking lot, but Connor runs him over.
35. CONNOR FIGHTS KATANA ON THE TRUCK: Connor and Louise follow Alan's coordinates into a deserted area. Katana climbs onto the roof of the speeding truck where an extended fight scene ensues. The fight moves from roof to hood and ends when Katana is thrown from the truck.
36. CONNOR AND LOUISE AT THE SHIELD CONTROL ACCESS TOWER: Alan's coordinates lead CoNNor and Louise to the Shield access towel. They pass a sign reading "Danger Shield Ceiling - Authorized Personnel Only." There are several shots of Connor and Louise climbing a long ladder, surrounded by sparks and explosions.
37. KATANA AND BLAKE DISCUSS CONNOR: When Katana tells Blake his life will be very predictable once Connor is dead, Blake expresses concern that Katana is being overly confident. Katana asks if Blake is betting on him, Blake answers that he always plays the favorite.
38. CONNOR AND LOUISE CLIMB ABOVE THE SHIELD: Connor and Louise emerge onto a mountainside where they discover the blue sky. There are several shots of mountains and clouds as they discover the Ozone Layer has repaired itself
Connor decides that the Shield must come down and that there is only one way to do it. This sequence was filmed in southern Argentina near the ski resort town of Barriloche.
39. BLAKE AND KATANA DISCUSS CONNOR'S NEXT MOVE: Blake worries that Connor, who has been missing for 24 hours, has gotten above the Shield. He fears TSC will end up in Chapter 11 if the truth about the Ozone Layer is revealed. Katana is convinced that all of Connor's roads lead back to him. Blake smugly points out that Katana is wrong, as he points out Connor and Louise speeding through the desert en route to the Shield generator. Katana kills Blake for suggesting he has made a mistake. The American version of this scene is much shorter, with Blake telling Katana he is wrong after Connor and Louise escape from the exhaust fan room in MAX. Katana's reaction in both scenes is the same.
40. GUARDS PATROLLING OUTSIDE OF SHIELD CONTROL: New footage of The Pyramid's exterior and floodgates is followed by a shot of two guards standing on a platform. The final shot of the sequence reveals the bridge over the floodgates is crawling with guards.
41. THE WORLD WITHOUT THE SHIELD: When the satellite above the Earth explodes, there are two new shots of the earth and the city covered by the Shield. These are followed by an extremely wide shot of the Shield as it disappears from the Earth's skies. The two restored shots that follow show open night skies over Jerry's, Connor's favorite bar and over the city skyline.
42. CONNOR AND LOUISE KISS AS SHIELD CONTROL BURNS: Connor and Louise kiss on the edge of a lake as the Shield generator burns in the distance. In voice over, Ramirez reprises his thoughts: "Most people have a full measure of life and most people just watch it slowly drip away. But if you can summon it all up at one time, in one place, you can accomplish something glorious." The films final image is that of the planet Earth, now no longer covered by the Shield.
The 2004 Special Edition version has a scene cut (featured in previous versions). The 2004 version doesn't have the breaking into Shield Control scene near the end of the movie and the shoot out with the Shield Control guards. In the 2004 version, it goes from the shot of the Shield Control guards outside to Louise looking on as Connor walks in to fight Katana
Quotes:
Ramirez: Most people have a full measure of life... and most people just watch it slowly drip away. But if you can summon it all up... at one time... in one place... you can accomplish something... glorious.
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Ramirez: ...we are joined in a way that can never be broken, not even by death. When you need me, you'll only have to call my name. I'll always find you.
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[U.S. Cable-TV Version]
Louise Marcus: Okay, now let me just see if I can get this straight. You come from another planet, and you're mortal there, but you're immortal here until you kill all the guys from there who have come here... and then you're mortal here... unless you go back there, or some more guys from there came here, in which case you become immortal here... again.
Conner MacLeod: Something like that.
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Katana: Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. If you don't take it out and use it, it's going to rust.
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Drunk: Are you MacLeod?
Conner MacLeod: Yes, I am.
Drunk: Great. I always wanted to meet the guy that turned the world to shit.
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Juan Ramirez: You've remembered almost everything I taught you.
Conner MacLeod: I've had a lot of practice lately.
Juan Ramirez: There is no substitute for experience.
Conner MacLeod: What experience? You've been dead for five hundred years.
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Conner MacLeod: You'll have to excuse me. I've gotten some disturbing news.
Louise Marcus: Did somebody die?
Conner MacLeod: Unfortunately not.
