Let's be honest Clancy Brown made this movie. Dude played a villain that's scarier then 90% of horror film villains ... and that's without a mask. And none of that redemption BS either... Just a pure monstrous, creepy P O S. His whole performance was a master class in villainy. 👏👏👏👏👏
@@mainstreetsaint36 Never really played another role quite like this one too. Captain Hadley in Shawshank was brilliant acting, but this was just special....and his accent was really good not particularly repping any region (kind of british) but it was just a cool accent he chose.
@@mainstreetsaint36 I don't think he was paid completely nothing but yeah that is good to not act the performance of your life for money, just for the sake of acting!
I really need to over dub Clancy Brown doing Mr. Crabs in Spinge Bob over top of the Kurgans lines. Like all the sudden Kurgan is asking Connor for money. Or telling Conner to go make Crabby Patties. The cop I'd over dub Squidward lines talking to Conner and the fst police chief. I'd make him be Patrick. Lol
Agreed. I think insanity had taken over after thousands of years of fighting for the prize and he’d basically accepted his fate. I think for the Kurgan it was case of the chase is better than the catch.
@@Highlander1518 He's the last Kurgan, an actual group of people that emerged from the Pontic steppe around 3500 BC. Dude was thousands of years old, the last of his kind and the remnant of a long gone world. I think all that time and carnage, and the fact he came from such a hard time and place, completely broke him. He probably cared more about a glorious death than the Prize itself.
@@Highlander1518 The comics explain that when he betrayed and took the head of his first teacher he saw a vision of his death at the hands of a Scotsman upon experiencing his gift of clairvoyance So that moment could seen as him accepting his destiny with bravado instead of trying to buy more time by raising his blade again
00:46 I love this part, the way the camera pulls back with the music, both of them fighting in the shadows. It really captures the spirit of adventure in this iconic film.
I still think the movie is underrated because it's mostly overlooked compared to most of the 80s movies of the era, and sure, those movies are still incredible but I think highlander should be up there with classics like back to the future.
I loved the decision they made to make the Kurgen's eyes go black (and not for the lame reason posted on the net about how the Kurgen went great white shark with dilated pupils from kill frenzy) but because Conner's inflicted stomach wounds (we would have been able to see just how much damage was done with the first open wound to Kurgen's stomach were it not for the MPAA stepping in an demanding the full scene cut out of the film) brought the Kurgen to the brink of death, causing his body to "go corpse". At that point, in real life, pupils will often dilate due to no more muscle control to contract or dilate the pupils depending on how much light there is. The Kurgen, in his usual Berserker way, smiled in amazement and a little insanity, at his bizarre condition before taking his final half-ass swipe with his sword at Conner (whether it was because he was giving in to fate or because his body just wasn't functioning properly at this point). It was one last - and a bit creepy - element in showing the lives of these Immortals.
@@Kamamura2 Yeah he really went for the gusto with that explanation. I always thought it kind of just showed his blackened soullessness and that he was beaten. Those swipes from the samurai sword laid him open to his entrails hanging out.
I also liked that moment when after Conor lands three to four cuts in quick succession around the 02:00 point you see kurgan stop his laughing and I think for the first time in his long life is forced to consider that he might actually lose. A thought that never even occurred to him until then. All the bravado is wiped away. He of course covers it up with a smile and over the top tongue move but I think there was a moment of fear there
Something about the way the two fighters twirl their swords at 1:33 to 1:35 still gets me pumped up all these years later! Highlander is truly an 80s gem.
@@Kamamura2 yeah but Connor was actually more skilled than kurgan because the reason Connor never had his sword around kurgan for most of the movie is so Connor couldn't easily kill him.
I think it would have always been a hard fight for Connor, it felt like he needed time to learn kurgans attacks as he might have seemed like a brute but he was strong and had quite a few tricks of his own that would have been deadly if he landed any of them on mclaud
Kurgan was a horrible person, and irredeemable at best. But in his own messed up way he had great respect for Connor Macleod as a superior warrior. It showed in his eyes in his last moments he knew it was the end Connor was the final fight he was looking for. Krugan embraced his death with that last swing.
I completely agree with you. He also didn’t fight Connor on Holy Ground. Despite thousands of years of bloodshed and his sanity completely gone by 1985...he still had a modicum of respect for Connor.
