Highlander: Endgame is a 2000 American fantasyaction film directed by Doug Aarniokoski and starring Adrian Paul, Christopher Lambert, Bruce Payne, and Lisa Barbuscia. It is the fourth theatrical release in the Highlander film series and it serves as a continuation of both the Highlander film from 1986 and the Highlander television series (including the latter's spin-off Highlander: The Raven). The film reunites Duncan MacLeod, the lead character of the series, and Connor MacLeod, the lead character of the films. In the film, the Macleods need to deal against a new enemy named Jacob Kell, a powerful immortal who is willing to break any rule to win the Prize. This marks Lambert's fifth and final appearance as Connor. Highlander: Endgame was released on September 1, 2000. A stand-alone sequel, Highlander: The Source was released seven years later, with Paul reprising his role.
In A.D. 1555, Connor MacLeod returns to his former home in Glenfinnan, Scotland, to save his mother from village priest Jacob Kell. Kell executes Connor's mother for witchcraft. Enraged, Connor kills both Kell and Kell's adoptive father, Father Rainey. He sets Glenfinnan ablaze before leaving with his mother's body. Kell is reborn as an Immortal, and vows vengeance against Connor for Rainey's death. He spends the next four centuries killing people Connor cares about. Kell amasses great power by ignoring the rules of The Game; he recruits several lesser Immortals as disciples who overpower other Immortals so Kell can take their heads.
In 1994, Kell kills Connor's adopted daughter Rachel Ellenstein. Heartbroken, Connor departs for The Sanctuary, where Immortals are under surveillance by a subgroup of Watchers to prevent The Prize from being won.
A decade later, Kell and his disciples attack the Sanctuary, and Connor is believed to have been beheaded along with the other Immortals there. Duncan MacLeod, compelled by a vision he has of the slaughter, begins to investigate. Meanwhile, Matthew Hale, the Watcher supervising the sanctuary, looks on at the carnage, and decides to turn to "volunteers" to refill their numbers. Duncan leaves London for New York, and goes to Connor's NYC loft, which was destroyed in the explosion that killed Rachel. Sensing an Immortal, he turns to see Kate, his wife from 200 years before. Then Kell's posse arrives, and fights Duncan (disregarding the rule of one-on-one combat). The fighting stops when Kell arrives. However, Carlos shoots Duncan, who falls on a spike, rendering him unconscious. Kell is furious with Carlos, and beheads him – as the Quickening begins, a van drives up to where Duncan fell, and takes him away.
After awakening, Duncan realizes that he has been taken by Watchers. They want to keep him in the Sanctuary so that the Prize cannot be won by any Immortal. He is later saved with the help of Methos and Watcher Joe Dawson. He convinces them to take him to Connor's grave, where he found Connor alive but not well. Connor reveals he was set free so Kell could continue to emotionally torture him. Kell arrives with Kate and reveals he will kill Duncan in order to torture Connor. Goaded by Kell to kill him, Connor's anger at the deaths of all his loved ones leaves him unable to put up a fight and is easily defeated. Duncan later confronts Kate (now using the alias "Faith") at a fashion-shoot, and asks her why she is with Kell. She tells him how much she hates the fact that she will never have children or grow old and die, and believes that Kell understands her pain. Duncan must earn her forgiveness, or face her as an embittered part of Kell's faction. Later on in his hotel room, Kate arrives after having a chat with Kell, and the two make love. Duncan touches the scar that was caused when he made her Immortal, and apologizes to Faith for what he did. She tells Duncan that she will never forgive him; he tells her that he will wait, even if it takes centuries.
Ultimately, Kell executes his group in a mock Last Supper to gain their powers, including possibly Faith. Later on a rooftop, Connor meets Duncan and intentionally starts a sword-fight with him. Telling him that neither one of them can defeat Kell alone, Connor convinces Duncan that he must allow himself to be beheaded in order for Duncan to have enough power to rival Kell. After an emotional goodbye, Duncan ends the fight, sorrowfully beheading his beloved clansman, Connor.
Soon after, Duncan and Kell engage in a final battle. Hale attempts to interfere and take Duncan back to the Sanctuary, but Joe arrives and shoots him dead. Just before Kell is victorious, Connor's spirit takes control of Duncan, which gives him the strength to continue. Duncan then decapitates Kell, avenging Connor and all of Connor's loved ones. Duncan absorbs all of Kell's power, taking his place as the most powerful immortal in existence. He then goes to Glencoe, Scotland to bury Connor next to Heather and Ramírez.