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Katana: The remains of your mortal wife. So frail. So earthy. So very dead.
Conner MacLeod: At least she's at peace.
Katana: Peace is highly overrated.
Conner MacLeod: Things don't change, Katana, I like that. After all these years, you're still a jerk.
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Doctor: They were both dead before the car stopped. I'm amazed they got as far as they did. Gosh, I've never seen a mess like that. They must have taken about a hundred bullets or so.
[Connor and Ramirez sit up]
Conner MacLeod: One hundred and eight.
Ramirez: One hundred and twelve, myself.
Conner MacLeod: Aw, come on. You're not counting that little scratch, are you?
Ramirez: Scratch? What are you talking about? It passed right through me. Just look at my splendid waistcoat.
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Louise Marcus: You're nothing but a tired old man.
Conner MacLeod: More than you know.
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David Blake: Oh, I think I've had enough of you. Goodbye, Attila.
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Katana: Nicely played, MacLeod, but the game's not over yet.
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Corda: Time to say goodbye, Highlander!
Conner MacLeod: Why? You going somewhere?
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[MacLeod has just decapitated two villains and has suddenly become 30 years younger]
Louise: Who are you?
Connor MacLeod: I'm Connor MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod. I was banished from the Planet Zeist 500 years ago... and I cannot die.
[They embrace and kiss]
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Juan Ramirez: But on the contrary, Virginia, all of the most beautiful women had dark hair. Helen of Troy, Cleopatra, Nefertiti, Joan of Arc to name a few. In fact, it's well known that these dair haired ladies
[lean in to whisper to Virginia]
Juan Ramirez: like to sit on men's faces.
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Ramirez: [confused after Hamlet actor swears at him] Shithead? What's a shithead?
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[after almost being hit by a truck]
Ramirez: So much for the Horse and Cart
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[Ramirez has been resurrected on stage in the middle of a performance of Hamlet. The actor playing Hamlet tries to continue]
Hamlet: Alas, poor Yorrick. I knew him Horatio...
Ramirez: Actually, it's Ramirez
Highlander
The first of what became a series of films, Highlander, directed by Russell Mulcahy, was released on March 7, 1986 with the tagline, "There Can Be Only One." The film features a number of flashback scenes establishing Connor MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod's early history, and builds up to his final destiny amongst the last of the mysterious Immortals. Through a mentor and fellow Immortal — Juan Sánchez Villa-Lobos Ramírez played by Sean Connery — he learns of the existence of other Immortals, who occur spontaneously throughout history. An Immortal can only die by being beheaded, and each Immortal must battle another in ritual single combat to the death, until the "Gathering," when the last Immortals left will fight until only one remains to take "The Prize." The Gathering occurs in modern-day New York City, and sees the Highlander, who has fallen in love again despite trying to cut himself off from humanity in general, narrowly defeat his powerful and evil enemy, The Kurgan, whom he has encountered time and again over the many years, and who has slain Ramirez and many others.
Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert) was born in the year 1518 "in the village of Glenfinnan on the shores of Loch Shiel." In 1536, his clan is in conflict with the rival Clan Fraser, and Connor rides along into his first battle. The Frasers have employed a towering monster of a man known as The Kurgan (Clancy Brown), who apparently recognizes that Connor is a fellow Immortal, though even Connor himself has not yet discovered this, although he feels the pain from sensing the Kurgan's proximity. The Kurgan manages to mortally wound Connor in battle, but the MacLeods recover the body before he can decapitate it. The MacLeods mourn Connor, but he revives shortly after his "death." Accusing him of witchcraft, Connor's clansmen beat him, and are preparing an execution, but his cousin Angus MacLeod (James Cosmo) persuades them to exile Connor instead. He escapes with his life, but is banished from his clan and birthplace.
Connor eventually settles as a blacksmith in Glencoe, where he marries Heather (Beatie Edney). In 1541, he is located by a much older Immortal, who introduces himself as Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez (Sean Connery). Ramirez soon appoints himself Connor's tutor in the situation of being Immortal, their pursuit of The Prize, and the rules of an age-old "Game," noting that "in the end, there can be only one." He also explains that his own name was just his current alias, being Egyptian by birth. He adopted it while serving as Chief Metallurgist for Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (also King of Spain between 1516-1556). His sword is a katana he received in Japan in 593 B.C. by his (then) father-in-law Masamune. Masamune was the father of Princess Shakiko, Ramirez's third wife, a genius far ahead of his time in the forging of swords.
