Highlander: Endgame (2000)
When Connor MacLeod sees his old friend Rachel die in an explosion, he's had it with his immortal life and the endless pain it brings him and those he loves. He locks himself inside the Sanctuary, a Watcher-organized retreat stationed on holy ground, where immortals who are tired of the game can go to forever escape it, as well as to ensure that The Prize never falls into the wrong hands. But when an old enemy, Jacob Kell, and his posse of assassins attack the Sanctuary and kill everyone there but Connor, he is forced out into the open and into battle. Kell and Connor were friends once, and knew each other back when Connor was cast from Glenfinnan; he returned when news came that his mother was to be burned at the stake, and in the attempt to free her, Kell was killed by none other than Connor himself, and became an immortal, bitter with hate, and devoted to making Connor's life a living hell. In the present day, Connor's kinsman Duncan MacLeod is attacked by Kell's posse, including Kate, an old love of Duncan's who seeks revenge for her unwillingly being made an immortal centuries ago. This attack had something to do with Connor, and Duncan goes in search of him to find out why. In the process, he learns that in the 450 years since Connor and Kell's encounter in Glenfinnan, Kell has taken more than 600 heads and gained enough power to be called nothing less than the most powerful immortal alive. To make things worse, neither Connor nor Duncan are strong enough to face Kell alone.
For centuries, we've been told there can be only one.
Connor MacLeod: In the days before memory, there were the Immortals. We were with you then, and we are with you now. We are driven by the endless fight to survive in a Game which knows no limits of time or place. We are the seeds of legend, but our true origin are unknown. We simply are.
Appin, Argyll, Scotland, UK
Argyll, Scotland, UK
Bucharest, Romania
Castle Stalker, Appin, Argyll, Scotland, UK
Loch Laich, Appin, Argyll, Scotland, UK
Loch Linnhe, Appin, Argyll, Scotland, UK
London, England, UK
Millennium Dome, Greenwich, London, England, UK
Natural History Museum, South Kensington, London, England, UK
(interiors)
New York City, New York, USA
Paris, France
Scotland, UK
There are four shots in this film from the original Highlander (1986). The first is a computer-altered and -enhanced shot of Glenfinnin, which was originally the shot of Connor walking away from his village. The second is a shot of the Silvercup sign, pulled from the scene of the Kurgan taking Brenda to the building. And in the rooftop Quickening, two shots of Connor and Heather together are also taken from the original.
The scene of Duncan in the hilltop in Scotland was the last shot filmed, and arrived for the editors the day they started making release prints.
As Duncan travels toward his rendezvous with Connor, there is a shot of his vehicle passing Silvercup Studios, the scene of the final battle between Connor and Kurgan in the original Highlander.
In the video and DVD releases, the "JVC" logo originally seen in the rooftop scene in the theatrical cut has been airbrushed out. This is because the producers believed it to be "too distracting". They also claim that this particular product placement was unintentional.
In the theatrical version of the film, Methos refers to the Sanctuary as Holy Ground. Many fans were upset that Kell killed Immortals on Holy Ground with no consequences, So all references to the Sanctuary as Holy Ground were deleted from the DVD version of the movie.
In the beginning of the movie, Jacob Kell has 661 kills. At "the last supper" (which can be understood as the metaphore of the Jesus's last supper) he kills five more immortals. That makes him the immortal with 666 kills. Which is the number of the devil.
The original trailer featured Connor MacLeod splitting Jacob Kell in two with his sword and becoming two people. This never happened in the film.
The film's trailer contained many sequences and elements not in the film, including scenes suggesting that the villain Jacob Kell possessed supernatural abilities, and a scene showing Connor and Duncan leaping through a "magical portal." It was later revealed that certain scenes were shot exclusively for the trailer, to make the film look more interesting.
During the fight Connor and Duncan have with the "Tax" thieves one of the men (Lachlan) picks up a rock as a weapon. As the McLeods go on the defensive Duncan says to Lachlan "Looks like you've lost the edge, lad". This is a reference to Adam Copeland's (Lachlan) "stage" name of Edge in the World Wrestling Entertainment.
