Spawning three sequels, three tv series, countless books, and singlehandedly carrying the career of Christopher Lambert on its shoulders, the Highlander series has been a part of pop culture since its inception in the original highlander movie. Look a little closer, though, and you will find a little bit of Cold War propaganda inserted into its innocent little tale of Connor Macleod of the Clan Macleod’s travails through history.

In the beginning, there was Ramirez(played by Sean Connery) and the Kurgan(played by the guy from Shawshank Redemption). They obviously don’t like each other. Ramirez is an Spanish Aristocrat with a Scottish accent. The good guy, from all accounts. Is that because he’s rich? Because he got to Macleod first? Because he wears his hair in a ponytail? It was because he was rich. Then there was the Kurgan, the villain. His origins, as Ramirez are steeped in mystery. In fact, most of his past is summed up by the obviously biased Ramirez: The Kurgan is a man from somewhere in Eastern Europe where they feed their children to wild dogs for sport. He also prefers flop hotels on his visits to New York and apparently doesn’t believe in God due to his disrespect toward the priest when he meets Macleod in the church. Add a bit of fear of the Kurgan’s size and gigantic sword, and you’ve got yourself a rivalry.

Then you’ve got Connor Macleod. When we first see him, he is a sheep farmer in a peasant village. Simple folk, some may say. The arrival of Ramirez triggers something in him. Something that makes him special. Something that is his birthright. And so Macleod transcends his status. He doesn’t belong, and so is cast out into the waiting protection of Ramirez. Most people would harbor a hatred for those that cast them out, and Macleod is no exception. As we first see Connor hundreds of years later in New York, he is indeed with the proletariat as we see him supposedly enjoying a wrestling match a Madison Square Garden. But this is only a sham. It turns out that Macleod has lost touch with his roots and has some to prefer the finer things in life: After killing the man in the parking lot, he drives off in a sports car. We learn that he is a rich antique dealer, with products that benefit no one but the rich. Later we see the penthouse apartment, the circular room full of swords, the great cars, etc. Even his killing sword was commissioned by the Emperor of Japan.

So basically you’ve got a classic case of class warfare in the battle to control the future, engineered by the Aristocrat Ramirez in his bid to divide the working class. The poor, anti-materialist in one corner, someone who we’ll just have to take on faith that he’ll use the Prize-which happens to be sharing and understanding knowledge, incidentally- to hurt anyone. And on the other side the Capitalist who obviously would only use the Prize for his own wealth and betterment, as he has for centuries. The battles spread from the invasion of Ramirez’s home(Marx came to England, just south of Scotland, in 1852), to killing Macleod’s African friend in the alley patrolled by the vigilante cop with the American flag on his shirt(attempted Communist takeover of Africa in the last half-century) to the eventual defeat of Communism in Macleod’s Capitalist center of power, i.e. New York.

Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s a great movie. But to think that the film’s tag line doesn’t hint at a more global conflict isn’t paying attention.

There can be only one.

-Sean McCullom