Alternative ending (Producer's Cut)
After Duncan buries Connor, he returns to the United States to witness the fireworks display for New Years Day. After feeling an immortal's presence, Kate appears and explains that Kell spared her life. After proclaiming that her "Faith"-persona is "dead," and that she is giving "Kate" another try, she and Duncan share a kiss, suggesting that they will reconcile their marriage and live together forever.
Early drafts of the screenplay differed greatly from the final cut in several respects. The Kate character was originally named "Alexis"; most of the flashback scenes occurred in Shanghai instead of Ireland; Paris was the original location of Methos's home rather than London; Duncan MacLeod lived on his Parisian barge during the modern-day sequences; and Hugh Fitzcairn appeared during the Shanghai flashbacks. The titles of the various drafts included Highlander IV: The Immortals, Highlander: The Search for Connor, and Highlander: World Without End. Gregory Widen, writer of the original Highlander, worked on the early drafts and was in talks to direct the film. Widen had previously directed the film The Prophecy, which he also wrote. Portions of Widen's writing were used for Endgame, though he received only a "Characters Created By" credit.
The film features several shots from the original Highlander. The first is a computer-altered and enhanced shot of Glenfinnan, which was originally the shot of Connor walking away from his village. The second is a shot of the Silvercup sign, pulled from the scene of the Kurgan taking Brenda Wyatt to the building. And in the rooftop Quickening, two shots of Connor and Heather MacLeod together are taken from the first film. Castle Stalker is seen briefly in the film during Connor's flashback scene. This building was also seen in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.[2]
Donnie Yen served as the film's martial arts choreographer and also played the role of Jin Ke, who was based on a real historical figure: Jing Ke, renowned for his failed assassination of the Chinese emperor Qin Shi Huang. Hip-Hop producer Damon Dash makes an appearance as one of Jacob Kell's Immortal minions. Professional wrestler Adam Copeland, known as "Edge" in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE), makes a cameo appearance as Lachlan. A reference is made to Copeland's wrestling persona when Duncan says to Lachlan, "Looks like you've lost your edge, lad."
The movie was meant to act as a bridge between Highlander: The Series and the spin-off series Highlander: The Raven which was continuing on television back in 1999. But these plans started to go awry when Raven was canceled due to low ratings and the change in syndication, as well as production delays, started occurring due to cast availability problems. Dimension Films, which took on the project as a way of invigorating the film series, realized that its plans for the film were not going to meet expectations, and scaled back on its release.
Filming began on October 22, 1999, and ended on March 7, 2000. Much of the bulk of filming happened in Romania, a decision which was opposed by the producers.
Endgame's theatrical distributor, Dimension Films, demanded that cuts be made to the film to give it a faster pace. The deleted footage contained exposition necessary to understanding the Highlander universe, resulting in a theatrical cut that was criticized for being incomprehensible to audiences unfamiliar with the earlier films.[3][4][5] An extended cut with restored footage was later released on DVD. (See alternate versions below.)
Alternative versions
The DVD release features a 101-minute "producers' cut" which features improved visual effects, sound mixing, and color-timing, and restores numerous scenes of exposition intended to make the story more easily understandable for audiences unfamiliar with the Highlander franchise. The "producers' cut" includes the "Kate lives" ending and removes the line of dialogue in which Methos refers to the Sanctuary as holy ground, which was criticized by fans.[6]
The Region 1 (United States and Canada) DVD includes, as a bonus feature, a rough workprint cut of the film. The visual quality of the rough cut is rather poor, with unfinished special effects and a timecode visible at all times, and alternating between widescreen and full-screen. This cut features a subplot involving Connor giving a Christmas tree to an orphanage every Christmas, an activity picked up by Duncan after Connor's death. Kate does not appear in this version of the film at its conclusion, unlike the producers' cut included on the DVD. The rough cut also notably features an extended version of the "Last Supper" scene in which Jin Ke plunges his sword into a wall and beheads himself after realizing that he cannot beat Kell, thereby denying Kell the opportunity to kill him. In the other versions of the film, this scene was edited to make it appear that Kell beheads Jin Ke (off-screen) along with the rest of the group.
Producers cut
The producers of the film disagreed with Dimension Films over the running length and story structure of the film. They were unsatisfied with the theatrical cut, and upon its DVD release, they re-edited the film and added twelve minutes of new footage, which included:
A new opening sequence, in which we see Duncan and Connor roaming the streets of New York and Duncan buying a hot dog. Connor tells Duncan that he has an errand to run, and leaves a concerned Duncan behind after telling him to "watch his back." The scene goes to Rachel walking towards the antiques store.
