Johnny Guitar

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Johnny Guitar

Released May 27, 1954

1h 50m

Western

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Popcornmeter

94%

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52 Reviews

85%

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2,500+ Ratings

On the outskirts of town, the hard-nosed Vienna (Joan Crawford) owns a saloon frequented by the undesirables of the region, including Dancin' Kid (Scott Brady) and his gang. Another patron of Vienna's establishment is Johnny Guitar (Sterling Hayden), a former gunslinger and her lover. When a heist is pulled in town that results in a man's death, Emma Small (Mercedes McCambridge), Vienna's rival, rallies the townsfolk to take revenge on Vienna's saloon -- even without proof of her wrongdoing.

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Critics Consensus

Johnny Guitar confidently strides through genre conventions, emerging with a brilliant statement that transcends its period setting -- and left an indelible mark.

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Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

There’s a reason that, seven decades after its original release, audiences and filmmakers alike are still wowed by Johnny Guitar and all its colorfully ambitious histrionics.

Rated: 4/4

Sep 25, 2024

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Anton Bitel

Little White Lies

Ray's film is a western, but it is also an amplified melodrama, with a rich seam of deviant psychology just waiting to be disinterred from its dusty surface. Its time has come.

Sep 20, 2021

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Roger Ebert

RogerEbert.com

A cheap Western from Republic Pictures, yes. And also one of the boldest and most stylized films of its time, quirky, political, twisted.

Rated: 4/4

Jan 24, 2018

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Ray Pride

Newcity

Nicholas Ray’s gaudy masterpiece the almost “too modern for me” psychological wowser... a stylized, poetic Western like no other... Want to talk hot, burning Trucolor? Want to talk blurred gender roles? Let’s talk Joan Crawford and Sterling Hayden.

Rated: 10/10

Jul 4, 2024

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Dennis Harvey

48 Hills

Johnny Guitar is a classic, and god knows it has camp value, but it’s not exactly a “camp classic.” Its excesses are all very deliberate, not some accident of ineptitude or bad taste.

Sep 20, 2023

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Zita Short

InSession Film

Johnny Guitar has the benefit of featuring a performance from the greatest movie star of all time. Whenever Joan Crawford shows up in a film, you know that she is going to command your attention and Nicholas Ray seems to be aware of the fact.

Feb 1, 2023

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Jeff S

A good Western with some fabulous dialogue made into an excellent film by a mesmerizing Joan Crawford.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/11/24

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Steve D

Great western with a cast equal to the story.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/24/24

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Bill B

An estrogen western where opposing forces are led by women. Stagey, soapy, and too many tough guys posturing all over the place, with the action mostly at the end. Overrated.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

08/15/23

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Jared Z

It's easily about 20 minutes longer than it needs to be and the ending is a bit too abrupt, but Johnny Guitar is still a memorable film, driven more by its female leads than its male leads, quite unusual for the genre, especially during the 1950s.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/23/23

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Amanda M

Johnny Guitar is really two movies: a hard-hitting critique of McCarthyism, wrapped inside a campy western with a ridiculous storyline. The silly costumes and Old West setting seem to be the only reasons this 1954 attack on HUAC made it to the screen in the first place. Emma Small (Mercedes McCambridge) is a perfect Roy Cohn on a mad, self-loathing crusade against Vienna (Joan Crawford), rallying a rural population terrified of an imagined invasion from the East. Combine that with Ms. Crawford's nonsensical costume changes, and some segments of unintentionally funny dialogue, and Johnny Guitar is must-see for anyone with an interest in the history of American filmmaking.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The first few moments of the movie give a glimpse of what's to come. This is an action-packed Western drama with a revolutionary plot as well as great direction by Nicholas Ray. Joan Crawford's eye-catching appearance could be enough by itself, especially with her great performance in a movie of this genre, but then again who better to give the melodrama its appeal. Still, Sterling Hayden, Mercedes McCambridge, and the others give no less-compelling performances, adding even more essence to Crawford's input.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/29/23

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Nicholas Ray

Director

Joan Crawford

Vienna

Sterling Hayden

Johnny "Guitar" Logan

Mercedes McCambridge

Emma Small

Scott Brady

Dancin' Kid

Ward Bond

John McIvers

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Synopsis

On the outskirts of town, the hard-nosed Vienna (Joan Crawford) owns a saloon frequented by the undesirables of the region, including Dancin' Kid (Scott Brady) and his gang. Another patron of Vienna's establishment is Johnny Guitar (Sterling Hayden), a former gunslinger and her lover. When a heist is pulled in town that results in a man's death, Emma Small (Mercedes McCambridge), Vienna's rival, rallies the townsfolk to take revenge on Vienna's saloon -- even without proof of her wrongdoing.

Director: Nicholas Ray
Producer: Nicholas Ray
Screenwriter: Roy Chanslor, Philip Yordan
Distributor: Republic Pictures
Production Co: Republic Pictures Corporation
Genre: Western
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 27, 1954, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 6, 2014
Runtime: 1h 50m

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