Ramirez tells MacLeod to leave his wife or face heartbreak, explaining that "I was born 2,437 years ago. In that time, I've had three wives. The last was Shakiko, a Japanese princess... When Shakiko died, I was shattered. I would save you that pain. Please, let Heather go."
Connor refuses to leave his wife, though he trains under Ramirez to prepare for Immortals like the Kurgan. However, the Kurgan manages to arrive at Connor's home while MacLeod himself is absent. The Kurgan and Ramirez duel, with the frightened Heather their only spectator. The Kurgan manages to decapitate Ramirez, and proceeds to rape Heather, in the belief that he was further humiliating his old enemy (Ramirez) and "his woman." Connor soon returns to find his residence in ruins, his mentor killed, and his wife alive, but traumatized. She never tells him about the rape, and Connor never learns of the event until 1985, when The Kurgan mocks Ramirez's memory.
Connor remains with his wife until her death. Dying in Connor's arms, she confides that her only regret was not having his children. After burying Heather, MacLeod burns their residence and wanders the world, journeying as far away as Japan, and - like the rest of the Immortals - finally ends up in America. These travels include an 18th Century duel on Boston Common (in which a drunken MacLeod was repeatedly run through by a sword, to no effect, by an insulted husband), and killing a Nazi officer during World War II, rescuing a young Holocaust survivor in the process. His experiences over time have left him a bitter, cynical man.
The action then shifts to 1985 New York, where the few surviving Immortals are drawn in "The Gathering," a final series of confrontations to determine the winner of "The Prize." Eventually, the last two surviving are Connor, under the alias of "Russell Edwin Nash"; and the Kurgan, under the alias of "Victor Kruger." Meanwhile, the spike in what appear to be murders by decapitation has drawn the attention of the police, who suspect Connor as the sole person responsible (however, he is in fact responsible for at least one of the deaths being investigated). Among the investigators of the case is forensic scientist Brenda Wyatt (Roxanne Hart). Her investigation reveals MacLeod's apparent longevity through different names, and she eventually falls in love with him. This does not escape the attention of the Kurgan, who abducts her to force Connor into a final confrontation. MacLeod battles the Kurgan, finally defeating him (with a little help from Brenda), and apparently wins The Prize, which is revealed to be mortality, the ability to sire children, and a telepathic/empathic gift wherein he can communicate with and influence the greatest minds or most powerful people on the planet (hence Ramirez's warning to Connor as to what horrors someone like the Kurgan could bring to the world, should he win it).
Cast:
Christopher Lambert as Connor MacLeod/Russell Nash
Roxanne Hart as Brenda Wyatt
Clancy Brown as The Kurgan/Victor Kruger
Sean Connery as Juan Sánchez Villa-Lobos Ramírez
Beatie Edney as Heather MacLeod
Alan North as Lieutenant Frank Moran
Jon Polito as Detective Walter Bedsoe
Sheila Gish as Rachel Ellenstein
Hugh Quarshie asSunda Kastagir
Christopher as Malcolm Kirk Matunas
Peter Diamond as Iman Fasil
Billy Hartman as Dugal MacLeod
James Cosmo as Angus MacLeod
Celia Imrie as Kate MacLeod
Alistair Findlay as Chief Murdoch Fraser
Triva:
Clancy Brown nearly turned down the role of Kurgan, concerned that his allergy to makeup would prevent him from wearing the prosthetics required late in the film.
'Lambert, Christopher' spent time with a dialogue coach, developing an accent which sounded non-specifically foreign.
Non-American versions of this film include a WWII flashback sequence showing MacLeod rescuing Rachel, where he tells her "It's a kind of magic". The scene is included on the "Immortal" edition DVD.
Unused footage includes a sequence with Kurgan fighting an immortal security guard named Yung Dol Kim in an office building. Kim, tiring of his immortal life, yields to Kurgan, who takes his head.
'Christopher Lambert' had just barely learned to speak English when he took this role. The only other English-speaking film he had been in at that point was Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984), in which he spoke only a few words.
The brief snippet of "New York, New York" performed by Queen during the movie has never been released officially on an album or single by the group. It wasn't included on the official soundtrack either. The soundtrack was released and then deleted, and re-released in 2003 as a numbered limited edition.
In the scenes following Connor taking the Kurgan's head, director Russell Mulcahy had originally envisioned an animated dragon with the Kurgan's skull battle helmet emerging from the Kurgan's decapitated body and challenging Connor again. Only after Connor had defeated this Ghost-Dragon would he have received the final quickening and subsequent Prize. This idea was eventually cut due to budget restraints.