0:27 I'm impressed with Brenda's courage standing up to the Kurgan. She chooses to stand her ground against him, although unarmed and outmatched. If her death will give Connor the precious moments he needs to excape execution, she is willing to pay that price. There is no love greater then this: To be willing to give up one's life for the sake of another person.
Yeah she was a good character and his Scottish maiden in the 1600s era Heather as well. They actually had his caretaker the English lady who kind of poses as his employee, playing a bigger role with some cut scenes, but during editing they kinda moved her out a little.
He was a glorious and ancient warrior, born in 1005 b.C., fought a lot of battles and war across millennia: allied with Persians in the Battle of Plataea, with Goths, Visigoths, Vandals during the Siege of Rome and later with Attila King of the Huns...
@@Kamamura2 He wasn't normal person. He was sadist and enjoyed it much, but that was his weakness too. He did loose it for moment. You can see how Conor suprised him then.
"I've been killing people since before your ancestors even EXISTED, and you think A METAL PIPE is going to do ANYTHING to me?! I haven't seen a sight THIS hilarious in YEARS!"
Those panning shots are absolutely beautiful and add such a majesty to the finale. In a day when rapid close ups mixed with fast cuts with questionable results, to see beautifully sweeping shots capture this wonderful battle is beautiful.
I think Ramirez is the biggest hero, he knew he had the knowledge but not the raw talent to beat the Kurgan. MacLeod had the raw talent but without the knowledge Ramirez had, he would lose against the Kurgan also. Ramirez knew he would never be the one, but he knew that the Kurgan winning would be bad for EVERYONE.
Ramirez was really close to winning when he fought Kurgan, if he hadn't been worried about protecting Connors wife he'd have probably ended it then and there.
You know i remember when they were starting production of number 2, and reading that the director wanted to reshoot the final fight between Connor and the Kurgan - but have the fallen imortals spectating behind glass and cheering on their chosen warrior. Would have preferred that to the bollocks we got instead...
Always respected that the Kurgan fought fairly and died well. Gave it his best shot and went out with a smile on his face. What on earth was he going to do with the "prize" or whatever anyway? He was a fighter. Seems like he was a bit jaded after 2000 years and was happy to go out by a worthy adversary. BTW, what the hell did the Highlander end up doing with the "prize"? Did he become like Bono or Obama or something? Good luck with all that.
burtonrules123 He should have stayed mortal after the first highlander and not an alien he should have became a peace negotiator and maybe he rescued slaves with Brenda or something in he sequel. The second movie should be about him creating word peace or something making the world a better place not that stuff we saw in highlander 2.
Just based on Highlander 1 and no sequels, I think the prize was the immortal becomes all knowing and can help the mortals solve the human condition. If Kurgan got it he would engineer world conflict and probably its total destruction.
Love this movie for sure fact you have a French Canadian play a Scotsman amd a Scottish actor playing a Spanish Egyptian. Epic movie. Love sword fights and queen did the soundtrack
1:38. When I was younger, I didn't understand why Connor was taking shots at the Kurgan's torso. Likewise, back then I didn't make the connection to why the Kurgan's ability to fight was declining. Connor realized he couldn't take on the Kurgan in a strength-to-strength contest. He needed to cut into the Kurgan's muscle and tendons, severing key connections. Also, there is the factor of substantial blood loss leading to fatigue. Immortals are a tough group, but they are still bound to some human limitations. While it is true Kurgan would heal from these wounds, it would take time to do so. (I'm assuming the more severe the wound, the longer it takes to heal. Ramirez's shot to Kurgan's neck is evidence towards this.) If there was one change I would make to this fight, it would be in the last few seconds of the match: Instead of waiting for his wounds to heal, Kurgan's desire to take Connor's quickening is too enticing for him to resist. He quickly moves forward, positioning himself on Connor's right side for a strike to his neck. He anticipates Connor will be forced into a defensive position to deflect the strike. However, this attack isn't what it appears to be: Just as Connor would have manuvered his sword forward in a guard position, Kurgan would have pivoted in a turn/semi spin slightly behind Connor, and followed through with the fatal blow as we see in this scene. Connor must have recognized this tactic, and instead moved forward with his swift cut into the Kugan's exposed neck. I like the fact that Kurgan smiled in the end although he lost the Game. In a way, he was saying "You'll never be rid of me." In the end, the prophecy was fulfilled: One Immortal was left standing. Long live Connor McLeod of the Clan McLeod!
