Connor MacLeod, a Scottish fighter in the 16th century, is killed in the battlefield, only to learn that he's unable to die. Banished from his village, he's taken under the wing of an Egyptian warrior, who's also immortal like him. Immortals can die only when they are decapitated, and are fated to be drawn to fight each other throughout the ages, until only one of them remains and inherits the mysterious "Prize"...
Highlander is unique action-adventure film. It has a highly original concept conveyed through a simple story which it uses not just to provide an excuse to show sword battles in late 20th-century New York, but also to explore themes such as the how the passage of time affects people and how problematic eternal life would be.
There is an important scene missing in the American cut of Highlander: During World War II, MacLeod finds an orphaned little girl hiding amongst ruins. When a Nazi guns them down, his body shields hers, absorbing the bullets, and they both fall. In answer to her amazed, "You're still alive?", he flashes that winning smile and whispers, "Hey, it's a kind of magic!"