''Highlander III: The Sorcerer'' (also known as ''Highlander: The Final Dimension'' or ''Highlander: The Final Conflict'') is a 1994 British-Canadian-French

action-adventure An action-adventure game is a video game genre, video game hybrid genre that combines core elements from both the action game and adventure game genres. Definition An action adventure game can be defined as a game with a mix of elements f ...

fantasy film Fantasy films are films that belong to the fantasy genre with fantastic themes, usually Magic (paranormal), magic, supernatural events, mythology, folklore, or exotic fantasy worlds. The Film genre, genre is considered a form of speculative fic ...

and the third installment in the ''Highlander'' film series. Set as an alternate sequel to the

original film Original Film is an American film and television production company founded by Neal H. Moritz. Notable films the company has produced include the '' I Know What You Did Last Summer'', '' Cruel Intentions'' and ''Fast & Furious'' franchises, the ...

(i.e., it completely ignores and frequently contradicts the events of '' Highlander II: The Quickening''), it is the final ''Highlander'' film to focus on

Connor MacLeod 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 ...

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.

Plot

Some time after the death of his wife Heather in the 16th century, the immortal Scottish Highlander

travels to

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

to train with an immortal named Nakano, a

sorcerer Sorcerer may refer to: Magic * Sorcerer (supernatural), a practitioner of magic that derives from supernatural or occult sources * Sorcerer (fantasy), a fictional character who uses or practices magic that derives from supernatural or occult sou ...

(said to be a master of illusion) and old friend of the Highlander's late teacher

Juan Sánchez-Villalobos Ramírez Juan Sánchez-Villalobos Ramírez is a fictional character in the '' Highlander'' franchise, which covers multiple timelines. Born under the name Tak-Ne, he is generally depicted as an Egyptian swordsman who is immortal, unable to die unless be ...

. In a cave in Mount Niri, Nakano teaches MacLeod how to fight with the

katana A is a Japanese sword characterized by a curved, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands. Developed later than the ''tachi'', it was used by samurai in feudal Japan and worn with the edge fa ...

that once belonged to Ramírez. He also warns of Kane, an evil immortal making his way across Asia with two immortal henchmen named Khabul Khan and Senghi Khan. After burning down a village, the three reach the cave. Kane beheads Nakano, taking his immortal

Quickening In pregnancy terms, quickening is the moment in pregnancy when the pregnant woman starts to feel the fetus's movement in the uterus. It was believed that the quickening marked the moment that a soul entered the fetus, termed ensoulment. Medical ...

energy and power of illusion. The Highlander escapes and Nakano laughs as he dies, declaring that Kane will not be present at the time of the Gathering (when the last immortals fight) and implying he has planned one last trick. The release of his energy causes a cave in, trapping Kane and his henchmen. In 1788 France, Connor meets and falls in love with Sarah Barrington, a visitor from England. During the French Revolution, MacLeod is captured and sentenced to death for treason against King

Louis XVI of France Louis XVI (Louis-Auguste; ; 23 August 1754 – 21 January 1793) was the last king of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. The son of Louis, Dauphin of France (1729–1765), Louis, Dauphin of France (son and heir- ...

. His immortal friend Pierre Bouchet takes his place, claiming he is tired of his immortal life. Believing Connor is dead, Sarah marries another man. By the time MacLeod finds her, he discovers she now has a family and decides to let her continue believing he is dead. In

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...

, the Gathering occurs in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and MacLeod is seemingly the last immortal left alive. He and his new love Brenda Wyatt move to Scotland and are married. She is killed in a car accident in 1987 and he survives without any wounds, indicating he has not lost his immortality and may not have won the Prize. By 1994, Connor is living with his adopted son John in

Marrakesh Marrakesh or Marrakech (; , ) is the fourth-largest city in Morocco. It is one of the four imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrakesh–Safi Regions of Morocco, region. The city lies west of the foothills of the Atlas Mounta ...

