What one loves about life are the things that fade.
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.
- Animal harm
Log it
Sign in to log this.
Character
Contemplative, epic, grave and earnest.
- contemplativerelentless
- intimateepic
- gravecomic
- earnestironic
- effortlessdemanding
Who loves it, who doesn't
No profiled raters yet.
Where do you stand?
Answer first; then see how everyone, and your circle, split.
“Is the slow pace a feature rather than a flaw?”
Sign in to answer.
Be the first to answer.
“Is it too big for its own story?”
Sign in to answer.
Be the first to answer.
“Is the polish hiding a lack of heart?”
Sign in to answer.
Be the first to answer.
Ask the title
A yes-or-no question, answered from what people wrote here, on TMDB and on Wikipedia. Never made up.
Reviews
No reviews yet.
Reviews on TMDB
Written by TMDB members; each links to the original. Not part of Tastebuds's numbers.
- CinemaSerfon TMDB · Jul 20246/10
"Averill" (Kris Kristofferson) is from wealthy stock, a Harvard graduate, and a decent man who takes up a job as a sheriff in rural Wyoming. Most of the town's population have fled persecution and poverty in Europe, and want to start afresh with their families. They are not afraid of hard work, but that doesn't ease the chagrin of the local cattle ranchers who find them little better than fleas to be swatted. "Averill" tries to keep order as best he can, but when the landowners band together, convince the Governor of the merits of their expansionist plans and then draft in the support of the US army then it looks like the migrants are in for a bumpy ride. As tensions mount, he encounters school colleague-cum-gunslinger "Champion" (Christopher Walken) and their school valedictorian "Irvine" (John Hurt) as the battle lines are drawn not just on the field, but for the affections of "Ella" (Isabelle Huppert) too. This really lost me pretty much at the start with Kristofferson cutting an unlikely figure at a graduation ceremony presided over by the "Reverend" (Joseph Cotton's only, brief, appearence) and entertained by the intellectual and quite sarcastic "Irvine" - he really did look l
Read the whole review on TMDB - adorablepanicon TMDB · Apr 20206/10
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 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 constitutes a great deal of it. I'll say it outright: The romance aspect is boring. The picture is much more successful when it focuses on the rancher/immigrant conflict. Even prior to that, the first 30 minutes or so are not only absorbing, they're downright dazzlingly written and performed. I find myself searching for Sam Waterston, John Hurt, Christopher Walken, Kris Kristofferson (away from the romance scenes), and Jeff Bridges and sort-of waiting for other elements to pass-by (almost 10 minutes of roller-skating, anyone?). Transamerica's panicked, short-sighted abandonment of United Artists
Read the whole review on TMDB - Wuchakon TMDB · Aug 20197/10
***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 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. Cimino’s style is arty with a focus on mundane realism, similar to Francis Ford Coppola. I’m not a fan of Cimino’s previous film, the overrated “The Deer Hunter” (1978), because of the tedious opening hour and the disagreeable focus on Russian Roulette, although I love his Tarantino-like “Thunderbolt and Lightfoot” (1974). Cimino wisely doesn’t allow the Harvard graduation sequence that opens “Heaven’s Gate” to go on forever like the wedding in “Deer Hunter,” not to mention it has aesthetic merit. There are two versions of the film: The premiere New York City cut runs 3 hours, 39 minutes while the ed
Read the whole review on TMDB
Cast
- Kris KristoffersonJames Averill
- Christopher WalkenNathan D. Champion
- John HurtBilly Irvine
- Sam WaterstonFrank Canton
- Brad DourifMr. Eggleston
- Isabelle HuppertElla Watson
- Joseph CottenThe Reverend Doctor
- Jeff BridgesJohn L. Bridges
- Ronnie HawkinsMajor Wolcott
- Paul KosloMayor Charlie Lezak
Crew
- Michael CiminoDirector
- Michael CiminoScreenplay
- Vilmos ZsigmondDirector of Photography
- David MansfieldOriginal Music Composer
- William ReynoldsEditor
- Gerald B. GreenbergEditor
- Lisa FruchtmanEditor
- Joann CarelliProducer
Where to watch
Checking availability…
Pairings
Companions we picked from the closest works, and how to take them.
Similar in taste
Closest on the same fourteen dimensions, from everything scored on Tastebuds Other media included when they land close.
The Irishman 201979% alikeBoth contemplative, epic, grave.
The Godfather Part II 197478% alikeBoth contemplative, grave, epic.
Reds 198177% alikeBoth contemplative, epic, grave.
Excalibur 198175% alikeBoth epic, contemplative, earnest.
JFK 199174% alikeBoth contemplative, grave, earnest.
The Green Knight 202174% alikeBoth contemplative, grave, earnest.
Oppenheimer 202373% alikeBoth epic, grave, earnest.
Doctor Zhivago 196572% alikeBoth epic, grave, earnest.
Carnivàle 200374% alikeTelevision · Both contemplative, epic, grave.
Shadow of the Colossus 200569% alikeGame · Both grave, contemplative, earnest.
Often watched with
Recommendations from TMDB. Opening one adds it to Tastebuds