The final fight scene that takes place at the Silvercup studios (the sign is used in a few shots) used to be a bakery for the Silvercup bread company that had gone out of business a few years earlier.
During the final fight sequence between McLeod and Kurgan on the roof of the Silvercup Studios building, cables can be seen in the foreground pulling the studio's neon sign down. After filming had been completed, the production discovered that they had done so much damage to both the set and the actual roof of the Silvercup studios building as to make re-takes impossible.
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.
According to the computer screen where Brenda compares the signatures on MacLeod's various birth certificates, Connor's previous aliases were Adrien Montagu, Jacques Lefebert, Alfred Nicholson, and Rupert Wallingford.
Among the many ancient artifacts in MacLeod's storeroom is Ramirez's vest and hat.
According to the director's commentary, the animated lightning on Connor's shoulders when he receives The Prize was actually supposed to disguise the wires -- ironically, this may have just drawn more attention to them.
The quickening is a term for when a baby in the womb shows its first sign of life, its first noticeable movement within the womb.
Queen were invited to see a rough cut of the film so they could get ideas for the soundtrack. Brian May wrote "Who Wants To Live Forever" during the cab ride home after seeing the film, and Roger Taylor used the line "It's a kind of magic" as the basis for the end title song.
The Queen song "One Year Of Love" (which can be heard in the background in the scene where Brenda meets Connor in the bar) was never released as a single in Europe or the US, but was a hit in Japan. The 7" single was released as part of the Highlander marketing wave, and its label said it was from the forthcoming soundtrack album (which never surfaced). It was, however, featured on the "It's a Kind of Magic" album.
The scene in the alley where the Kurgan (Clancy Brown) beheads Kastagir (Hugh Quarshie) and then stabs the Vietnam vet, followed by the explosion, was filmed in an alley in England even though it was set in New York. The director was reluctant to set off the explosion in the alley because the windows were full of Victorian glass, but he was given permission to do so because that particular site was going to be destroyed in a few months anyway.
The church scene involving Kurgan (Clancy Brown) was filmed at night time with the permission of the priests in charge. Still, Brown's lines were ad-libbed and were reportedly considered so sacrilegious that the priests off-camera were making the sign of the cross as he said them.
All of Sean Connery's scenes had to be filmed in a week due to Connery's schedule.
The priest in the church scene was actually an orthodox rabbi.
The brandy scene with Macleod and Brenda was inspired by Russell Mulcahy's dinner with Jim Steinman who, as a wine bottle from 1949 was being opened, sniffed the air between the cork and the bottle and told Mulcahy that he just sniffed air from 1949.
During the film scene at Eilean Donan castle, the car park by the castle had to be covered up with tons of peat to disguise it, the house located by the bridge out to the Castle was boxed in with hardboard and painted over so that it looked just like real stone even when you stood right beside it. Extras were paid £25 a day with a £10 bonus if they took their own horse. A lot of the locals took days off work to do it.
Virginia Madsen auditioned for the role of Heather.
Non-American versions of this film include a WWII flashback sequence showing MacLeod rescuing Rachael, where he tells her ''It's a kind of magic''.
The European version also has a scene between Connor and Brenda talking at a zoo about how he's not willing to commit to another relationship after his wife's death. The most important thing about this scene is that Kurgan can be seen in the background trailing the twosome. This solves the continuity problem in the American version about how Kurgen finds Brenda's apartment in the next scene.
Uncut version shows MacLeod having a short flashback about his first battle in Scotland during the wrestling match.
Uncut version has Fazil doing a backward cartwheel as he flees from MacLeod in the parking garage.
Uncut version shows MacLeod's girlfriend wishing him luck before the first battle in Scotland.
Uncut version has MacLeod's dueling partner (remember, he kept stabbing MacLeod to no avail?) shooting his assistant in the back for being annoying.
In the uncut version Kurgan licks the priest's hand in the church
Uncut version has a much longer fight scene between MacLeod and the Kurgan at the end of the movie.
The European version and later US Director's Cut does not contain a short scene shot from inside Det. Bedsoe's car as he stakes out Brenda's apartment during MacLeod's visit.
As MacLeod lays on the floor after the final battle, he can be heard saying "I want to go home" on the original US version, but not on the European version and later US Director's Cut.
