Heaven’s Gate (1980)

Barbed wire and women are the two greatest civilising agents in the world.

Heaven’s Gate is written and directed by Michael Cimino and stars Kris Kristofferson, Christopher Walken, Isabelle Huppert, Jeff Bridges, John Hurt and Sam Waterston. Music is by David Mansfield and cinematography by Vilmos Zsigmond. Picture is based around the real-life Johnson County War in 1890 Wyoming, where here we have a Sheriff born into wealth attempting to protect immigrant farmers from the rich Stockholders Association.

Lets begin by stating that for the clear facts about the fin... read the rest.

Cimino’s epic Western about the Johnson County War, unjustly lambasted by critics

With the government’s blessing, cattle barons in Wyoming circa 1890 hire an army of mercenaries to kill claimed rustlers who, in many cases, are innocent settlers. A marshal born into wealth (Kris Kristofferson) sides with the poor immigrants in Johnson County; in his spare time he romances a French madam (Isabelle Huppert) who’s also pursued by a top enforcer of the stockmen (Christopher Walken).

“Heaven’s Gate” (1980) is Michael Cimino’s notorious adult-oriented Western that brought down a studio. C... read the rest.

Has any film undergone the level of critical turnaround afforded HEAVEN'S GATE (1980) since its initial banishment and failure? Nearly four decades removed from the vitriol and scorn heaped upon, not only the film, but the hubris of its director and the perceived wastefulness of an out-of-control production system, what did writer/director Michael Cimino ultimately leave his audience? Well, as with most (but certainly not all) polarizing works of art, the truth is probably somewhere in the middle. At 219 minutes, there is certainly dross; unfortunately, the love triangle at the film's heart con... read the rest.