This is the fourth and last "Highlander" movie to feature a villain whose name starts with the letter K. The villains are Kurgan from Highlander (1986), Katana from Highlander II: The Quickening (1991), Kane from Highlander III: The Sorcerer (1994), and Kell from this film. The tradition ended with the next two films, Highlander: The Search for Vengeance (2007) (V) and Highlander: The Source (2007).
The broadswords used by Connor and Duncan as they spar in the flashback are reproductions of the sword used by Clancy Brown in Highlander (1986).
The old Asian immortal in Kell's "Posse" is in real life Adrian Paul's martial arts instructor.
The original title was "Highlander: World Without End".
Originally meant to act as a bridge between "Highlander" (1992) and the spin-off series "Highlander: The Raven" (1998) continuing on TV. These plans started to go awry when "Highlander: The Raven" was canceled, and production delays started occurring due to cast availability problems. Dimension Films, who had taken on the project as a way of invigorating the franchise, soon realized that their plans for the film were not going to meet expectations and scaled back on its release, effectively throwing the movie away.
The main bulk of filming took place in Romania, at Miramax's behest. Producers William Panzer and Peter Davis were initially opposed to this move.
Not screened for critics prior to release.
Bruce Payne came down with bronchitis during filming, forcing the production to reschedule until such a time when he was well enough to perform, which was about three months later.
The Faith fashion show was filmed in London's Millennium Dome exhibition.
For the scene in the cemetery where they meet following the events at the Sanctuary, Duncan and Connor originally spoke French, because both Paul and Lambert are fluent. However, during post-production it was decided to switch the language over to Scottish Gaelic.
Continuity
In the last fight scene between Kell and Duncan, the location of their fight jumps from the 1st floor of the factory to on top of a catwalk. After they jump off the catwalk, the same "1st floor fight scene" is used again.
The lack of dust in Connor's war room after ten years of disuse.
Duncan's shirt suddenly changes when he sees the remains of Connor's store for the first time.
In the rooftop battle, the "B" in the sign appears reversed in one shot.
After the scene with the stagecoach, you see Duncan McLeod in a NY Taxi with yellow bumpers and the number 13A on the door. When he arrives at his destination (the building that was blown up in an earlier scene) the bumpers have changed to black and the number on the door is now 45G.
Factual errors
In the flashback that begins "Kildare, Ireland 1712" a fuss is made over the rogues exacting a toll on Kate's carriage "by order of the King". While Connor, Duncan and even Kate's party are aware that the "King's decree" is a fake, it seems strange that no one mentions the most obvious proof of this: the reigning monarch in 1712 was Queen Anne.
When Connor discovers Duncan after the Battle of Glen Fruin, the caption says that it is the year 1625. The Battle of Glen Fruin took place in 1602, 23 years earlier.
Incorrectly regarded as goofs
Ignores several earlier movies and TV shows in the Highlander series, but they were never in strict continuity (like the various movies in the James Bond series).
Revealing mistakes
Obvious stunt double for Connor during his final fight with Duncan.
Duncan has to stop in order to avoid walking into the obvious blue screen during the final scene. (Corrected in the Director's cut DVD.)
One of the gravestones in the cemetery can be seen moving in the wind.
Just after Carlos shoots Duncan he unloads his pistol and the spent cartridges drop on the floor, at which time you can easily see that the cartridges contain no primers.
The Volkswagen's windows blow out in all directions despite being caused by an exploding building on one side of it.
Audio/visual unsynchronized
When Kell enters the Sanctuary he is heard speaking, but for a brief moment his lips are not moving.
Errors in geography
Kate/Faiths apartment is in the National History Museum in London. This is where Duncan and Jacob start their final battle, which ends up in a factory and then to the USA - there is an obvious US Skyline in the final moments of the battle.
The scene with the changing cab is supposedly taking place in New York, but in one shot you can clearly see several cars that were never sold in the USA: a Mercedes Benz 208 van, some Dacias and a Fiat Tipo.
Kate/Faiths apartment is in the National History Museum in London. This is where Duncan and Jacob start their final battle. There is an obvious US Skyline in the final moments of the battle.
Plot holes
Duncan goes to Connor's old shop/apartment and has a flashback of the explosion, even though he wasn't present when it happened.