Complete Director's Cut is available on video in the US, featuring all footage from the European version and still photos from unused footage at the end. This includes scenes of a fight between the Kurgan and an unreferenced Immortal, Yung Dol Kim, a security guard in an office building who fights the Kurgan. Ultimately, he surrenders wearying of Immortal life and willing to suicide himself. The Kurgan takes his head and the body explodes out of the 40th story of the building. Kim fights Japanese two-sword style. Additional unused footage features a flashback where Connor meets with Thomas Jefferson, as well as a bar scene when Connor and Kastagir go out for a drink, and meet Det. Walter Bedsoe.
Reportedly a version shown at the Brussels film festival features a slightly different ending than the theatrical and video releases. In this version after the final battle, the demons circling around Lambert are clearly saying "thank you". The final prize is only that Lambert is not an immortal anymore and that he can now have a normal life.
Versions shown on the Sci-Fi Channel and USA Networks are heavily cut, and not just because of the head-chopping sequences. Many parts of the movie were removed for airing on these networks, including much of the Ramirez training sequence, most of the "Who Wants to Live Forever" sequence, all of the flashback to 1783, and other various pieces of scenes and their dialogue, making for an extremely chopped-up movie.
In the original U.S. release during the scene when Connor and Ramirez jump off the cliff, you can hear Ramirez yell, "MacLeod, this is the Quickening!" In the European version, Ramirez and Connor just yell as they jump.
In addition to the many scene differences, the version commonly shown on TV has VERY degraded sound quality versus the director's cut. For example, the score can not even be heard during the parking lot fight scene on the TV version. Some networks now show the director's cut version.
The U.S Director's Cut and the European Director's cut differs some in dialogue. Example: When Connor falls from the boat and end up on the sea floor, the U.S version dialogue says: "I´m alive" Europene version says: "I´m alive...I can breath..." Shortly followed by; "I´ll split you in half!" (spoken in the same moment as Connor draws his sword under water)
In earlier versions Ramirez says he's "...chief metallurgist of King Phillip II of Spain" while in later versions and the Uncut DVD he says he's "...chief metallurgist of Charles V." This change is shown in Highlander Two Ramirez still says the first version.
In the American versions, as Kurgen is driving into New York, the opening guitar to the Queen song "Gimme The Prize" can be heard over the news report and the vocals start when Kurgen pops in the tape. However in the Director's cut, the opening guitar part has been taken out and the song starts at the vocals like before when Kurgen pops in the cassette.
Errors:
Continuity: Fazil loses his mirrored sunglasses, but soon has them back.
Continuity: The vigilante drives a 1977 Firebird, which soon turns into a 1979 Firebird.
Continuity: Kurgan drives a Chevrolet Impala which switches to a Dart.
Revealing mistakes: Obvious wires suspending MacLeod as he receives The Prize.
Continuity: Speed of Sean Connery's legs moving when he runs along the beach VERY different to that of the stunt double's.
Revealing mistakes: When the Silvercup sign falls forward, the support wires in front of it remain taut, showing that the crew are pulling the sign down.
Continuity: When the Kurgan and Brenda look at the Silvercup building from the bridge, the sign says "Silvercup Studios." When MacLeod and the Kurgan fight on top of the building, the sign simply says "Silvercup."
Continuity: Connor and Kurgan fight their final battle on a flat rooftop. After they fall through the skylight, the room they are in clearly has a sloped roof.
Continuity: Brenda is on the roof during the final fight scene, and when the Kurgan and McLeod fall through the roof, Brenda is still on the roof. The next moment she is in the same room, despite clearly not falling through the roof
Factual errors: The wrestling match shown is supposed to take place at Madison Square Garden. That promotion - the AWA based out of Minneapolis, MN never had an event take place in NYC. The WWF were the only promotion running shows at MSG.
Continuity: The flap on the torn-open roof of the green car Kurgan steals, swaps sides between shots.
Continuity: When Brenda's purse (which she left on the desk) moves between shots when she returns to the office to sneak a look at the file.
Continuity: When the hotel clerk comments on the Kurgan's kinkiness, the drunk moves from standing to sitting between shots.
Continuity: When Connor enters the bar and meets Brenda his position, and the amount of drink in the glass changes between shots.
Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When Connor meets Brenda in the bar he orders a "Glenmorangie on the rocks". Single malt whisky has to be drunken "hand-warm" and people from Scotland would never commit such a faux pas and drink it with ice.
Continuity: While Lieutenant Moran visits the injured guy in the hospital the right blue curtain in the sick-room changes position between shots.
