Highlander II: The Quickening is a 1991 science fiction film directed by Russell Mulcahy and starring Christopher Lambert, Virginia Madsen, Michael Ironside and Sean Connery. It is a sequel to the 1986 fantasy film Highlander. Set in the year 2024, the film follows Connor MacLeod as he regains his youth and immortality and sets out to free Earth from the corrupt operators of an artificial ozone layer.
The film was released on 12 April 1991 in the United Kingdom and on 1 November in the United States. Most of the filming was done in Argentina amid the country's economic woes, leading to the movie's investors and completion bond company taking over production.Highlander II: Seduced by Argentina. Dir. Jonathan Gaines. 2004. DVD. Lions Gate EntertainmentCinema Slap Fight: Sex And The City 2 Vs. Highlander II, by Pete Vonder Haar 21-09-2011, Houston Press The resulting film was panned by critics and fans and is considered to be one of the worst films ever made. The following film, Highlander III: The Sorcerer, ignores the events of Highlander II. Several cuts have since been made to address plot inconsistencies and special effects.
Plot
Five hundred years ago on the planet Zeist, sorcerer Juan Sánchez-Villalobos Ramírez leads a rebellion against the corrupt leadership of General Katana. Using the Quickening, he creates a bond with fellow rebel Connor MacLeod that even death cannot break. Katana and his troops crush the rebellion and put Ramírez and MacLeod on trial. They are banished to Earth to live as immortals, where they fight each other until only one survives. The winner faces a choice to remain on Earth as a mortal or return to Zeist with their crimes forgiven.
By 1999, Earth is devastated by industrial pollution and a damaged ozone layer. Millions die, including Connor's wife Brenda Wyatt MacLeod. No longer immortal, Connor supervises a scientific team headed by Dr. Allan Neyman which creates an electromagnetic shield. Earth is protected from radiation but shrouded in darkness, heat, and humidity. In 2024, the Shield Corporation is run by David Blake, and it imposes heavy fees on countries for continued protection.
An elderly Connor is approached by Louise Marcus, the leader of an anti-shield group. They believe the ozone layer has recovered, and the Shield Corporation is lying about it to maintain their revenue. Connor refuses her request for help because he is too old and disapproves of her group's methods.
Katana sends two immortal assassins to kill Connor, to prevent his return to Zeist. Connor decapitates them and the quickening restores his youth. Before making love to Louise, Connor calls out for his former mentor. Ramírez appears where he died in Glencoe, Scotland, briefly interrupting a performance of Hamlet. Finding his way to Connor and Louise, and the trio devise a plan to destroy the shield.
Katana arrives on Earth and makes an uneasy alliance with Blake in exchange for Connor's head. Blake imprisons Dr. Neyman. Connor, Ramírez, and Louise break into the prison and are led into a trap. Ramírez sacrifices himself to save Connor and Louise. Connor and Katana duel. When Connor beheads Katana, he uses the quickening energy to destroy the shield. As the world returns to normal, Connor asks Louise to come with him to Zeist.
Cast
Christopher Lambert as Connor MacLeod Sean Connery as Juan Sánchez-Villalobos Ramírez Virginia Madsen as Louise Marcus Michael Ironside as General Katana Allan Rich as Allan Neyman John C. McGinley as David Blake Philipp Brock as Cabbie Rusty Schwimmer as Drunk Ed Trucco as Jimmy Pete Antico as Corda Peter Bucossi as Reno
Steven Grives and Jimmy Murray portray characters playing Hamlet and Horatio respectively in the scene where Ramírez is resurrected.
Production William N. Panzer and his producing partner, Peter S. Davis, began developing a sequel under the working titles of Highlander II: Yellowknife and Highlander 2020. At the 1987 MIFED () , Davis/Panzer Productions pre-sold most of the film's rights for the United Kingdom, Scandinavia, Australia, Japan and Benelux to Vestron Inc. for $18 million. Vestron would also handle French home video distribution. Rights for Italy, Germany, Greece, and Portugal were sold to Filmauro, Highlight Communications, Nea Kinisi, and Lusomondo respectively. The United States release would be through New Century/Vista Film Co.. Filming was planned for the summer of 1988 with a theatrical release target for 1989."Homevideo: Davis/Panzer Scores at Mifed; Pre-Sale Coin Bolsters Future Pix", Variety, vol. 329, no. 5. November 25, 1987. 41.
During the 1988 Cannes Film Festival, Panzer and Davis were approached by distributors from France, Germany, and the United Kingdom who were eager for updates on a sequel as Highlander had been a sizable hit in their territories. The producers were disheartened by the cold shoulder from Hollywood studios, but foreign distributors were enthusiastic backers.Groves, Don. "AMERICAN FILM MARKET: Distribs High on 'Highlander' Kick in Additional Bucks", Variety, vol. 338, no. 9, March 7, 1990. 10. Writing William Panzer recalled, "We had story ideas but nothing more than broadstrokes. We wanted Ramirez back. We knew it would take place in the future, a notion springing from our shared vision of domed cities and polluted atmospheres." Russell Mulcahy and Christopher Lambert were enthusiastic about the project due to its larger budget and Panzer's concept.
As the screenwriter of Highlander, Gregory Widen had the right of first refusal on a sequel, but he had other commitments. Larry Ferguson and Peter Bellwood also turned down offers to write the screenplay. Various screenwriters like Edward Khmara drafted scripts for the sequel, but Mulcahy and Lambert felt each draft got worse.