The shots of the photographs with Rachel and Connor in them are not in the DVD cut. Instead we see Rachel enter the store, go to the loft and find a TV playing a video of herself and Connor at various points of her life. The phone rings and when she answers, the store explodes just as Connor walks up to it.
The DVD cut has Duncan walking past a payphone on his way to Methos. He answers the phone and a woman (later revealed as Faith) tells him, "Whatever you fear about Connor MacLeod, fear the worst." She says that she is a friend and hangs up. As Duncan walks on, we see a watcher named Matthew spying on Duncan from a cafe saying into his cellphone, "He's on the move."
During the scene where Duncan is at Connor's destroyed loft, the posse enter and Winston says, "It's time to show our Immortal brother a thing or two." Cracker Bob has more of an entrance. We see him crash in on his motorcycle swings his bat and says, "Someone order a club sandwich?" Duncan mocks his outfit and Bob complains to Faith.
A Flashback to Kate and Duncan's wedding is re-edited. We see Duncan sitting at the table with Kate, and one of their friends gets drunk and collapses while urging the two to kiss. They do, then we see Duncan, Kate and their wedding guest dancing. From there, we see Connor walking through the door and embracing Duncan.
After Duncan and Faith separate at the studio (the fashion show scene), we see them roaming the streets. Faith goes to Kell's temple, then her apartment. Inside, we see Kell waiting for her. The dialogue makes it clear that they have a sexual relationship and Kell suspects that she may turn over to Duncan's side. We go from this scene to Faith walking about the streets of New York and then entering Duncan's hotel room where they have an intimate moment.
The fight scene between Duncan and Kell is extended.
We see a scene where Duncan is bandaging a leg wound and taking off his coat. The watcher Matthew is pointing a rifle at him. "Just watching," someone says. Matthew turns and Joe is standing behind him. Matthew raises his rifle at Joe, but Joe shoots him with a revolver. Matthew dies.
Duncan's face morphing into Connor's, and back, a few times is reduced in their visibility and intensity.
Among other changes was the edited blurring of a large JVC billboard that was prominently featured during Connor's death scene in the theatrical cut.
Theatrical trailer
The trailers for the film feature several shots showing Kell using mystical abilities (such as stopping a sword in midair with some sort of force field, cloning himself and holding an orb with Connor's screaming head inside of it).[7] In addition to this, Connor and Duncan are shown emerging from some sort of portal.[7] None of this footage made it into any released version of the film, and the footage is only seen in the trailer.[7][8] In an interview prior to the film's release, Douglas Aarniokoski stated that these shots were never intended for inclusion in any finished cut of the movie — they were shot exclusively for its trailer, instead.[8] Aarniokoski further suggested that this is common practice for feature films.[8]
No mention of Kell's magical abilities exists in the online version of an early screenplay.[8] Aarniokoski said that this decision was taken as it was felt that introducing further magic elements would have weakened the characterisation.[8]
Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 11% based on reviews from 54 critics, with an average rating of 3.30/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "The fourth and supposedly last Highlander movie is a confusing mess, complete with bad acting and dialogue."[9] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 21 out of 100 based on 16 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[10]
Elvis Mitchell of The New York Times gave Endgame a mildly positive review, saying: "It's nice to see mindless violence back in a B picture, where it belongs, and the swordplay is impressive. When [the movie] sticks to the hand-to-hand battles and doesn't try to offer deeper thoughts on the life of an immortal, it works on its own terms."[11]IGN gave the DVD release of Endgame a score of 7 out of 10, saying that "fans will be pleased," adding: "Endgame proves to be both true to the spirit of the first film and the television series, [it has] a solid story to tell, [and it] features the best fight sequences of the series."[12]
Andrew O'Hehir of Salon.com said, "Personally, I enjoyed it about the way I enjoyed the Mortal Kombat movies, meaning that its genuine fun and its unintentionally ridiculous moments are roughly in balance."[13] Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly remarked: "[Fans] will be thrilled that Connor MacLeod and his fellow clansman Duncan MacLeod engage in a vein-popping showdown to see which immortal will bump off the other, thereby achieving a quickening of multiorgasmic proportions. Those who aren't in the cult of this popular genre fantasy not only won't understand what the previous sentence is about, but may also wonder what's so great about perpetual life if it entails shlepping from one badly lit, cheesily art-directed, peat bog-colored century to another, spouting hollow dialogue."[5]
