Overview
A gripping tale of love and conflict in the rugged American West, where loyalties are tested and lives are at stake.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Slow
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- melancholic
- brooding
- grandiose
- western cinephile viewing
- historical drama marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly regarded the film as an overlong, narratively inconsistent historical epic, though later reassessment has recognized its ambition and visual grandeur.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The Wyoming Stock Growers Association targets foreign immigrant farmers through a state-sanctioned campaign of mercenaries and cavalry.
The film uses expansive Wyoming settings, elaborate period staging, and extended crowd and battle sequences to create an unusually large-scale western.
James Averill and Nathan Champion both pursue Ella Watson while standing on opposing sides of the conflict between immigrants and cattle owners.
Wealthy cattle interests secure governmental backing for an exterminatory campaign while presenting immigrant farmers as a social threat.
Films like Heaven's Gate, and why
McCabe & Mrs. Miller
revisionist western form, class conflict, immigrant marginalization, and epic historical scope
The Wild Bunch
politically charged western atmosphere, expansive landscapes, and morally compromised power structures
Ragtime
historical western violence, social upheaval, and intimate relationships set against institutional power
Movie Details
- Director
- Michael Cimino
- Release Date
- 1980-11-19
- Runtime
- 217 min
- Rating
- 6.7 / 10 (435)
Cast
- Kris Kristofferson
- Christopher Walken
- John Hurt
- Sam Waterston
- Brad Dourif
- Isabelle Huppert
- Joseph Cotten
- Jeff Bridges
- Ronnie Hawkins
- Paul Koslo
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Heaven's Gate about?
- Michael Cimino’s sprawling revisionist western turns the Johnson County War into a tragic confrontation between immigrant farmers, cattle barons, and compromised frontier authority.
- What is Heaven's Gate like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Heaven's Gate as slow, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Heaven's Gate violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Heaven's Gate as graphic.
- What did critics think of Heaven's Gate?
- Critics broadly regarded the film as an overlong, narratively inconsistent historical epic, though later reassessment has recognized its ambition and visual grandeur.
- Which films are like Heaven's Gate?
- Films with a similar feel include McCabe & Mrs. Miller, The Wild Bunch, and Ragtime.
- How long is Heaven's Gate?
- Heaven's Gate runs 217 minutes.
- Where can I watch Heaven's Gate?
- In United States, Heaven's Gate streams on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
