MJB SCRIPT REVIEW | HIGHLANDER

“𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗲”

Cult classic and one of my personal faves. Not enough love is shown to this franchise starter from the 80s. Christopher Lambert, renowned French actor playing an immortal Scot. Sean Connery, renowned Scottish actor playing a Spaniard. Clancy Brown stepping up as one of the most iconic cinematic villains of all time. And that tagline: “There can be only one”. Gotta be the head severing legend that is; HIGHLANDER

Plot in a nutshell: An immortal Scottish swordsman must confront the last of his immortal opponents; a bloodthirsty barbarian who has chased him across time to 1985 New York City, where they fight for the Prize: the spiritual ability to know everything…

I remember trying to rent an 18 rated movie from Blockbuster with a mate. We were both 13 and taking our chances. Kid behind the counter didn’t buy it and asked us our ages. I blurted out a made up birth date that added up to me being 16 and he said we could have a 15 rated movie. My mate and I grabbed Highlander quickly, having no idea what we picked up.

Funny how things work out, eh?

By the end of it, I could not have been happier. Severed heads. Sword fights. Bullet proof heroes. A sex scene. Our hero breaking cops balls. Time travel. Sean Connery. And my introduction to the f#^*ing Kurgen!

Happy, happy 13 year old lad.

But now, as a grown man (sort of), I want to hit the source. Question is, is it good enough to be the one?

So, what did I learn from HIGHLANDER?

1. Dialogue - some of the dialogue here is actually funnier than what eventually landed in the final film. It’s enjoyable, mainly because it’s based around sarcastic banter and that kill-the-monotony-of-the-day-job interplay between working colleagues of different departments. Connor’s sardonic wit, clearly refined over hundreds of years, also gets a heavy swing at the ball. Irony is a big flavour here, which, not gonna lie, is one of my favourites.

2. Actors - fun dialogue here to play with. You can definitely get a feel for the characters in the dialogue, which almost makes it an easy read. Brenna in particular is a solid example and a strong character, with simple lines. She wants to know and she follows every ounce of her instinct in answering the questions that she has. As prime objectives go, for an actors character build, doesn’t get much cleaner than this.

3. Actors 2 - The Knight (later The Kurgen) is a wonderful opportunity. Not much in the way of rich dialogue, but this character carries such menace and atmosphere in his presence, that this is a Royal challenge for an actor with strong physical presence.

4. Actors 3 - irritating for me, this. Endless supporting characters here labelled by their jobs, rather than names. Cop, Doctor, Witness, etc. Please, fellow writers, give each character a name. Sure, if they’ve got one line, Sergeant, Bystander, etc. is ok. But even just a first name gives an actor something they can put on their CV. Plus it reads better. And if they won’t let you have a name, make one up for them. Just to help the character work.

5. Action Directions - “Garish purple light spills out of side-street porno houses, illuminating a silhouette, and little else, of a MAN leaning against an alley wall.” That’s a first line of a script. Yeah baby!

6. Action Directions 2 - for a script that will never haunt or climb the ladders of the top 100, the action directions in this are excellent. Brief, descriptive and at times, filled with character. This is absolutely the example of how to write them and keep them short. Just enough information to cover the scene, with a bit of personality thrown in for the characters. Surprisingly satisfying and a great beginners script example.

7. Story - so as usual, this is an early draft. The tighter storyline and its resplendent beats that landed in the final film, aren’t yet solidified here. However, there is still the thoroughly enjoyable play between Connor’s early days discovering that he’s an immortal and the final days of the immortal contest in New York, 1985. It’s a fun example of how to bounce between historical periods in the same script. You can picture what the writer is trying to do, with the end result feeling like you’re viewing one story, whilst being caught up with its backstory, at the same time. Good touchstone.

8. Story 2 - the Knight (later having his name changed to the much cooler Kurgen) is a relentless force of nature. Like The Terminator, it seems he cannot be stopped. Everyone in the script is afraid of him. Everyone. Which adds a welcome air of menace and the necessary macabre edge to events. He drives survival to become the primary need in every other character he interacts with and surprise to those he quickly deals away with. As the saying goes, to make a great protagonist, you need a great antagonist. That’s what we’ve got here.

9. Finale - to be honest, bit of a limp affair. The Knight kidnaps Brenna, phones up Connor to arrange a meet at the Jefferson Memorial. Upon arriving, the Knight kicks Connor’s arse. Then, for some strange reason while the Knight is distracted, Connor suddenly recovers and kills the Knight. It’s just not brilliant. It lacks any form of real build. The ending too, though poetic, is quite drab. Proper letdown and a bit vague. In a rare recommendation, I would suggest watching the original film to see that ending, which is wildly superior to this.

Have to admit, I was a bit gutted, as this script is not the story I remember. There are whole scenes that never even made it to the final cut. Elements that rocked the final product (the bestowing of power when a head is severed, Conor’s relationship with Rachel), which all made for a far more compelling tale. But you can see the origins here. Yes, it puts Brenna at the forefront as the detective, whereas Connor’s story was more prevalent in the final picture. So you can see the changes that were made. But as a standalone script, I have to admit I’m quite smitten with it. I would happily sit and watch this version too. Darker (if that’s possible), but memorable nonetheless.

Another fine example of an early draft being of solid quality. Perhaps other creative voices came in and had their say in it. Perhaps the producers wanted a little bit more of this, losing some of that, along the way. Such are the trials and tribulations of collaboration. The point is, the story here shows promise. For that feature alone, it is a cracking early draft.

But sadly, for now, this won’t be the one…

Link to the script:

https://thescriptsavant.com/movies/Highlander.pdf