Travis Eddings of Film Threat gave the film half a star out of five, saying: "After viewing Highlander: Endgame, it's obvious that Aarniokoski has no idea how to make a film. ... The only reason why this film earns one-half of a star instead of zero is due to some unintended laughs. It's funny to see what passes as acting in this movie."[14] James Brundage of FilmCritic.com gave the film one and half stars out of five, saying: "Highlander: Endgame possesses all of the elements of a straight-to-video action movie. Cheap special effects that look cool, weak characters that still pull heartstrings, and a bunch of actors no one really knows unless you have seen this or that obscure flick. And, taking that view, one wonders why the hell I even had to watch Highlander: Endgame in theatres."[15]
Carlo Cavagna of About Film called the film "a disaster," adding: "The plot and the characters' motivations are nonsense. Lambert's character has nowhere to go, and his once-magnetic glower is tired and worn. Several opportunities for spectacular action are squandered because the movie's villain has a tendency to execute summarily his own henchmen. Paul's modicum of charisma, director Douglas Aarniokoski's broad panoramas that recall the original Highlander, and Lambert's amusing skirmishes with a Scottish accent are not enough to provide any redeeming value.[16]
Box office
At the North American box office, the film opened at #5, grossing $6,223,330 in its opening weekend. It went on to gross $12,811,858 domestically and gather $3,031,750 from international markets for a worldwide total of $15,843,608.[1][17]
Related Research Articles
Highlander is an American-British film and television franchise created by American screenwriter Gregory Widen. The series began with Highlander, a 1986 fantasy film starring Christopher Lambert, who played Connor MacLeod, the titular Highlander. There have been four theatrical Highlander films, one made-for-TV film, two live-action television series, an animated television series, an anime film, a flash animation series, original novels, comic books, and various licensed merchandise.
Duncan MacLeod is a fictional character and the protagonist of Highlander: The Series, which ran for six seasons from 1992 to 1998. The character also starred in two spin-off films, Highlander: Endgame and Highlander: The Source.
Tessa Noël is a fictional character in the television series Highlander: The Series, portrayed by Belgian actor Alexandra Vandernoot. A professional artist and sculptor, Tessa is the lover and confidant of the series protagonist Duncan MacLeod, played by Adrian Paul, an immortal swordsman born centuries before in the Scottish Highlands. In the pilot episode "The Gathering," Tessa is said to have been in a relationship with Duncan for twelve years already and the two co-own MacLeod and Noël Antiques in the fictional city Seacouver, Washington. Alongside Duncan, she is a mentor and friend to young Richie Ryan.
Highlander: The Series is a Canadian-French science fantasy action-adventure television series featuring Duncan MacLeod of the Scottish Clan MacLeod, as the eponymous "Highlander". It was co-produced by Rysher Distribution in the United States, Gaumont Television in France, Reteitalia in Italy, RTL Plus in Germany, and Amuse Video in Japan. An alternate sequel to the 1986 feature film Highlander, it features a storyline in which the protagonist of that film has not won "the Prize" sought by all Immortals, who still exist post-1985. Christopher Lambert reprised his role as Connor in the pilot episode, which introduced series protagonist Duncan MacLeod, an Immortal who was taken in by the same clan of Scottish Highlanders who had found and raised Connor generations before.
Connor MacLeod, also known as The Highlander, is a fictional character in the Highlander film series, and appears in the extended franchise of the television programs: Highlander: The Series and Highlander: The Animated Series. In the films and live-action series, he is portrayed by Christopher Lambert. In the animated series, he is voiced by Lorne Kennedy.
Richie Ryan is a fictional character from Highlander: The Series, portrayed by actor Stan Kirsch. Introduced in the pilot episode "The Gathering" (1992) as a young, quick-talking petty thief, his life changes when he realizes the existence of immortals, people born with an energy called the Quickening that makes them ageless and invincible to injury after they experience the shock of a violent death. These immortals are unable to die permanently unless beheaded. Richie meets Duncan MacLeod, an immortal born centuries ago in the Scottish Highlands. He becomes an apprentice, friend and helper to Duncan and his mortal love Tessa Noël, often providing comic relief and youthful enthusiasm for their adventures.
Joe Dawson is a fictional character in the Highlander franchise, created for the live-action TV show Highlander: The Series. A marine who leaves active service after losing his legs during the Vietnam War, he finds a new calling by joining the order of Watchers, people who record the lives and actions of immortals who secretly live on Earth. His main assignment during the course of the show is to chronicle the life of protagonist Duncan MacLeod, an immortal swordsman born in the Scottish Highlands. When the Highlander learns about the Watchers, he meets Joe and the two eventually become friends. Joe Dawson is portrayed by actor Jim Byrnes.
Amanda is a fictional character in the television series Highlander: The Series and Highlander: The Raven, portrayed by actress Elizabeth Gracen. She is one of the Immortals, immune to old age and death except by taking the head off. Some Immortals play The Game, seeking each other out for a duel to the death, for which the survivor is rewarded with a Quickening.
