Narrative failure, box-office flop or cult revisionist Western? This is the film that almost bankrupted United Artists and damaged Michael Cimino’s prospects for some years to come. Stories abound of the director’s obsessive perfectionism which led to the film running way over budget and over time. However, for the performances (Kris Kristofferson, Christopher Walken, Isabelle Huppert and others), for directorial ego, for a glimpse of what epic filmmaking used to be, you won’t see anything again soon like this 1980s flawed classic.

This film is screening as part of Essential Cinema 2013. Tickets: special package price €32 (€28 IFI Members) for all four films. This ticket package can only be purchased in person at the IFI Box Office. Regular ticket prices apply to individual screenings and can be bought online or in person.