. Meanwhile,

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

Dr. Alexandra Johnson (a woman identical to Sarah Barrington) is part of a team excavating the legendary cave of Nakano. The excavation frees Kane, who beheads Khabul to gain a boost in power while his other soldier Senghi leaves to find Connor. Sensing the release of the Quickening again, MacLeod realizes the Game is not over and that he must return to New York City. MacLeod leaves John in the care of his friend, Jack Donovan. Arriving in New York, MacLeod (using his old alias of "Russell Nash" again) faces and kills Senghi. NYPD Lt. John Stenn believes Khabul's headless body is proof that the "headhunter" killer of 1985 is loose again. He concludes the killer is Russell Nash, who was a suspect during the original case. Alex investigates a piece of kilt cloth found in the cave of Nakano, identifying it as branch of the MacLeod family, one where a clan member was banished for having unnatural powers. Learning that Russell Nash claims to be a descendant of this branch of the clan, Alex tracks him down and witnesses him battle Kane. The fight ends when MacLeod's blade shatters (possibly because their fight crossed into holy ground) and Kane flees. Connor returns to the

Scottish Highlands The Highlands (; , ) is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Scottish Lowlands, Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Scots language, Lowland Scots language replaced Scottish Gae ...

to forge another sword but is unsuccessful. Learning more and concluding that "Nash" is actually the banished Connor MacLeod, still alive, Alex tracks him down and gives him a bar of finely refined steel she found in Nakano's cave. Connor forges a new katana and admits his identity, and the two become lovers. MacLeod then learns Kane has abducted his son John. MacLeod meets Kane in an old church mission in

Jersey City Jersey City is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, second-most populous

and follows him into an abandoned power plant for their final battle. After a brief battle, the Highlander decapitates Kane and truly wins the Prize, now possessing the full power of all immortals who ever lived. He returns to Scotland with Alex and John to live out the rest of his natural life.

Cast

Christopher Lambert Christophe Guy Denis Lambert (; ; born March 29, 1957), commonly known as Christopher Lambert, is a French-American actor, producer, and writer. He started his career playing supporting parts in several French films, and became internationally f ...

as Connor MacLeod / Russell Nash *

Mario Van Peebles Mario Van Peebles (born January 15, 1957) is a Mexican-born American director and actor. He is best known for appearing in ''Heartbreak Ridge'' in 1986, and known for directing and starring in ''New Jack City'' in 1991, and ''USS Indianapolis: ...

as Kane *

Deborah Kara Unger Deborah Kara Unger (born 12 May 1966) is a Canadian actress. She is known for her roles in the films '' Highlander III: The Sorcerer'' (1994), '' Crash'' (1996), '' The Game'' (1997), '' Payback'' (1999), '' The Hurricane'' (1999), ''White Nois ...

as Dr. Alexandra "Alex" Johnson; Sarah Barrington *

Mako , better known by the mononym name Mako (sometimes stylised MAKO), is a Japanese Voice acting in Japan, voice actress, singing, singer and a member of the band Bon-Bon Blanco, in which her prominent role is as the maraca player. She has also perf ...

as Nakano * as Lt. John Stenn *

Raoul Trujillo Raoul Max Trujillo (born May 8, 1955) is an American actor, dancer, choreographer and theatre director. A former soloist with the Nikolais Dance Theatre, he is the original choreographer and co-director for the American Indian Dance Theatre. Hi ...

as Senghi Khan * Jean-Pierre Perusse as Khabul Khan * as Dr. Fuji Takamura * Jack Ellerton as Staring Drinker * Gabriel Kakon as John MacLeod *

Louis Bertignac Louis Laurent Bertignac (; born 23 February 1954) is a French guitarist, vocalist and songwriter. An ex Shakin' Street member and a founding member in 1976 of the rock band Téléphone, he formed Bertignac et les Visiteurs after Téléphone sp ...

as Pierre Bouchet *

Michael Jayston Michael A. James (29 October 1935 – 5 February 2024), known professionally as Michael Jayston, was an English actor. He played Nicholas II of Russia in the film '' Nicholas and Alexandra'' (1971). He also made many television appearances, whi ...

as Jack Donovan *

Clancy Brown Clarence James Brown III (born January 5, 1959) is an American actor. Prolific in film and television since the 1980s, Brown is often cast in villainous and authoritative roles. His film roles include Rawhide in ''The Adventures of Buckaroo Ban ...

(archive footage cameo from original film) as

The Kurgan 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. The Kurg ...

Production

Director

Russell Mulcahy Russell Mulcahy ( ; born 23 June 1953) is an Australian director of film, television, and music videos. He began his career directing music videos for artists like Elton John and Duran Duran, before making his feature directorial debut with the ...

who directed prior installments '' Highlander'' and '' Highlander II: The Quickening'' was initially slated to return as director, but after the producers allegedly failed to $1.2 million in escrow Mulcahy withdrew from the project. Davis-Panzer Productions responded by initiating a lawsuit against Mulcahy seeking $8.3 million in compensatory damages for repudiating on an oral agreement with the producers. The film marked the directorial debut of

Andy Morahan Andrew Douglas Morahan (born 11 August 1958) is a British commercial, film and music video director. He is the son of director Christopher Morahan and the half-brother of actress Hattie Morahan. Married to Joanna Lewis, he has two children. ...