Errors in geography: Newspaper stand in "New York" displaying "Have You Seen This Man" headline is shot in front of the Sheraton Centre, which is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Factual errors: Brenda uses a metal detector to find particles of sword in reinforced concrete. This cannot work as the signal from the metal in the reinforcement bars would swamp the signal generated by the sword particles.
Factual errors: We see bagpipes with three drones; the long third drone was added after 1700.
Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Brenda, a weapons expert, calls the sword a "samurai". Samurai refers to the Japanese swordsman. His weapon is called a "katana". (In mitigation, she is talking to non-experts and may well just be dumbing down for their sake.)
Anachronisms: The Sword that Connor uses (the one he got from Ramirez) has a screw, fastening the handle to the blade.
Continuity: When the Highlander is in the sword duel in 1783, before he is stabbed the second time, his opponent flips his rapier out of his hand. As he falls to the ground and gets back up, his rapier is back in his hand.
Continuity: When the Kurgan is speeding to the Silvercup building after kidnapping Brenda, the Cadillac he is driving smashes into another car, severely damaging the right front end. Yet, for the remainder of the scene, the Cadillac is shown with the entire front end still intact.
Continuity: During the final fight between Kurgan and MacLeod, Kurgan kicks MacLeod's sword behind and away from him. There are a couple of close shots, and when they cut back to the wide shot (same angle) MacLeod's sword in seen on the ground in the forefront. The cycle repeats twice - another set of close shots, then a wide shot with no sword, close shots, followed by another wide shot that includes the sword.
Factual errors: The Bagpipes seen in the early part of the film are the wrong style. These are 'Regulation' pattern pipes, which only came into being about 1850, pipes from the time frame of the movie should be 'Chalice' pattern, ie, the top of the drone should look like a wine glass.
Revealing mistakes: The character of Garfield, the uniformed NYPD officer who fights with MacLeod, wears a sergeant's stripes, but his cap and badge are that of a patrolman. A NYPD sergeant would have a gold badge and cap insignia, not silver.
Revealing mistakes: The Kurgan slices the roof off a Chevrolet Mailbu/Chevelle but when it emerges from the alley it becomes a Plymouth Duster.
Revealing mistakes: In the final fight when the water tower falls, water can clearly be seen coming from behind the broken tank.
Continuity: Immediately after Ramirez slices the Kurgan's throat in their fight in the castle, there is no blood on Ramirez's sword.
Miscellaneous: After Connor is impaled by the Kurgan in Scotland, you can see his chest rise and his eyes twitch.
Continuity: During Connor's duel in 1783, the color of the two nearby horses changes from brown to white and back between shots.
Revealing mistakes: During the church scene, the plastic cap worn by Kurgan seems to have come off around the ears.
Crew or equipment visible: When the Kurgan cuts down the Silvercup sign, there are several shots of Brenda where her safety line is clearly visible.
Revealing mistakes: When Connor decapitates Kurgan the Quickening begins with the large windows behind him blowing out of their frames. When this occurs you can clearly see the primer cord encased in the windows igniting just as the glass shatters.
Revealing mistakes: Connor conceals his Katana inside his trenchcoat, yet he us able to move around, sit and even remove the coat all without showing any sign of the concealed sword.
Crew or equipment visible: During the scene when Kurgen kidnaps Brenda and plays chicken with cars the camera van can be seen driving parallel to theire racing car. It is on the far right of the shot and is driving with it's hazard/emergency lights flashing. A member of the crew can be seen standing out of the roof of the vehicle and on the right of the vehicle (left in shot) you can clearly make out the camera. Check out 1h 38m 27s onwards to find this.
Crew or equipment visible: During the kidnap 'chicken run' scene when Kurgen is driving on the wrong side of the road into oncoming traffic the car accidentally collides with an oncoming vehicle as they both swerve in the same direction. The camera truck can be seen to slow and camera operator/director/crew member can be seen to rise up a little more and look back.
Factual errors: Ramirez calls himself the chief metallurgist to King Charles V of Spain. However, Charles V was his not his official title in Spain, that was his title as Holy Roman Emperor. It was King Charles I of Spain.
Quotes:
Ramirez: [narrating] From the dawn of time we came; moving silently down through the centuries, living many secret lives, struggling to reach the time of the Gathering; when the few who remain will battle to the last. No one has ever known we were among you... until now.
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Connor MacLeod: You're a liar!
Ramirez: You have the manners of a goat. And you smell like a dung-heap! And you have no knowledge whatsoever of your potential! Now.
[shouts]
Ramirez: Get out!