The definitive ending of Highlander was problematic for a sequel. Panzer insisted the Prize in the original film should be that Connor MacLeod becomes mortal and is allowed to die.Melville, Jonathan. A Kind of Magic: Making the Original Highlander. Birlinn Limited, 2020. Funding for a sequel was also contingent on the return of Sean Connery, despite his character's beheading in the first movie.
Brian Clemens finally solved the script problems. In 1991, Mulcahy singled out his addition of the planet Zeist to explain the immortals as a "masterstroke". However, in 2009 he told Empire magazine, "I thought the planet Zeist stuff was completely stupid - it was such a cop out."Williams, Owen. "There can be Only One", Empire, no. 241, July, 2009. 124–30. Panzer, Bellwood, and Mulcahy all further revised the screenplay. Mulcahy contributed the aerial battle of the "Flying Blades" which he salvaged from his unfilmed adaptation of The Wild Boys.
The resulting film contradicts Highlander. The immortals are no longer humans with a nature connection that makes them impervious to all threats save beheading. They are now aliens from the planet Zeist. Davis blamed the alien retroactive continuity on Panzer. Ramírez is now depicted as an alien sorcerer and inexplicably resurrected. The "Quickening" is no longer just energy that provides immortality, it is also a magical bond between souls. It allows Ramírez to return from death when MacLeod needs him.
Filming Highlander II was scheduled to start shooting in Argentina on January 8, 1990."MIFED: Tandem Rights Sales Efforts Paying Off for 'Highlander 2;' Two Handling Jaglom Too", Variety, vol. 337, no. 4. October 25, 1989. 11. In late 1989, preparations were well underway. Sets and costumes were created. When hyperinflation flared up again in Argentina, Panzer and Davis were spooked and froze production in January 1990. In February, the completion bond company insisted on moving forward. They ordered filming to begin in a month.Curubeto, Diego. Babilonia Gaucha: Hollywood en la Argentina, la Argentina en Hollywood. Argentina: Planeta, 1993. 111–119.
Kurt Woolner of Film Finance estimated inflation alone cost Highlander II $3 million. When Film Finance took control of the production it was already $10 million over budget. Woolner recalled, "In 'Highlander,' it was a case of taking a movie to a geography that could not support it."Angeli, Michael. "My Name Is Bond. Completion Bond", The New York Times. August 11, 1991. H11.
Filming began in Argentina on March 1, 1990."Film Grosses: 'Highlander 2' Filming." Variety, vol. 338, no. 11. March 21, 1990. 32. Sean Connery agreed to return for $3 million for six days of work but would not come to the set or acknowledge the film's existence unless the money was placed in escrow. His salary actually ballooned to $3.5 million when footage of his opening scene was damaged. The insurance company Gaebel, Watkins, and Taylor, Inc. paid for the overage.Jones, Alan. "Sean Connery's Superstar Clout". Cinefantastique. April, 1991. 10.
The sets of Highlander II have been compared to those of Ridley Scott's Blade Runner. Christopher Lambert and Michael Ironside struggled with their broadswords and injured each other during their fight scene. John C. McGinley regretted the decision to lower his character's voice as deep as possible in an effort to sound like Orson Welles.
While filming in Argentina, the bond company's control over production was not too much of an issue for the cast and crew. In the editing bay and during pick-up filming, they sidelined Russell Mulcahy and drastically changed parts of the story.
Lambert threatened to quit but was pressured to finish the job. Mulcahy hated the final product so much he walked out of the film's world premiere. Mulcahy summed up his regret about the sequel, "It's like they say in the film 'There can only be one.' In a genre film you can create any scenario you like, but once you break your own rules, the audience feels betrayed, which is what happened with HIGHLANDER II."Rowlands, Paul. " AN INTERVIEW WITH RUSSELL MULCAHY (PART 2 OF 2)". Money into Light. July 2016. Accessed April 12, 2026.
Release UK release
Highlander II: The Quickening was released in the UK on 12 April 1991 with a runtime of 100 minutes. This version was distributed by Entertainment Film Distributors and ran 8 minutes longer than the US cut.
As well as a very different scene order this version included additional footage not seen in the later US Theatrical release, including a flashback to the death of Connor's previous wife Brenda, a sequence of Connor and Louise going above the shield, and the alternate "Fairytale Ending" mentioned above.
Despite this longer version running in UK theatres, all home video releases in the country to date have been of the shorter 91-minute US Theatrical Release (running 86 minutes due to PAL speedup). This includes the rental VHS (EVV 1203), retail VHS (EVS 1072), laserdisc (PLFEB 37011), and DVD (EDV 9119).
United States release Highlander II: The Quickening was released in the United States on 1 November 1991 with a runtime of 91 minutes, distributed by InterStar Releasing. It was the first film InterStar distributed.Groves, Don. "Upstart InterStar Aims for 12-Film Release Slate", Daily Variety, vol. 233, no. 37. October 28, 1991. 3. InterStar spent $4 million on the prints and advertising campaign.Hollinger, Hy. "AFTER THE FALL: DOMESTIC INDIE DISTRIBUTION REARING ITS HEAD ONCE AGAIN", Daily Variety, vol. 236, no. 37. July 28, 1992. 46-48. This version was edited down by the bond company, with many scenes rearranged throughout. Despite the many cuts made to this version the bond company also added two new scenes that further fleshed out the villain, General Katana. These scenes include Katana taunting Connor in his Zeist prison cell, and Connor and Katana meeting at the grave of Connor's dead wife, Brenda.
This version was released many times in the US, including on VHS, laserdisc, and Video8. All DVD and Blu-Ray releases of the film in the United States have been of the longer "Renegade" and "Special Edition" versions.
Marketing