, a music video director. The film completely ignores and contradicts the events of '' Highlander II: The Quickening''. The movie specifically states that Brenda Wyatt died in a car crash in 1987 and shows a version of 1994 where Earth's ozone layer is intact, whereas ''Highlander II'' depicts the ozone layer as being largely gone by 1994, causing many deaths by cancer and radiation poisoning, including Brenda's. In a 1996 ''Cinefantastique'' interview, ''Highlander'' producer William Panzer mentioned that several references to the TV series' continuity were inserted into this film as a means of linking it to the TV universe. Many of the locations in

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

from the original film were revisited for this sequel. Several scenes were shot in the province of

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

: the medieval Japanese village and the building in which Nakano's cave is found were shot near

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

. Many sequences in New York were actually shot in Montreal, as well. Other scenes for this film were shot in

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

. The U.S. theatrical release was rated PG-13, and a slightly-longer R-rated ''Special Director's Cut'' was later released on home video with two

sex scenes Sexual content has been found in Film, films since the early days of the Film industry, industry, and the presentation of aspects of human sexuality, sexuality in film, especially human sexuality, has been controversial since the development of the ...

trimmed from the theatrical release restored. On top of this, additional violence was reinstated, mainly the shot of Kane's head rolling off. The PG-13 theatrical cut originally only showed Kane's head wobbling from side to side, then cutting immediately to the extreme close-up on Connor saying, "There can be only one." Several enhanced visual effects shots are present in the American version, including Kane's arrival in

(via a teleportation portal, instead of stepping off of a freighter in the international version), as well as during the final Quickening sequence (where several additional shots of Connor levitating are seen, complete with new VFX work). The American ''Final Dimension'' cut includes alternate musical tracks and cues (including the song "God Took a Picture" during the ending credits instead of

Loreena McKennitt Loreena McKennitt (born February 17, 1957) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and composer who writes, records, and performs world music with Celtic music, Celtic and Middle Eastern music, Middle Eastern influences. McKenni ...

's "Bonny Portmore," and a rock-instrumental version of

Mötley Crüe Mötley Crüe is an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Hollywood, California, in 1981 by bassist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, with guitarist Mick Mars and lead vocalist Vince Neil joining right after. The band has sol ...

's " Dr. Feelgood" during the final battle between MacLeod and Kane).

Music

The score was composed and conducted by

J. Peter Robinson John Peter Robinson (born 16 September 1945) is an English composer, musician, and arranger known for his film and television scores. Early years and pop music career Robinson studied piano and composition at the Royal Academy of Music and ...

. The film marks the first use of "

Bonny Portmore "Bonny Portmore" is an Irish traditional music, Irish traditional Folk music, folk song which laments the demise of Ireland's old oak forests, specifically the Great Oak of Portmore or the Portmore Ornament Tree, which fell in a windstorm in 1760 ...

" in the ''Highlander'' films (it was also used in the

television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...

). The soundtrack features the following songs: * "Ce He Mise le Ulaingt? The Two Trees" by

available on her album ''The Mask and Mirror'' * "Bonny Portmore" by

, available on her album ''The Visit'' * " God Took A Picture" by

Suze DeMarchi Suze DeMarchi (born 14 February 1964) is an Australian singer-songwriter, best known for fronting the band Baby Animals (1989–1996, 2007–present). Early life DeMarchi was born in Perth, Western Australia to Walter and Shirley DeMarchi and ...

(with

Nuno Bettencourt Nuno Duarte Gil Mendes Bettencourt (born September 20, 1966) is a Portuguese-American guitarist. He became known as the lead guitarist of the Boston rock band Extreme. Bettencourt has recorded a solo album and has founded rock bands including ...

) * "

Bluebeard "Bluebeard" ( ) is a French Folklore, folktale, the most famous surviving version of which was written by Charles Perrault and first published by Barbin in Paris in 1697 in . The tale is about a wealthy man in the habit of murdering his wives an ...

" by

Cocteau Twins Cocteau Twins were a Scottish rock music, rock band active from 1979 to 1997. They were formed in Grangemouth on the Firth of Forth by Robin Guthrie (guitars, drum machine) and Will Heggie (bass), adding Elizabeth Fraser (vocals) in 1981. In 19 ...

