Heaven's Gate is a 1980 American epic western film written and directed by Michael Cimino, it stars Kris Kristofferson, Christopher Walken, Isabelle Huppert, Jeff Bridges, John Hurt, Sam Waterston, Brad Dourif, and Joseph Cotten. Set in the 1890s, it revolves around a dispute between land barons and European immigrants in Wyoming from the same year. The film is loosely based on the 1889-1893 Johnson County War Events. As the specific premiere on 1980, but United Artists decided to pulled out in theaters to 1981. As the runtime was 219 minutes, the longest runtime ever in the United States. Upon the release, the film was panned from critics in initial release during screening, some publicity was the film received mixed from critics following the reassessment in the re-cut version. The film grossed over $3.5 million domestically against its $44 million budget, making it a box office failure and was lost for United Artists over $40.5 million nominal and $133 million adjusted for inflation projectors. As specifically, the film was considered a one of the worst films ever made by subsequent publical critics. The film's financial failure resulting in the demise of director-driven film production in the American film industry, steering back toward greater studio control of films. On Golden Raspberry Awards, the film was five nominations from the film crew and won Worst Director for Cimino.
Plot[]
In 1870, two young men, Jim Averill and Billy Irvine graduate from Harvard College. The Reverend Doctor speaks to the graduates on the association of "the cultivated mind with the uncultivated" and the importance of education. Irvine, the class orator, follows this with his opposing, irreverent views. A celebration is then held, after which the male students serenade the women present, including Averill's girlfriend.
Twenty years later, Averill is passing through the booming town of Casper, Wyoming, on his way north to Johnson County, where he is now a marshal. Poor European immigrants new to the region are in conflict with wealthy, established cattle barons organized as the Wyoming Stock Growers Association; the newcomers sometimes steal their cattle for food. Nate Champion – a friend of Averill and an enforcer for the stockmen – kills a settler for suspected rustling and dissuades another from stealing a cow.
At a board meeting, the head of the Association, Frank Canton, tells members, including a drunk Irvine, of plans to kill 125 named settlers, as thieves and anarchists. Irvine leaves the meeting, encounters Averill, and tells him of the Association's plans. As Averill leaves, he exchanges bitter words with Canton. Canton and Averill quarrel and Canton is knocked to the floor. That night, Canton recruits men to kill the named settlers.
Ella Watson, a Johnson County bordello madam from Quebec, who accepts stolen cattle as payment for use of her prostitutes, is infatuated with both Averill and Champion. Averill and Watson skate in a crowd, then dance alone, in an enormous roller skating rink called "Heaven's Gate," which has been built by local entrepreneur John L. Bridges. Averill receives a copy of the Association's death list from a baseball-playing U.S. Army captain and later reads the names aloud to the settlers, who are thrown into terrified turmoil. Cully, a station master and friend of Averill's, sees the train with Canton's posse heading north and rides off to warn the settlers but is murdered en route. Later, a group of men come to Watson's bordello and rape her. Averill shoots and kills all but one of them. Champion, realizing that his landowner bosses seek to eliminate Watson, goes to Canton's camp and shoots the remaining rapist, then refuses to participate in the slaughter.
Canton and his men encounter one of Champion's friends leaving a cabin with Champion and his friend Nick inside, and a gunfight ensues. Attempting to save Champion, Watson arrives in her wagon and shoots one of the hired guns before escaping on horseback. Nick is killed before Canton's men push a burning cart towards the cabin, setting it on fire. Champion writes a last letter to Ella. Champion emerges from the burning cabin shooting at Canton's men but is killed by a hail of bullets. Watson warns the settlers of Canton's approach at another huge, chaotic gathering at "Heaven's Gate." The agitated settlers decide to counterattack; Bridges leads the attack on Canton's gang. With the hired invaders now surrounded, both sides suffer casualties (including a drunken, poetic Irvine) as Canton leaves to bring help. Watson and Averill return to Champion's charred and smoking cabin, and discover his corpse, along with a handwritten letter documenting his last minutes alive.
The next day, Averill reluctantly joins the immigrant settlers, with their cobbled-together siege machines and explosive charges, in an attack against Canton's men and their makeshift fortifications. Again, there are heavy casualties on both sides, before the U.S. Army, with Canton in the lead, arrives to stop the fighting and save the remaining besieged mercenaries.
Later, at Watson's cabin, Bridges, Watson, and Averill prepare to leave for good, but they are ambushed by Canton and two others. Averill and Bridges shoot and kill Canton and one of his men but both Bridges and Watson are killed. A grief-stricken Averill holds Watson's body in his arms.
In 1903, about a decade later, a well-dressed, beardless, but older-looking Averill walks the deck of his yacht off Newport, Rhode Island. He goes below, where an attractive middle-aged woman is sleeping in a luxurious boudoir. The woman, Averill's old Harvard girlfriend (perhaps now his wife), awakens and asks him for a cigarette. Silently he complies, lighting the cigarette and returning to the deck.
Cast []
- Kris Kristofferson as James Averill
- Christopher Walken as Nathan D. "Nate" Champion
- Isabelle Huppert as Ella Watson
- Jeff Bridges as John L. Bridges
- John Hurt as William C. "Billy" Irvine
- Sam Waterston as Frank Canton
- Brad Dourif as Mr. Eggleston
- Joseph Cotten as The Reverend Doctor
- Paul Koslo as Mayor Charlie Lezak
- Geoffrey Lewis as Trapper Fred
- Richard Masur as Cully
- Ronnie Hawkins as Major Wolcott
- Terry O'Quinn as Captain Minardi
- Mickey Rourke as Nick Ray
- Tom Noonan as Jake
- Roseanne Vela as Beautiful girl
- Willem Dafoe (uncredited)