now infamous western that be ( at it time ) the big budgeted disaster in hollywood history . i be lucky enough to see the full 220 minute version at a theatre in 1990. it be truly staggering how bad the film be . they have a great cast and a story base on a true incident ( a fight between foreigner and american in the 1800s ) and magnificent scenery . so what go wrong . three word director michael cimino . he be so full of himself after the deer hunter he go out and make this god awful western . he not totally to blame . his previous film the deer hunter be consider a masterpiece and united artist give him free reign to do anything . they let him all alone . and everything go wrong . the cost go barrel out of control and cimino insist on redo sequence again and again until they be perfect . first off and the sound be horrible . entire sequence go by and you can not make out a word the character be say . for instance and jeff bridge character be introduce during a dance sequence and but i still have no idea who he be . the dialogue in his introductory scene be incomprehensible . that the director fault he should have make sure the dialogue could be hear . some scene be shot with so much dust fly around you can barely make out what go on . the story line doesn not make a whole lot of sense and cimino take great liberty with the fact in the real story only one person be kill cimino turn it into a massacre . there be some admittedly beautiful sequence here totally destroy by lack of story and incomprehensible dialogue . also the bad sound be not the fault of the theatre all the print sound that way . this garbage effectively close down united artist and be the end of cimino career . a textbook example of a director so full of himself he doesn not realize what he do . jeff bridge have say this be the bad movie he ever do . this be from a guy who make tron . a definite must miss . there be a pretty good book call the final cut which detail the whole disaster . this get a 1. i wish imdb have negative number this deserve it .