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]
No comments:
Post a Comment