Highlander
(1986)
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Among humans for centuries, an immortal specie existed. Connor MacLeod is a member of this specie. Unaware of his powers, he is unable to explain his revival after his apparent death in a clan-fight in the 15th century. This convinces the superstitious villagers to stone him and drive him out of the village. He then encounters another one of his kind, Ramirez, who indoctrinates him in the ways of the immortals. The only way these "immortals" can die is by having their heads cut off. Given the credo that there can only be one, you can imagine a race where everyone tries to chop everyone else's head off. Of course, in such a race, there'll be factions, and MacLeod and Ramirez are one side battling the forces of evil immortals who want to take over the planet and wreak destruction on it. |
Despite some absurdly silly casting (Christopher Lambert as a Scotsman?), the first Highlander went on to become a worldwide smash and was a hoot into the bargain. Director Russell Mulcahy was on board again for this second instalment, but this time around it just doesn't click, even though both stars — Lambert and Sean Connery — also return from the original. Set in 2034, this finds our intrepid time warrior (Lambert) up against an evil new threat in the shape of Michael Ironside and getting mixed up with a gang of ecological radicals led by Virginia Madsen. The two leads once again exude charisma, if not credible accents, and Ironside is splendid as the baddie, while Mulcahy gleefully unleashes an impressive array of visual tricks. However, there's not enough flash to cover the lack of substance.