Highlander is a 1986 British-American fantasy action-adventure film directed by Russell Mulcahy from a screenplay by Gregory Widen, Peter Bellwood, and Larry Ferguson. It stars Christopher Lambert, Roxanne Hart, Clancy Brown, and Sean Connery. The film chronicles the climax of an age-old war between immortal warriors, depicted through interwoven past and present-day storylines. It is the first film in the Highlander franchise.
Highlander II: The Quickening is a 1991 American-French-Argentinian science fiction film directed by Russell Mulcahy and starring Christopher Lambert, Virginia Madsen, Michael Ironside and Sean Connery. It is the second installment in the Highlander film series and sequel to the 1986 fantasy film Highlander. Set in the year 2024, the plot concerns Connor MacLeod, who regains his youth and immortal abilities and must free Earth from the Shield, an artificial ozone layer that has fallen under the control of a corrupt corporation.
Highlander III: The Sorcerer is a 1994 British-Canadian-French action-adventure fantasy film and the third installment in the Highlander film series. Set as an alternate sequel to the original film, it is the final Highlander film to focus on Connor MacLeod as the protagonist. In the film, Connor MacLeod is forced to face a new, dangerous enemy, a powerful sorcerer known as Kane who threatens to win the fabled "Prize" in order to gain world domination by eliminating MacLeod. It grossed $36.7 million worldwide.
Highlander: The Source is a 2007 American science fantasy action adventure film, and the fifth installment of the Highlander film series. Directed by Brett Leonard, this and the prior installment, Endgame (2000), follow the continuity of Highlander: The Series (1992–1998), continuing the story of immortal swordsman Duncan MacLeod, with actor Adrian Paul reprising his role from the series and Endgame. It is the only Highlander film not to feature the original protagonist, Connor MacLeod. Taking place in a future version of Earth that is largely violent and chaotic, the story depicts Duncan and allies seeking out an energy well that may be the "Source of Immortality".
The Kurgan is a fictional character from the first Highlander film. He is portrayed by Clancy Brown. He is an Immortal, the main antagonist to Connor MacLeod in Highlander, and the latter's ultimate opponent in the Gathering.
James Horton is a fictional character from Highlander: The Series, portrayed by actor Peter Hudson. A mortal Watcher, he is protagonist Duncan MacLeod's archenemy and fellow Watcher Joe Dawson's brother-in-law.
In the Highlander franchise, human beings born with the power of "the Quickening" become immortal if they suffer a premature death by unnatural means. After the First Death, they are ageless and invulnerable to death unless their head is removed or destroyed. From the time they are born, immortals and "pre-immortals" cannot biologically have children. Immortals can sense each other's presence and may take Quickening power from another of their kind by beheading them. They duel each other across the centuries, a deadly "Game" with few rules. One day, the last few will fight during "the Gathering" and the survivor will win the Prize, the collected energy of all immortals who ever lived, enough power to conquer or destroy humanity. "In the end, there can be only one."
Darius is a fictional character from Highlander: The Series, portrayed by actor Werner Stocker. He first appeared in the season one episode "Band of Brothers" (1993) and is featured in four subsequent episodes of the same season, as well as in one Highlander novel. A two-thousand-year-old Immortal living as a monk in Paris, France, he is a friend and mentor of protagonist Duncan MacLeod.
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The Watchers are a fictional order of humans who record the lives and activities of immortals in Highlander: The Series and Highlander: The Raven, as well as related stories and movies.
The sixth season of the French/Canadian drama/adventure television series Highlander began airing 5 October 1997 and finished on 16 May 1998. It was the final season of the program. The series follows the adventures of Duncan MacLeod, a 400-year-old Immortal who can only die if he is beheaded. The ongoing battle between Immortals is known as the Game.
Highlander: The Game is a cancelled action role-playing game based on the Highlander franchise; it was to be published by Square Enix for Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. The game was announced in January 2008 by way of a trailer on Gametrailers.com. Highlander: The Game was officially canceled in December 2010.
↑ "For the viewer not familiar with the peculiar universe of Highlander, the movie is virtually incomprehensible." — Jesse Shanks, Highlander: Endgame reviewArchived 2009-11-10 at the Wayback Machine , Digitally Obsessed
↑ Highlander: Endgame / Audio Commentary by Peter Davis (Producer), William Panzer (Producer), Robert A. Ferretti (Editor), and H. Daniel Gross (Co-Executive Producer / Dimension Home Video (2007) / Region 1 DVD
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