The fantasy genre is jam-packed with incredible action sequences, which means it can often be hard for fans to choose a definitive favorite. Fantasy action varies wildly from large-scale battles between never-ending armies to smaller-scale combat between individual foes and everything in between. While epics like The Lord of the Rings films have the large-scale combat covered, one classic fantasy action epic stands as the very best display of brutal one-on-one combat: Highlander.
The 1986 cult classic fantasy action flick has never quite gotten the level of love or admiration that it has deserved over the years, but with the upcoming John Wick-esque reboot from director Chad Stahelski and star Henry Cavill, fans are revisiting the original film and discovering that its action still holds up as some of the very best in fantasy history, and its best action scene might just be the genre’s finest.
Highlander’s Final Battle Is The Ultimate Fantasy Showdown
Highlander sees Connor MacLeod, a warrior from the 16th century Scottish Highlands, coming to terms with his own immortality and the inevitable passage of time amidst a chaotic and ever-changing battle for immortal supremacy. Though he fought his first battle on the Highlands in 1536, his greatest battle came in contemporary New York City. Director Russell Mulcahy’s 1986 cult classic masterpiece is jam-packed with incredible action sequences. From Connor’s parking garage sword fight with another immortal to the flashback sequences of 16th century combat, Highlander is filled to the brim with action that keeps audiences on the edges of their seats.
There is one action scene in Highlander, though, that stands head-and-shoulders above the rest. In the final act of the film, Connor MacLeod is forced to face off with the one other remaining immortal on Earth, the Kurgan. Played with hilariously vicious glee by the legendary Clancy Brown, the Kurgan is a monstrous villain who has torn through his fellow immortals for generations, seeking to be the victor in their never-ending game.
Of course, as Connor, the Kurgan, and anyone who knows Highlander‘s most iconic line knows, “there can be only one”, so the two must do furious battle. And indeed they do. The showdown between Connor and the Kurgan in Highlander‘s finale is one of the most exciting, intense one-on-one battles in fantasy history, and it must be seen to be believed. The locations featured in their fight are utterly jaw-dropping, with a neon-soaked rooftop acting as the starting point before the pair are quickly flung through a skylight and come crashing down into a moody, backlit empty warehouse.
A floaty, almost ethereal camera captures their swords clashing with beauty and grace, and the choreography on-display is truly second-to-none. Both Christopher Lambert and Clancy Brown are giving their all to the scene, and the intensity and impact are both felt with every swing of a sword. These two characters have been through an endless hell to get to this point. Even with the Kurgan’s ferocity and villainy, audiences cannot help but, somewhere in their minds, understand the nature of his fury. It’s exactly why the character is so compelling, and exactly why the final battle is so good.
Swords slam against each other, sending sparks flying through the space, each fighter gets quite a few cuts in on the other, and Connor’s love interest, Brenda, is even able to turn the tide of battle when she bravely intervenes on her lover’s behalf. Emotion is as vital to Highlander‘s greatest fight as cinematography or choreography, and that’s exactly what makes it so iconic. It does something that so few fantasy fights do: it fully commits to the seriousness and emotionality of the material.
Highlander’s Greatest Action Scene Will Be Tough To Beat
Sure, if audiences are looking for grandiose, larger-than-life combat between CGI monsters and armies compiled from hundreds of on-set extras, they need look no further than Peter Jackson’s Middle-Earth movies. But, when it comes to small-scale combat between equally-matched opponents, it’s hard to find anything quite as impactful as Highlander‘s utterly electric final fight.
It’s pure ’80s fantasy magic, and it’s one of the most miraculous movie fights ever. So few people seem to talk about the genuine technical craft and skill on display in Highlander, and that’s a shame, because nothing from the fantasy genre since has really quite been able to capture the same feeling as Connor MacLeod and the Kurgan’s brutal sword fight.
With the Highlander reboot fast approaching from Henry Cavill and Chad Stahelski, the modern reimagining of Connor MacLeod’s story has big shoes to fill, especially in the action department. Thankfully, the director of the John Wick movies is the perfect choice to reimagine the action that made the original film so great, and the chances of the Highlander reboot being as good as the 1986 original are genuinely pretty high. Additionally, the casting of Dave Bautista as the Kurgan is utterly inspired, and if his showdown with Henry Cavill’s MacLeod is anywhere near as good as Clancy Brown’s with Christopher Lambert, fans are in for something special.
Highlander is a one-in-a-million achievement. Despite some inherent ’80s goofiness, the film oozes style, emotion, and genuine formal mastery. The aftermath of the final battle, which showcases some of the most technically impressive optical effects of the 1980s, remains an enchanting crescendo to the film’s somewhat subdued magic elements, and the thematic connections and expertly-handled character dynamics in its wake are nothing short of miraculous.
There have been bigger fantasy battles over the years, and there have been more complex one-on-one showdowns in the genre since Highlander released, but none have been able to live up to the simple elegance of the last two immortals on Earth facing off one last time for the fate of their shared race. It’s a spectacle unlike any other, and it remains the greatest fantasy action scene of all time.
- Release Date
-
March 7, 1986
- Runtime
-
116 minutes
- Director
-
Russell Mulcahy
Leave a Reply