Heaven's Gate (1980) Reviews & Ratings

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Heaven's Gate reviews

Heaven's Gate holds a 6.7/10 average from 433 TMDB ratings.

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 h…
— John Chard (8/10)

***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…
— Wuchak (7/10)

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 certain…
— adorablepanic (6/10)

Harvard graduate James Averill serves as the sheriff of prosperous Jackson County, Wyoming, standing at the center of a conflict between impoverished immigrants and affluent cattle farmers. Politically connected ranchers enlist mercenary Nathan Champion—who is also vying for the affections of local madam Ella Watson—to combat the immigrant uprising. As tensions escalate, both Averill and Champion start to question their decisions.

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