Highlander: Endgame script review

15 August, 2000

The version of the script I'm reviewing is dated September 1, 1999 and is titled Highlander IV: World Without End. That date is fairly close to the start of filming so I'm going to assume this script is pretty close to the final version.

The original movie, Highlander, appeared in 1986. It wasn't exactly a huge hit but developed something of a cult status on video. That spawned a pair of little loved sequels, an animated series and two live actions series. The basic concept of Highlander is that immortal beings exist among us. They cannot be killed except by beheading. This whole race of immortals is involved in a game. They duel each other with the winner taking the other's energy, becoming stronger in a process called the Quickening. They are fated to eventually meet at the Gathering at which point one immortal will emerge alone. That apparently happens in the original movie with Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert) emerging victorious.

Of course since Highlander 2 was made you can assume that it didn't really happen. Highlander 3 and the television series further cloud the timeline. The end result is that the final prize was not won during the original movie. I mention all of this because it is rather important to the plot line of Highlander Endgame.

In this movie, one of the immortals (played by Bruce Payne) has been trying to get around the rules of the game. Rather than continuing to fight alone toward the prize, he has formed something of a cult of immortals around himself. This allows them to hunt other immortals as a pack, with his followers saving the actual beheading for him. This process makes him grow rapidly in power. He is doing this with a purpose in mind and that purpose involves Connor MacLeod. The focus of the movie however falls on the character of Duncan MacLeod (Adrian Paul) rather than on Connor. Duncan is trying to discover what this man wants with Connor and why.

I'll try and avoid discussing the plot anymore than that so as not to give anything away. The flow of this movie is highly reminiscent of the original film. It is filled with regular flashbacks in time as events in the past are shown to highlight events in the present. Most of these flashbacks are used to set up the relationships between the various characters, for the most part between Connor and Duncan.

While the original movie focused on the concept of the immortals and their game this movie focuses more on the nature of being an immortal. Living forever can be a curse just as easily as it can be a gift. Not everyone in this movie is thrilled with living forever, while others are.

The very nature of these immortals means that they must be killers to survive. In this way the script was very reminiscent of Anne Rice's vampire novels, of which Interview with the Vampire has been made into a movie. Like the immortals, vampires must take life to continue their own. In both cases this can weigh very heavily on their minds.

I enjoyed the director's cut of Highlander quite a bit but truly hated its two sequels so I wasn't exactly expecting much from this script. I was surprised to find that large sections of it were quite enjoyable. There is nothing particularly ground breaking here but it comes off for the most part as solidly entertaining. The relationship between Duncan and Connor is well built. The relationship between Duncan and a former lover (played by Lisa Barbuscia) is also well done. Surprisingly, the villain actually has a reason for being evil. So many villains have no reason for their evil ways so it's always a nice touch to see a well rounded one.

That's not to say I absolutely love this script though. There are some problems. Foremost among them is a bit of foreshadowing early on in the script so painfully obvious that it wouldn't have been any more overstated with a big neon sign that said "Foreshadowing Right Here!" From that point on there was no doubt in my mind how this would end. Worse, the events hinted at are used not once but twice at the end. I'm astonished that the screenwriter was that stuck for original ideas that such a major point in the movie could be recycled again inside the same movie.

I really hope that this was worked on prior to filming. The movie can't hope to set up tension during its finale as currently structured. Personally I would have avoided the foreshadowing completely. I've seen this kind of script device used in countless action movies. I really don't know why it keeps getting used as it actually takes away from a movie rather than adding to it.

Still there is a lot to like in this script. It really brings back the tone of the original movie while mostly managing to avoid being derivative. Like I said earlier, my expectations from this movie were pretty low. Having read the script I actually find my expectations have been raised considerably. With a few fixes to the script Highlander Endgame could emerge as a solid film that helps banish the memory of the pitiful sequels in the series.

- John Shea

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