[rocks the boat, sending MacLeod into the lake]
Connor MacLeod: [as Ramirez rows away] Help me, I'm drowning!
Ramirez: You can't drown, you fool, you're immortal!
[continues rowing]
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Ramirez: The sensation you are feeling is the quickening.
Connor MacLeod: Who are you?
Ramirez: We are the same, MacLeod. We are *brothers*!
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[after some passionate sex]
Heather: You can do that to me forever if you like, my Lord.
Connor MacLeod: Aye! I will.
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Ramirez: [after MacLeod misses him with his sword] Crude and slow clansman, your attack was no better then that of a clumsy child.
Connor MacLeod: This cannot be, it's the devil's work.
Ramirez: You cannot die, MacLeod, accept it.
Connor MacLeod: [laughs before realising Ramirez was serious] I hate you.
Ramirez: Good. That is a perfect place to start.
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Connor MacLeod: Tell me how'd it happen for God's sake.
Ramirez: Why does the sun come up? Or are the stars just pin holes in the curtain of night, who knows? What I do know is that because you were born different, men will fear you... try to drive you away like the people of your village.
[MacLeod turns his back]
Ramirez: You must learn to conceal your special gift and harness it until the time of the gathering.
Connor MacLeod: What gathering?
Ramirez: When only a few of us are left, we will feel an irresistible pull towards a far away land... to fight for the prize.
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Garfield: Are you a faggot, Nash?
Connor MacLeod: Why, Garfield? Cruisin' for a piece of ass?
Garfield: I'll tell you what happened, Russell. You went down to that garage for a blow job. But you didn't want to pay for it.
Connor MacLeod: You're sick.
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Connor MacLeod: I am Connor MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod. I was born in 1518 in the village of Glenfinnan on the shores of Loch Shiel. And I am immortal.
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[Just before the MacLeod clan goes to war]
Kate: Angus, you'll keep him in one piece, ya hear?
Dugal MacLeod: And we all know what piece that is!
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Ramirez: Why does the sun come up, or are the stars just pinholes in the curtain of night?
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Ramirez: If your head comes away from your neck, it's over!
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Kurgan: [to Ramirez] Tonight you sleep in hell.
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Connor MacLeod: I've been alive for four and a half centuries, and I cannot die.
Brenda: Well, everyone has got their problems
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Kurgan: At last. The Gathering...
[Mini-blades pop open from Kurgan's sword before a knock is heard by his door]
Candy: Hi. I'm Candy.
Kurgan: Of course you are...
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Kurgan: So now it ends...
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[repeated line by Ramirez, The Kurgan and Connor MacLeod]
Connor MacLeod: There can be only one!
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[Looking at the body lying next to its head]
Garfield: What do you think the cause of death was, Lieutenant?
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Connor MacLeod: You only have one life! If you value it, go home!
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Garfield: You talk funny Nash. Where you from?
Nash: Lots of different places.
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Ramirez: The Kurgan. He is the strongest of all the immortals. He's the *perfect* warrior. If he wins the Prize, mortal man would suffer an eternity of darkness.
Connor MacLeod: How do you fight such a savage?
Ramirez: With heart, faith and steal. In the end there can be only one.
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Sunda Kastagir: Macleod, it's good to see you again. It seems like a hundred years.
Connor MacLeod: It's been a hundred years.
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Ramirez: You cannot die, MacLeod. Accept it.
Connor MacLeod: I hate you!
Ramirez: Good. That is a perfect way to start.
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Angus MacLeod: He's a Highlander, by God, and the last sound he hears should not be that of a wailing woman!
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[Connor is being chased out of the village]
Angus MacLeod: Can you walk, Connor?
Connor MacLeod: I'll bloody well walk out of here!
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Brenda: I was hoping you could give me some advice.
Connor MacLeod: Are you the kind of woman who takes advice?
Brenda: Sometimes.
Connor MacLeod: Advice about what?
Brenda: What can you tell me about a seven foot lunatic hacking away with a broadsword at one o'clock in the morning, New York City, 1985?
Connor MacLeod: ...Not much.
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Connor MacLeod: What are you looking at, Rachel?
Rachel: The eyes in the back of your head. People are asking about you. What am I supposed to tell them?
Connor MacLeod: Simple. Tell them I'm immortal.
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Rachel: Will you listen to me for one moment? You can't hide your feelings from me! I've known you too long.
Connor MacLeod: What feelings?
Rachel: How about loneliness?
Connor MacLeod: I'm not lonely. I've got everything I need right here.
