In the movie "Talladega Nights", Ricky Bobby tells his nemesis that "Highlander " 'won an Oscar.....for best picture ever....'. Well, with an endorsement like that, I knew that one day I had to see this fantasy film!

The first thing I noticed about "Highlander" is that the casting director was in fact certifiably insane. What else would explain having a Frenchman (Christopher Lambert) play a Scot....and a Scottish man (Sean Connery) play an Egyptian-Spaniard?! This was just bizarre and took me out of the story at times....and it's a head-scratchingly strange job of casting, that's for sure.

The plot reveals that MacLeod (Lambert) is an immortal...one of several who have lived for hundreds or thousands of years. And, it seems that these folks have a weird instinctive drive to kill each other, and thereby gain great (almost orgasmic) power. And, because they are immortal, the only way to kill each other is to behead them. So, the film is filled with a lot of beheadings....leading to the ultimate boss battle between McLeod and his ultimate rival, Mr. Krabs....I mean Kurgan (Clancy Brown--the guy who voices Mr. Krabs on "Spongebob").

"Highlander" clearly is a turn off your brain and enjoy sort of film...which makes since as Ricky Bobby isn't exactly a great intellect! A lot of the film (not just the weird casting) is pretty silly--such as the over-the-top performance by Brown as well as the ridiculous sword fighting scenes...complete with sparks, explosions and the like! No...you really can't think too much when you watch it! If you do, your head will likely explode! I know, as mine exploded TWICE while I watched....but I got better.

Highlander isn't a perfect movie by all means, at least in my opinion, the film is a little too long, Christopher Lambert tries hard but comes across as rather bland and the effects towards the end are a little cheesy. However, cinematography, costumes, sets and scenery-wise Highlander is great, and most of the effects are decent. The soundtrack is killer, the storyline is acceptably paced and basically a fun standard sword-and-sorcery sort of tale, the script may have some toshy moments but boy did it entertain me, the action is well choreographed and the direction is very good. Also Sean Connery is as charismatic and memorable as ever, and Clancy Brown's character is written even better and he too is great. Overall, a fun and entertaining film, shame its sequel was such an abomination but that's another story. 7/10 Bethany Cox

I'm coming to Highlander in reverse order so to speak. I did love the syndicated series so much that it was a shame I had never gotten around to seeing the film that inspired it. I have to say I was not disappointed in any way. Especially getting to see Sean Connery albeit in a supporting role. Face it, twenty years earlier Connery would have been a natural for the part. As it is he's fine as Ramirez, mentor to Connor McLeod of the clan McLeod who maybe the best of a race of immortal beings who seem to pop up in the human gene pool every so often.

Christopher Lambert never followed up this film with anything remotely as successful. Be that as it may, he's an earnest young Highland warrior whom we see as first in modern era of 1986 New York and then in his beginnings when he finds out he is an immortal. Most of the cops are interested in solving a present day homicide, but Roxanne Hart who is an expert in metallurgy finds an opponent's sword below Madison Square Garden and realizes it's an antique made of the best Toledo steel and priceless. That sends her into some unusual directions to find out just who is this guy the cops picked up near the crime scene.

The immortals ranks have trimmed and as Sean Connery figured it over 400 years ago one of the two left will be the Kurgan, a truly evil man with impressive battle skills played by Clancy Brown. Between Brown and Jeff Kober, these two have brought us some of the best psychotic villains in the last 30 years. Brown is at his worst as the Kurgan.

Which brings me to the flashback where another immortal played by Connery sees in MacLeod the warrior who can defeat the Kurgan for the immortal championship. That is called the Quickening and of course it's not reached on the television series. It's not really explained there either, but trust me it's not something you want the Kurgan to experience.

I was not disappointed in the slightest in the film version of Highlander. The only question I have for the movie and for series is how those immortals manage to conceal those broad swords?