Russell Nash was a sucessful antique dealer living in a centuries old house in New York, and drinking 200 year old brandy, yet he walked around in a shabby old trench coat with the belt tied in a knot, looking for all the world like a dirty old flasher or habitue of porn movie houses in a red light district. He wasn't broke, why couldn't he have bought some decent clothes?
shareWon't comment on the choice of which one, but trench coats aren't such a bad idea if you want to hide a shot gun......or an ancient sword.
shareThis is something I've always found interesting about the character. A home like that in NYC would be worth a fortune without all the priceless antiques inside. The guy was filthy rich and sophisticated, but you'd never guess it to look at him.
My take on it is that despite all Macleod's experiences and becoming extremely cultured and wealthy over time, he never forgot where he came from and remained the same person at heart.
He came from humble beginnings. Ramirez showed his wealth with the he way he dressed, and Macleod made fun of him for it quite a bit; it wasn't Macleod's style.
It might also have been a means of keeping a low profile. He never knows when he's going to have to chop someone's head off and make a getaway. His scruffy appearance would be less likely to stand out or stick in the memory of anyone on a New York street than a guy in nice threads.
My take on it is that despite all Macleod's experiences and becoming extremely cultured and wealthy over time, he never forgot where he came from and remained the same person at heart.
Short answer, it's to hide the sword.
Factual answer, it's because centuries of experience had dulled him to regular human experience and he had turned into a colossal pervert in order to get his jollies. The raincoat was the natural pick in order to facilitate his depravity on the streets of New York. Remember the guy flashing Cagney and Lacey in the credits of that show? That's Macleod.
Give me a hedgehog and I'll show you.
Remember the guy flashing Cagney and Lacey in the credits of that show?
It might also have been a means of keeping a low profile.
Because when you grow up nonsense like fashion and other peoples opinions matter less.
After a few centuries I imagine u would see the teeming masses for the children that they are.
I was always more bothered by his crappy, white, tennis shoes. For god's sake man, can you just find a pair of cool looking boots?
shareIt was the 1980's - lots of people wore those naff coats and white trainers
Also fancy dressing was not his style - he was essentially a highlander at heart
Also it hid his sword better and helped him blend into a crowd, plus white trainers can be argued to be more practical for running and fighting in than fancy boots
This. Trench coats and white tennis shoes were pretty common at the time.
sharethe idea was that he didnt attract attention to himself. he couldnt be known as a wealthy rich guy or an infamous antique dealer. he had to stay as stealthy as possible. hence why he always went under different names like Russell Nash, David Caruthers, etc.
he dressed like a typical new yorker from the streets.
even in the tv series where we see Duncan MacLeod dressed up all fancy and like he had money, Connor was still shown in white tennis shoes, jeans, regular long sleeve shirt, and a grey trench coat.
It's because MacLeod was, in laymans terms, a scruffy twat!
It wasnt me, it was the other three. Hang them!
He was trying to stay low key and also have a hiding place for his sword. I hate the white tennis shoes, but they must be comfortable and give good traction in sword fights.
shareI've always considered Highlander a superb, enjoyable fantasy-action flick. I would recommend it to many.
But it's impossible to deny that Highlander was HUGELY influenced by the release of 'The Terminator' just 2 years prior.
The cinematography is in places almost identical, the lighting and overuse of blue electric effects. The intimidating villain relentlessly pursuing the protagonist. Even down to the raincoat and white sneakers just like Michael Biehn (Kyle Reese) wears in the first Terminator.
But this has never bothered me, because it's a fun film and doesn't take itself too seriously. Plus you could argue the coat is needed to conceal that sword.
Excellent points. I recall at the time I did get a Terminator vibe from it even though the story was completely different.
payback's a bitch. thanks for inviting me to do it
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Actually those coats can be pretty expensive and are damn nice and comfortable. I have a black one that I bought when I was just in high school almost 20 years ago, thing cost over 300 dollars (and it was one of the cheaper varieties at the place, I've seen them go well into the thousands) but is crazy warm and comfy and is just as nice as when I bought the thing. You can find cheap 50-100 dollar ones, but they're like a lot of clothes, as the quality increases they can cost an arm and a leg. Just look here:
http://us.burberry.com/mens-trench-coat-collection/
Some are well over 2000 bucks.
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*+_Charos_+*
"I have often laughed at weaklings
who thought themselves good because
they had no claws."
Those coats can indeed be expensive and they are considered a fashion classic in some countries particularly here in the UK. They used to be and are still popular with some upper class types. Plenty of top fashion labels sell them including Belstaff, Barbour and Armani etc.
Also, MacLeod probably wanted to appear incognito and keep a low profile. People who have grown accustomed to wealth often don't feel the need to flaunt it with fancy clothes. I used to work for a rich guy who wore jeans with holes in them, he also used to get his sandals repaired so he could wear them in the summer instead of just buying new ones. His kids used to wear worn out tracksuits with bobbles all over them.
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