@@zsoltkiss545 blade was definitely longer than a wakisashi. Some of the stunt aluminum blades did look a little short but the steel blade that the original sword had (meaning the Marto ivory katana, which is what the sculpted dragon head was added to), had a 27 1/2 inch blade.
Yeah the sword fighting is a little ‘shabby’ to say the least but people need to understand that Christopher Lambert suffers from myopia. He’s essentially blind without his glasses. So, overall it’s a good effort. Bear that in mind the next time you ‘critics’ make a comment on the sword choreography in this film.
@@Kamamura2 The director and producers picked Lambert because of his ‘intense gaze’ and timeless looks and Chris was an up and coming star at the time (thanks to Greystoke) I can see why they did pick him. I think he was a good choice.
There was a Highlander series that was pretty decent, I think it would work good as a series of stories of the Highlanders centuries of life, all the other immortals he met asking the way and his encounters with the kurgan . Oh and if they could leave out the whole alien planet stuff ... That would be great
IIRC, they were going to add a spirit dragon to fight Macleod but they cut the scene... or it might have gotten burned. I know another scene or two that were fully shot fights got burned somehow. Shame.
Most notable lost scene from the storage fire is another fight with the Kurgan against an immortal named Yung Dol Kim that we now only have a couple of salvaged frames of
Christopher Lambert is very shortsighted and couldn’t wear his glasses or contacts for the fight. Hence the wild swinging so the actors didn’t kill each other 😂
@burtonrules123 I can justify the kurgan going grand theft auto on people when he kidnapped brenda. He’s immortal and not bound to mortal laws and he was out having a blast running people down. Good stuff. Like a kid who gets to play with big wheels or find his dads gun. Nice to see kurgan loves to have a good time.
Maybe they will have Mcleuad talk normally, which might be cool and give him a bit more charm not complain all the time Ramírez or act like a twirp maybe he has comebacks when he’s training with Ramirez so he’s awake.
@@knightwarrioranimations9656 Connor was only 18-19 when he become Immortal so that characterization of cocky, punk kid he had in the flashbacks actually makes perfect sense in context
Two things - first, I can't get over how young Clancy Brown looks in those last moments (the dilated pupils almost give him a look of childish wonder), and second, the sparks were generated by running a strong current through wires in the actors' sleeves into the blades - not something they could get away with these days, I believe.
That's quite cool to know they used real electric, I've seen it in other movies though so it must have been a tried and tested technique in Hollywood. Nowadays they would just CGI everything
@@Filthy_Larry I know but he looked way older I always kept saying no way he was 26 that's what I hate I'm 27 right now and I don't even look 27 I look younger sometimes I feel like I don't look my age
Highlander (1986) is its own universe. There's no AFTER, Connor won "The Prize" and that's the end of it. Anything that was made after happens in parallel universes in which similar yet different events happened.
Clancy brown is so amazing in this one that pretty much every bad guy in the franchise pretty played cheap knockoff versions. Especially kane in highlander 3.
Combination of lighting and some of the sets being dark enough that everyone's eyes were heavily dilatated from extended periods working in the dark during some scenes
And to think that Kurgan could have won if he had just worn chainmail neck armor, since testing have shown that samurai swords are totally useless against chainmail since the samurai never used chainmail.
Kurgan's own fault. He kidnapped Brenda and knowingly brought her into the battle just for the purpose of taunting and inflicting even more suffering on Connor, only for it to blow up in his face and cost him the Prize. That's what you get for being a sadistic jerk. There's a reason Immortals usually fight one and one and in isolated places, it's so no one else can interfere. Kurgan tried to play dirty and he got played.
@@silversnail1413 Yeah, The Kurgan was hoping to use Brenda to put Connor off his game, though in the end it backfired on him But that's what makes the characters that much more exciting...we get a glimpse of their humanity or lack thereof
The Kurgan would go on to reincarnate as Hank Anderson, leading a completely opposite life as a glum, embittered, aging, and yet heroic mortal guardian of society, working together with an android named Connor to free android kind.
