Highlander 2

HIGHLANDER II, THE QUICKENING
ENGLAND/AMERICA 1990

The second film in the Highlander series, sub titled THE QUICKENING is actually a good film, were it not for its thirst for blood through out the film. A lot of science fiction, in dealing with the future, or past for that matter, have a knack for portraying these civilizations as a society of blood thirsty animals, who have no respect for life, or any one individual. I find that disturbing, and is really a sign more of our time, than it is of any other time in this world, and our history. More people have been killed in wars in this century than the past two thousand years put together. And we look at fifteenth century civilizations as wild and animalistic???

I HARDLY THINK SO.

The Quickening, is a nice film, with a good premise, and a curious story, that is very much similar to the series of stories found by science fiction writer MICHAEL MOORCOCK, who has mixed cultural past with a visionary future, and very well, and had it worked both on a book, and on a stage in the form of rock music, through the band HAWKWIND.

The story is about two leaders who were exiled to a future time, since they were captured by the invading forces. In that new environment, they still hold their 'magical' abilities, and will live forever, until the time that someone cuts off their heads. The opposition leader, fearing a reprisal of his mortal enemies sends out a search party for at least one of the leaders. They both loose the battle, and the leader has to come the next time. In the meantime, their battles are of epic proportions, and provide much destruction, which local authorities seemingly ignore altogether.

Aside from a few overdone characters taken from the ROAD WARRIOR film, this is a very watchable film, that basically tells you that the end will be such and such, when the bad guy has to chase the good guy. Aside from the predictability, the film is nice to watch, specially for Sean Connery, who manages to have a little fun while he does his work. The ease with which Sean does his role can be a fault in the film story, in that, the older man is obviously more capable as a 'seer' and 'doer' while the younger one, who has the physical strength, does not have the guile and wisdom that his friend possesses. This is not defined throughout the film, and seemingly rests on the shoulders of the actors. Christopher Lambert is much more serious than Sean Connery, and has less confidence in the whole thing than the older and wiser man. It's a far cry from the leader who faces his people
and tells them they are losing at the start of the film.

Virginia Madsen as the woman who finds that the man she has come to like is over 500 years old, and does not know how to deal with it, except that she wants to be a part of it, and helps them along. She starts the film as a revolutionary, fighting the corrupt forces of the government which the Lambert character helped build in the first place.

All in all, the film is about power corrupting those who over use it from the business interests, to the interests of the leader of the past revolt, bent on destruction and revenge.

GOOD FILM. ENJOYABLE EFFECTS. GORY. BRUTAL.

3 GIBLOONS

DIRECTOR:            RUSSELL MULCAHY
CAST:                     Sean Connery, Christopher Lambert, Virginia Madsen.
MUSIC:                  STEWART COPELAND (The Police)
ONE WORD:         The Lead Actors