There is something incredibly romantic about the story of the Immortal.
Imagine living hundreds of years knowing that you will watch the entire human
story unfold before you. No time machine can compare to having actually been
there for every moment of it. Quite a fine deal unless, of course, another
immortal decides to kill you and take your power through an intense sword
fight that ends in your beheading.
I was addicted to the television show Highlander even though I knew that
every episode would end the same way with my hero, Duncan MacLeod, in the
battle of his life to save his head and his immortal life. After all the
battles are fought and won, there can only be one immortal who will
ultimately survive. It's an understatement to say that this is an appealing
concept. Witness the success of the Highlander movies and series and
obviously the summer t.v. success story, Survivor.
Despite the Darwinistic premise of Highlander and Survivor, I find Highlander
far more appealing because there's a lot of heart at the core of this story.
Duncan MacLeod and his mentor Connor MacLeod are enslaved to rules not of
their choosing. They would like to find a way beyond the killing and
violence.
Highlander: End Game is languorously draped in fog and romance. Especially
enjoyable are the flashbacks which whiz Connor and Duncan from the Highlands
of Scotland to Italian Court showing the evolution of their brotherhood
through the prism of these different contexts. Connor mentored Duncan so he
would have the opportunity to survive and with the full knowledge that there
can ultimately only be one immortal. How this is resolved is what gives this
movie its heart and my highest recommendation.
Of course, every Highlander episode has its baddie immortal. Duncan and
Connor face Jacob Kell, an immortal with 661 immortal kills who is on a manic
drive to the finish line so he can be the One. In case you ever wondered,
Duncan has killed 175 immortals (177 by the end of the movie) and Connor is
in the mid 200's. What I found most intriguing was Kell's
footware. On the
heel of one of his shoes were three crosses in the formation of the
crucifixion of Christ. Was he one of the men crucified along with Christ
only to be raised in immortal form? We will never know, but what an
intriguing little backstory for this villain.
Duncan is also reunited with his ex-wife Kate, who he made an immortal when
he couldn't bare to watch her age and die on him. Her rage and love brought
a lot of heart to this story as well. What is an immortal life worth if you
can never have children or have in abundance what mere mortals have in
limited supply? Does it mean anything then?
The only thing I found confusing was the limited role of
Methos, who I
understood to be a 5,000 year old immortal and a friend of Duncan's. In the
series, he was established as the oldest living immortal. His role seem
cursory for a story that involves one experienced immortal (possibly the
second oldest) who is out to obliterate everyone in sight. However, it makes
sense when the center of the story is Duncan and Connor's confrontation with
their toughest enemy. It might have made better story sense to send Methos on
an uninterruptible spiritual retreat than to have introduced him and not use
him since his experience clearly might have assisted Duncan and Connor.
Despite minor issues like this, I found myself crying a couple of times
through this movie. But this movie also kicked butt as well. The action
scenes and sword fights were kinetic and combined some excellent Hong Kong
action sequences. And the helicopter Westcam shots of the coast of Scotland
were breathtaking as were the many location shots of New York, London, etc.
I can hardly wait for the next movie.
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"Highlander:
End Game - Lots of Heart if You Can Keep Your Head"
