This is the ONLY Highlander in my opinion. For this movie to retain it's excellence, it's best to pretend the other movies, the Tv shows, and what not NEVER EXSISTED. The first movie, is in my opinion, the only Highlander.

The movie starts at a professional wrestling match. We see Conner Macleod in the crowd when he sense the presence of another immortal. He leaves the match and goes to a underground parking garage where he challenges the immortal White. Conner kills the other immortal and tries to escape only to be picked up by the police.
A flash back goes to 1536 where Conner expierences his first death at the hands of the immortal Kruger. Kruger who has returned to battle Conner for the prize.

Best line- Question is what are you going to do turn off the tape or shoot me with the .45.-Conner to Brenda Wyatt.

Nitpicks

-During the fight with Conner, White loses his sunglasses when he rolls over a car. The glasses are by the car that Conner is standing on. Then you see White jump and cut a electical cable and White has his glasses on. (there is no time for him retrieve the glasses) Then during the chase across the cars his glasses somehow manage to disappear.

-When Conner is trying to escape after killing White wouldn't it have been better for him to go back into the arena instead of getting into his car and driving out of the garage where the police arrest him.

-In the 1536 flashback how did Kurgan know Conner's name?

-What was the sense in Kurgan trying to get the head of such a young immortal. His quickening wouldn't have been worth the energy.

-Why doesn't Ramirez sense Conner until after he meets him face to face. You would think he would have began sensing him before Ramirez's horse jumped over him and his wife.

-Ramirez's father in law must have been pretty enlightened for 539 B.C. Japanease noblemen to allow his daughter to marry a white man.

-The name of the clan that the Macleod's were fighting when he first died changes from Murdock to Frasier.

-When Kruger takes Conner's friends' head it took the quickening awhile to come.

I'm with you, the others just never happened. DYK the opening was originally suppose to be a hockey match instead of pro wrestling? Would have worked better, even better actually, IMO. Especially if you see the directors cut.

I don't remember anyone called White in the movie or is that part of Fasils name (the first immortal Connor fights in the carpark)

You've left out the most infamous nit of all from this movie, you can see the wires holding Connor in the air during the final Quickening. Lambert even jokes about it in an interview for H3 when he says that you won't see any cables in the final Quickening of this movie.

Triggins I can solve some of your nits:
1) Can't do anything with the glasses, they just messed up on that one.
2) No going back into the arena wouldn't have been a good idea. Then all the cops have to do is wait for him to come out. But I got a better nit? Who called the cops? How did they get there so fast?
3) Kurgan probably knew Conner's name the same way Ramirez did. If I told you that I'd have to kill you.
4) Kurgan's probably a "kill em young before they can fight back" kinda guy.
5) He was...umm...otherwise occupied. That and Ramirez came charging up on him at full speed on horse back, thus reducing the time he would spend in Conner's "detection envelope" to a minimum. Conner also hadn't been trained to "listen" for these kind a things yet. Like in Star Wars Darth Vadar said "The force is strong with this one," but Luke didn't say "The force is strong with this one" about Vader.
6) Yes he probably was if he was that far ahead of everyone else in metalugy. Or alternately Ramirez might have said "Sir I challenge you to a dual for the honor of marrying your daugther (Re Conner's dual on Boston Common for the out come of that match.)
7) Murdock was the guys first name.
8) It belonged to the "American Union of Quickenings" (AUQ lodge number 4247) and as such wasn't required to show up till it finished its beer.

Here's my two cents:

1) The Kurgan looks genuinely surprised in the church when he finds out who Heather was. Why? Wouldn't he have found out that Ramirez lied when he got his Quickening?

2) Speaking of Heather, why is she just standing around while The Kurgan and Ramirez fight? Once Ramirez has El Kurgo's attention, Heather can easily run like hell and get away from the house.

3) And speaking of the house, why on Earth do its walls fall apart so easily?

4) I don't buy for a second that The Kurgan's head was able to stay on as long as it did when Connor slashed his neck. When Connor got Fasil in the car park, the head went off instantly. The Kurgan certainly shouldn't be conscious and mobile as he is shown.

Here's my theory to answer these questions:

1) The Kurgan looks genuinely surprised in the church when he finds out who Heather was. Why? Wouldn't he have found out that Ramirez lied when he got his Quickening?


This is a big oversite on the writers and director. Ramirez' quickening would be a flood of memories into the Kurgan's mind and he would know who Heather was.

2) Speaking of Heather, why is she just standing around while The Kurgan and Ramirez fight? Once Ramirez has El Kurgo's attention, Heather can easily run like hell and get away from the house.

She might have been enthralled by the whole thing or just too scared to leave into the highlands of night.

3) And speaking of the house, why on Earth do its walls fall apart so easily?

It was an old castle to begin with.

4) I don't buy for a second that The Kurgan's head was able to stay on as long as it did when Connor slashed his neck. When Connor got Fasil in the car park, the head went off instantly. The Kurgan certainly shouldn't be conscious and mobile as he is shown.

This is an example of Hollywood's "dramatic" symbolism.

Here's a couple more:

1)How could that Vietnam vet have survived being run through like that?

2)Just how exactly did Brenda get in that warehouse area in the final battle? Wouldn't a fall from the skylight really hurt her legs? She walks fine in the rest of the scene.

If anyone is interested in seeing my official review for this movie, they can check it out through my new web site at www.geocities.com/sibryce.

I bought the Region 1 DVD of this film some time back, the sound is unbelievably bad as is the picture in some shots. For anyone who is thinking of buying it, the Region 2 seems a better bet, as the sound is somewhat better. Unfortunately the R2 disk has no directors commentry.

Here's something esoteric...that is clearly NOT WWF wrestling at Madison Square Garden...but the WWF has had exclusive rights to hold wrestling shows at the garden for decades.

I think the moovie is great-it's funny and with great effects...And the music rocks...
oh, yeah-why did Highlander get the Prise if he wasn't "at the end there can be" ONLY ONE?

Anonymous, I doubt anyone who made this movie expected any of the sequels, the series, and all the subsequent additions to the story, so it was a complete, self-contained story. If you like, you can take Brian Webber's attitude that this is the only real Highlander story. A good sequel (not The Quickening)would be very hard to do, but not impossible. If you read the review of Highlander 2 on Jabootu.com, the author has a very good idea for a sequel to Highlander.

Was watching this again tonight on DVD. I love this movie.
I know there are some good nits for this movie, but I have one that no one though of.
At the beginning of the movie, how can Fazeel do back-flips while holding onto his sword?