you have to acknowledge cimino contribution to cinema . he give u both the most over rat film in history ( the deer hunter ) and the bad film in history ( heaven gate ) . and before you start with the it bad but not the bad ever let me explain . for 20 plus year i listen to the critic and avoid heaven gate actually this be not hard because you be hardly bombard with opportunity to view this film . then a few day after see the final cut represent the making and unmaking of heaven gate documentary i stumble on a used $ 9 . 99 dvd of the long version . my advice after 229 minute be to seek out the most negative review ever write about this film ( you will find a wide selection ) and and imagine that the reviewer be cimino devote mother and that she be do everything she can to put a positive slant on her dear son movie . then you will have an idea of just how big a mess cimino make . while pretty much everything be wrong with this film and what ultimately tip the scale to make it the bad ever ( and a classic less than zero example ) be it shameless distortion of history . although the cattleman association do send a group of regulator or gunman to johnson county and do have a list of target name and the actual fact of an interesting historical event be hopelessly exaggerated . on the morning of april 9 and 1892 and nick ray and nate champion be besiege and eventually kill by an army of about 50 cattleman and texas hire gun who have come to johnson county to clean out rustler . the citizen of the county then besiege the regulator who finally be arrest ( or rescue ) by the army . woman do not actively participate in the fighting and aside from ray and champion there be minimal casualty . after all and these be siege not assault and there be not wagon of immigrant rid in circle around the encampment of regulation ( early western to the contrary this be a film making device and not an actual tactic of the indian ) . and week prior to the arrival of the regulator a number of johnson county resident be hang without trial include jim averell and the keeper of a modest road ranch and and his wife ella watson ( who cimino resurrects a his two lead and he even show averell live to a ripe old age ) . there be no movie make sin great than fictionalize history and if you be go to play fast and loose with historical fact and then change the name and location to protect the unsuspecting audience member who might go away from a film believe what they saw actually happen . fortunately so few people saw this film that the damage be minimal . perhaps it be harsh to blame cimino for his distortion of history . he could probably escape blame anyway with an insanity defense the film provide plenty of support . if cimino be insane during the production of heaven gate it would explain a lot of thing . but my vote go to lack of direct talent instead of insanity . there be some good thing about heaven gate . you can actually see on the screen where some of the huge budget go while expensive set beautiful epic camera shot artful dance sequence . isabelle huppert ( a strange casting choice that actually work ) give an agreeable and likable performance although most of her scene be extremely boring ( that tend to happen when the director forget to give the viewer any reason to care about the character ) . the dialogue be generally solid if rather ordinary . but do not fall for the crap that this film experiment with storytelling by intermix carefully craft moment of character interaction with textured pageant like explosion of communal action . this imply that there be a method to cimino madness . experiment be another word for when a filmmaker get so lose in his project that a coherent story be no longer possible . the simple fact be that there be no evidence cimino storyboarded a single scene or make any attempt at control or organization . what it look like be that he just turn his dp loose to stage action and to get an endless selection of colorful shot 1 . 5 million foot of loosely stag scene . then he try ( without success ) to pare this down and fit everything together in post production . the final battle scene be genuinely hilarious a babushka wear townswomen ( perhaps borrow from a fiddler on the roof tour company ) throw countless stick of dynamite at the regulator . unfortunately each explosive fall just short of the target and explode harmlessly . after you see this happen 50 60 time you can relate to the woman ( the one who look like something out of the grape of wrath ) who put a huge gun in her mouth and pull the trigger . this be probably what cimino mother do after write that review . so believe what you have be hear about this film since 1980. it be a sloppy and disconnected and poorly pace and and historically distorted mess . of value only a a how not to make a film example for film historian and a a source of amusement to those knowledgeable about the actual history of the american west .