* " Dr. Feelgood" by

(instrumental riff) * "Dummy Crusher" by

Kerbdog Kerbdog were an alternative metal band from Kilkenny, Ireland, formed in 1991. Following two albums released on Mercury Records, the band split up in 1998. Since 2005, they have reformed for a series of occasional one-off performances. In 2012 ...

* "Little Muscle" by

Catherine Wheel Catherine wheel may refer to: * Breaking wheel, an instrument of torturous execution originally associated with Catherine of Alexandria * Catherine wheel (firework), a firework that rotates when lit Arts and entertainment * Catherine Wheel (band) ...

* "Boom Boom" by

Definition Of Sound Definition of Sound was a London-based dance-music group, consisting of Kevin Clark and Don Weekes, working with musicians Rex Brough (a.k.a. The Red King) and later Mike Spencer. Their second and fourth singles, "Wear Your Love Like Heaven" (19 ...

* "Honest Joe" by

James James may refer to: People * James (given name) * James (surname) * James (musician), aka Faruq Mahfuz Anam James, (born 1964), Bollywood musician * James, brother of Jesus * King James (disambiguation), various kings named James * Prince Ja ...

Reception

Box office

The film opened at number one at the U.K. box office but with a disappointing gross of £864,000 ($1.3 million) in its opening week. The film debuted at number 2 at the U.S. box office, grossing $5.6 million. The following week it dropped to 7th place, taking in $2.9 million. ''Highlander III: The Sorcerer'' finished its U.S. theatrical run with a gross of $13.7 million and grossed $23 million internationally for a worldwide gross of $36.7 million.

Critical response

Stephen Holden Stephen Holden (born July 18, 1941) is an American writer, poet, and music and film critic. Biography Holden earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Yale University in 1963. He worked as a photo editor, staff writer, and eventually be ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' remarked, "How could an action-adventure film that cost $34 million, most of which clearly went into pyrotechnics, computerized special effects and scenic locations, end up looking cheap, silly and lifeless? 'Highlander III: The Sorcerer'' isan incoherent mess ndhas performances that are one-dimensional even by the undemanding standards of the genre." The

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

's review gave the film a score of two stars out of five, saying: "This is a far superior film to '' Highlander II'' utit is really a copy of the first one. ... It really feels as if the ''Highlander'' story has no more to give us—but that would be very wrong. Perhaps the best thing this third movie did was promote the generally better

TV series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming platf ...

Christopher Null Christopher Null (born September 7, 1971) is an American writer, journalist and entrepreneur. A former blogger for Yahoo! Tech, he was the editor of Drinkhacker.com, and the founder and editor-in-chief of Filmcritic.com, which operated from 1995 ...

of FilmCritic.com also gave ''Highlander III'' two stars out of five, saying: "The third in a line of increasingly perplexing ''Highlander'' movies, ''Highlander: The Final Dimension'' steals wholesale the plot from the original, just throwing in some fresh faces. ... Ultra-fans will rejoice in the face of the third installment—and it's nowhere near as bad as ''Highlander II''—but most of you can give it a pass." In retrospective, the film holds a 5% approval rating on

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, based on 20 reviews, the critic consensus says "Borderline unwatchable and unspeakably dull, ''Highlander III'' is a sloppy third installment that still somehow manages to mark a slight improvement over its predecessor." On

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

the film has a score of 28% based on reviews from 12 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Highlander Iii: The Final Dimension Highlander (franchise) films 1994 films 1994 action films 1990s fantasy action films 1990s action adventure films 1990s fantasy adventure films British action films British sequel films English-language Canadian films Canadian fantasy action films Canadian sequel films English-language French films French action films French sequel films 1990s English-language films British fantasy adventure films Canadian fantasy adventure films French fantasy adventure films British films set in New York City Films set in Highland (council area) Films set in Morocco Films set in Japan Films shot in Montreal Films shot in Scotland Alternative sequel films Films shot in Morocco Dimension Films films Films set in the 16th century Films set in 1788 Films set in 1994 Films directed by Andy Morahan Films with screenplays by René Manzor Films with screenplays by Brad Mirman Films with screenplays by Paul Ohl Films scored by J. Peter Robinson 1994 directorial debut films Japan in non-Japanese culture Films about archaeology 1990s Canadian films 1990s British films 1990s French films English-language fantasy action films Films set in 1985 Films set in 1987