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I like Highlander: Endgame. Quite a lot, in fact.
Those of you that are still reading, and haven't punched a hole in your moniter at the mere thought of someone who likes Christopher Lambert appreciating this movie, might like to hear my defence of this much maligned fourth entry into the series.
Of coure you're not going to enjoy Endgame if you're somehow trying to relate it to any of the previous Highlander movies (haven't you learned?), or can't see past Christophe's weathered appearence and that scene at towards the end.
But what I see is an inteligent, and very attractive movie trying very hard to entertain both movie and TV series fans, while easing Lambert out of the movies and trying to bring Adrian Paul in to take the reigns.
But why get rid of Lambert in the first place!? I hear many of you fuming. He's the original Highlander, it's just not the same!
While I can appreciate that a lot of Highlander fans don't want to see anyone else in the role, I can also appreciate Davis/Panzer's approach to things.
I mean, just look at where each of the actors are coming from- Adrian, fresh out of the starring role in a very successful Highlander television series and a 'rising star'; and then compare Chrsitopher whose best years are behind him, hasn't played the role of Conner Macleod for years, and starred in two failed sequels.
It was a natural progression for Adrian to take over, but it was always going to be a dificult thing to achieve.
And Endgame failed, in part due to the miserable cut-to-pieces version released in cinemas, which I haven't seen and am not reviewing.
The version I'm reviewing in the region 4 DVD release which clocks in at 96 minutes.
Anyway, onto the movie.
Endgame is a very beautiful movie to look at, with every scene being stylish and pretty, and never do I get the indication of a low budget.
It's also directed very well for the most part by Douglas Aarniokosky, particularly the talky scenes, with only the battle between Adrian and the 'posse' coming across poorly. I don't understand people critisising the special effects either, they look very good to me.
The strength of the screenplay is definatly in the romance; something which isn't generally one of my main interests in movies, but here the relationship between Duncan and Kate/Faith is wonderfully sincere and interesting, unlike the 'we've got to have romance so we'll throw this character in' stuff of other action flicks, and even Highlander III to some extent.
Lisa Barbuscia is very good as the love interest, capturing both the innocence and gentleness of Kate with the tough modern Faith very well indeed.
The main plot of Kell VS. Connor & Duncan is less impressively handled, but it's still ok. The main problem there is that we're always hearing about how powerful Kell is, and he's unbeatable and all that, but we get little indication of that throughout the movie.
He takes care of Connor without breaking a sweat (big deal, would you be in the best of touch if you'd been chained up like that for a decade?) and we get that wacky immortal resume on Joe Dawson's PC, but it needed more.
To me, the perfect opportunity would have been when he terminates the members of his posse, but they all just sits there and wait to be killed... huh?
It was the great opportunity to give an amazing talent like Donnie Yen some more screentime (he plays Jin Ke). They could have had one amazing battle which should have ended with that scene that they couldn't quite get right (as you can see in the 'special effects' featurette on the DVD) where Jin Ke decapitates himself, rather then let big bad Bruce have the honour.
If we the audience could see him despatch Donnie Yen in a one-on-one battle then he'd certainly earn my respect.
For those of you who don't know much of Donnie, he is an incredibly talented and respected martial artist in Hong Kong, and deserves more screen-time here.
As it is, the main scene for him to show his stuff isn't directed well, as I previously mentioned... It's shot far too close so we can't see what's going on very clearly.
Kell himself is played interestingly by Bruce Payne. He certainly has an unusual delivery, with every syllable hissed through gritted teeth, but he's comes across as as very evil and does a decent enough job.
Christophe himself is excellent as Conner, almost on par with his performance in the original. He's obviously made-up to look old in it, but that's understandble considering the motivations and feelings of his character. Connor's not the man he used to be. The fact that they're still making him look old in the flashback to Scotland pleases me less however, what was the point of that?
Overall, Christophe's scenes are very emotional and his last moments are very well handled in the director's cut of the movie. It's very sad, but he goes out on a high.
I love the way that for his last couple of lines (the 'you are my true brother stuff') Christophe actually sheds ten years and looks great, as some spirit of the true Connor MacLeod shines through. That last battle with Duncan once agains shows what a wonderful bad guy Christophe would make, on top of his brilliance in Mean Guns. The morphing was an inspired idea also, and works well.
As for Adrian Paul himself: well, I like him. I certainly don't adore him like all those fans of the series (which I haven't seen beyond the forst two episodes), but i think he makes a decent Highlander, and is better prepared for the action side of things then Christophe.
Overall, I think Highlander: Endgame has been somewhat unfairly dismissed, and hope that my comments may have inspired a few of you out there that despise it, to perhaps give it another chance (particularly if you've only seen the theatrical release)
Adrian Paul
Bruce Payne
Lisa Barbuscia
Donnie Yen
Peter Wingfield
Beatie Edney
Jim Byrnes
Douglas Aarniokosky
screensaver
on DVD