Rachel: Oh no you don't. You refuse to let anyone love you.
Connor MacLeod: Love is for poets.
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[Saying his farewell to Rachel]
Connor MacLeod: Hey, it's a kind of magic!
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Kurgan: Who is the woman?
Ramirez: She's MINE!
Kurgan: Ah! Not for much longer...
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Kurgan: You can't defeat me, Ramirez! I am the strongest!
Ramirez: My cut has improved your voice!
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[after Connor has called Ramirez a "haggis"]
Ramirez: Haggis? What is haggis?
Connor MacLeod: Sheep's stomach, stuffed with meat and barley.
Ramirez: And what do you do with it?
Connor MacLeod: You eat it.
Ramirez: How revolting!
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Priest: This is a house of God. People are trying to pray. You're disturbing them.
Kurgan: He cares about these helpless mortals?
Priest: Of course He cares. He died for our sins.
Kurgan: That shall be His undoing.
[gets up]
Kurgan: Father! Forgive me , I am a worm...
[starts laughing diabolically]
Kurgan: [to everyone in the church] I have something to say! It's better burn out, than to fade away!
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[to a german soldier during WWII]
Connor MacLeod: Whatever you say, Jack. You are the master race.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Connor MacLeod: Nice to see you Kurgan. Who cuts your hair?
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Connor MacLeod: I don't like boats. I don't like water. I'm a man not a fish.
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Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez: You must leave her, brother. I was born 2,437 years ago. In that time I've had three wives. The last was Shakiko, a Japanese Princess... When Shakiko died I was shattered. I would save you that pain. Please, let Heather go.
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Kurgan: [to a pair of nuns passing by him] Happy Hallowe'en, ladies!
Kurgan: Nuns. No sense of humor.
Connor MacLeod: Ramirez's blade did not cut deeply enough. He was right about you. You're slime.
Kurgan: Ramirez was an effete snob! He died on his knees. I took his head and raped his woman before his blood was even cold.
[MacLeod looks at him in fury]
Kurgan: Ah, I see. Ramirez lied. She was not his woman. She was *your* woman. And she never told you. I wonder why. Perhaps I gave her something you never could, and secretly she yearned for my return.
Kurgan: [MacLeod attempts to throttle Kurgan in a church] Holy *ground*, Highlander! Remember what Ramirez taught you.
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[repeated line]
Kurgan: Hello, pretty...
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Motel Clerk: Hey, Rockefeller. I hear you liked Candy. She said you were kinda kinky.
Kurgan: Don't ever speak to me.
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[after Kurgan rips the top of a car off and throws the driver out]
[looking over at the old woman in the passenger seat with insincere affection]
Kurgan: [smiling] Mom...
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Connor MacLeod: Sweet Rachel, you always knew this would happen: Russel Nash dies tonight.
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Connor MacLeod: I have the power! Aye, the quickening that empowers me! I feel everything! I know... I know everything! I am everything!
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News Reporter: The garage is watered from the sprinklers. It also left a man's decapitated body lying on the floor next to his own severed head. The head, which of this time, has no name.
Kurgan: I know his name.
[Inserts cassette tape into car stereo]
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[repeated line]
Kurgan: Another time, Macleod!
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Tony the Hotdog Vendor: [as Tony reads a newspaper headlined: Headhunter-3, Cops-Zero] Hey Moran! Have you read what it says in here?
Lieutenant Frank Moran: You kiddin' Tony? You know cops can't read.
Tony the Hotdog Vendor: [Teasingly to Moran] What does 'INCOMPETENT' mean?
Lieutenant Frank Moran: [Speaking to Detective Bedsoe] That mayor, he calls me at 2 o'clock in the morning! I mean I don't even answer the phone anymore!
Tony the Hotdog Vendor: Hey! What does 'BAFFLED' mean? Hee hee hee hee! Ha ha ha ha!
[Moran and Bledsoe give Tony an irritated look]
Tony the Hotdog Vendor: .
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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: .
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Connor MacLeod: Wanna hear another theory?
Lieutenant Frank Moran: Uh-huh.
Connor MacLeod: This Fasil was so upset about the lousy wrestling tonight, that he went down to the garage and in a fit of depression cut off his *own* head!
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Kurgan: I'm in disguise!
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Connor MacLeod: [Drunk with a wig covering his eyes whilst in the middle of a duel] Christ, I've gone blind!
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Connor MacLeod: I apologize for calling your wife a bloated warthog, and I bid you good day.
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