Review of Heaven's Gate (1980) by Jake P — 13 Nov 2012

OK So I figured I'd clear the air on this film a bit. This film is grossly underrated, ( one of the worst all?) and deserves a second shot by some people.

2 years after the phenomenal film, The Deer Hunter, Michael Cimino teamed up with Kris Kristofferson to direct the anti western epic, Heaven's Gate. The film is based on the Johnson County Cattle War's. This film is a contradiction. It has beautiful shots and cinematography in some scenes, and look like a home video in other, possibly due to the deterioration of the film. It has a majestic story and good acting, but lacks development in scenes. It builds to a grand finale when the town folks are winning, and ends in a disappointment. The length of the film is also daunting, a neat 220 minutes :/.

Now for the positives. The story is original and reflects the mood of the 70's new Hollywood. Christopher Walken gives an underrated performance and highlighted a great supporting cast along with John hurt, Jeff Bridges and Sam Waterson. Cinematography and key scenes such as the Harvard graduation and the roller rink highlight this film memorability.

Overall you can't look at the movie's history and financial failure and editing to see what a wounded giant this movie is. While not close to a masterpiece, it is certainly not one of the most awful movies of all time. In 2012, this movie was re-released at the Venice Film Festival to favorable reviews and I agree with the sentiment. I look forward to picking his up later in the month as part of the criterion collection. In the end, Michael Cimino movies is something to watch and something to respect. Overall underrated movie. 7/10.