Heaven's Gate (1981)

Featured Audience Ratings

• El Hombre I

  
  So, I'd finally decided to watch this all the way through after years of putting it off. Is it a bad film? Well...kinda. It's also a case of reputation preceeding the actual film. This isn't one of those thin, blown-out silly Kevin Costner productions. The acting… More
  So, I'd finally decided to watch this all the way through after years of putting it off. Is it a bad film? Well...kinda. It's also a case of reputation preceeding the actual film. This isn't one of those thin, blown-out silly Kevin Costner productions. The acting wasn't bad, either. Sam Waterston, Jeff Bridges, Brad Dourif and Mickey Rourke are good in small roles. It's nice to see Walken play a complex character, something sorely lacking from his career, as of late. The lush cinematography is also top notch. What the film does suffer from is too much ambition, poor pacing, a wandering narrative that's not necessarily difficult to follow, but is tedious. Those scenes, such as the opening graduation, not only droned on at a length unnecessary to make their points, but the director had spent millions of dollars on elements which were irrelevant. I understand a director wanting to take his time to tell a story and immerse the audience into his world, but fucking come on already. There have always been harsh criticisms towards this movie, many by those who may have never seen it. I will say that some of those harsh criticisms are valid. <a href="http://s273.photobucket.com/albums/jj203/goji9000/?action=view¤t=heavensgate.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj203/goji9000/heavensgate.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

• Lanning :

  
  Aside from some questionable looking treatment of animals and a sad lead actress choice, I can't quite understand why this film did not do better. It's gangbusters! I've seen way shorter films that seemed a hell of a lot longer, I kid you not.

• Pierluigi P

  
  There's one thing I can't forgive to Michael Cimino, it's his uncontrollable persistence of stretching things with no reason, in the end that was what condemned him to ostracism. This film was cursed as the one who took legendary studio united artists to bankruptcy and… More
  There's one thing I can't forgive to Michael Cimino, it's his uncontrollable persistence of stretching things with no reason, in the end that was what condemned him to ostracism. This film was cursed as the one who took legendary studio united artists to bankruptcy and was also mutilated on the editing room. despite all, the film has epic scope, breathtaking visuals, good performances and beautiful emotional moments.

• Tim S

  
  There's goes my Saturday. Wow! This guy had three editors and it was still this long? I really loved parts of it. I think that Kristoferson, Bridges, Huppert, and Walken do a great job, but, fuck this guy loves shooting parties. The thing is that if you cut out a lot of this, you… More
  There's goes my Saturday. Wow! This guy had three editors and it was still this long? I really loved parts of it. I think that Kristoferson, Bridges, Huppert, and Walken do a great job, but, fuck this guy loves shooting parties. The thing is that if you cut out a lot of this, you have a really good film and that's not as frustrating as the fucking ending which if anybody can explain to me I would love to hear it. Vilmos should get a lifetime acheivement award for this film alone. At the same time, I kinda respected the way you were totally emmersed in that world and I really loved the battle scene.

• Adam M

  
  excessive dust and ruddy colors, as a dir. gets bored and goes for "ugly-beautiful," like Scorsese in NYNY; a few scenes are actually laughable, but the rest shows serious potential

• Stephen M

  
  This will always be remembered for the money it cost and the money it lost, killing United Artists in the process, but it's a beautiful, wonderful, epic movie; a fitting end to the last great decade of Hollywood film-making, the Seventies. I would rather wallow in this than sit… More
  This will always be remembered for the money it cost and the money it lost, killing United Artists in the process, but it's a beautiful, wonderful, epic movie; a fitting end to the last great decade of Hollywood film-making, the Seventies. I would rather wallow in this than sit through "The Deer Hunter" any day of the week. Whatever its faults, it's full of memorable moments, for example Christopher Walken's marvellously cinematic first appearance, which is worthy of Sergio Leone. As an intimate love triangle set against an epic background of immigration and unrest, it's a hell of a lot more successful than Scorsese's awful "Gangs of New York".

• Michael S

  
  Very flawed, but nowhere near as horrible as you may have heard.

• Jonny C

  
  Good movie. On it's release it was given very harsh treatment by the critics, mostly due to being over-budget and too long. Heaven's Gate is a solid western, with great performances, a beautiful musical score, and some stunning cinematography. Director Michael Cimino may… More
  Good movie. On it's release it was given very harsh treatment by the critics, mostly due to being over-budget and too long. Heaven's Gate is a solid western, with great performances, a beautiful musical score, and some stunning cinematography. Director Michael Cimino may have had his haters in Hollywood during that time, which may have been out of jealousy due to his earlier triumphs for The Deer Hunter. Heaven's Gate is as good as any epic of that era, and much better than Out of Africa and Once Upon a Time in America. Overall, well worth a look.

Read all 8 featured audience ratings