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

Great western with a cast equal to the story.

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.

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.

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.

This movie is a sort of a western. The story is somewhat strange and unclear; it is mostly about a woman (Vienna, played by Joann Crawford) who claimed a piece of land and is mostly hated by the people in the town. Among the people who hate her, Emma Small (played by Mercedes McCambridge') appears to hate her the most (or perhaps a love/hate sort of thing), possibly due to rivalry when it comes to men, particularly Kid. The movie starts with two key events: Vienna sent for a former lover - Johnny (played by Sterling Hayden); and there is a crime in town for which the people hold Kid and his group responsible. From this moment on, everything gets more and more tumultuous - and unreasonably tumultuous, and possibly ridiculous. The role of Emma is the strangest and the most ludicrous. She's the villain, sure, but it would help to understand better her reasons and her claims to have such power over those people. Her overall behavior is odd. Both Crawford and Mercedes McCambridge's performances are a bit over-theatrical (for our current standards); particularly in contrast with Sterling Hayden's performance, which is way more natural. Both Emma and Vienna roles are interestingly a little ambiguous when it comes to their sexuality. A possible (unintentional, perhaps) wink to LGBT audience in the 50s. Overall the movie is fine, but it lacks a story that stands out beyond the characters... The inferences and the subtexts are just not enough for a good story. The characters and the trucolor, and few memorable lines stand out more than any story. And after all, the movie seems more like a big and odd quarrel among friends.

Totally over rated cat fight movie. The villain is petty. Joan makes bad fashion decisions when on the lam. Johnny is two dimensional. It's like something is wrong with the precious bodily fluids of everyone involved.

This film is wonderfully acted by stars Joan Crawford and Sterling Hayden with excellent portrayals by actors in minor roles. Music, production values, and scenery are first-rate. A classic film directed by Nicholas Ray!

Nicholas Ray's Johnny Guitar is a strange, quirky, stylized Western that continues the director's penchant for defending the flawed underdogs of this world. And he does it with panache, with vivid and unexpected colors and some dazzling cinematography. Especially noteworthy are the two women battling it out for supremacy, protagonist and antagonist, in a man's world. The film for me is not entirely successful, because so much time is spent on pointless macho posturing, romantic rivalry and pugnacious challenges. Sergio Leone made is great Spaghetti Westerns ten years after this film was made. What do you bet that he was inspired by Nicholas Ray ?

It is loaded with plot holes, ridiculous dialog, and wooden characters. It is just plain boring. Pass it by and just watch a couple episodes of Maverick if you are in the mood for a western..

This eccentric Western puts a nice spin on the classic American genre.

I'll be honest, half the reason I wanted to watch this movie stemmed from the fact that the main theme was part of the Fallout: New Vegas soundtrack, and the song provided a melancholy atmosphere to back up my post-apocalyptic revenge quest across the Mojave. Though the first half of the film is marked by a distinctly campy atmosphere that leans heavily into Western tropes (possibly for ironic effect, given the contrast of the film's themes with supposedly patriotic American values and implied love of uniformity), there is certainly a narrative daring that is anything but typical for the genre. The crux of the film revolves around the persecution of Crawford's Vienna by a gathering of townsfolk that see her as an outsider; notably, Vienna doesn't actually interfere with anyone, it's simply the thought of sharing a potential future bounty to be brought about by industry that others can't stand. In retaliation for the perceived slight of existing, the group seeks out any reason to comdemn Vienna, and when the letter of the law doesn't fit, the law is changed. Though the persecution could fit with a number of groups (interpretations based on race, religion, sexuality and the like could be made to fit), the most common seems to be political, relating specifically to McCarthyism; this is confirmed most clearly by both the year of release and the presence of a single inflammatory personality (played exceptionally infuriatingly by McCambridge) to drive opinion of an otherwise malleable and uninspired group. A well-grounded social piece that was poorly received in the manner of many Revisionist Westerns because Westerns trade on a conservatism that plays to their viewer base, which wasn't willing to accept social criticism of a state that could not be slandered. Still, the film can't shake some crudeness based on its contemporary popular Western roots, even if they seemed to use it with some satire (Hayden's Johnny ex Machina and Brady's hotheaded Kid don't necessarily fit, apart from a contrast to the dangers of the townsfolk, an opposing extreme). I could watch Joan Crawford tell other people to screw off for hours. I also love how Crawford is told to change her white dress, given that it's too noticeable and will only lead to their capture during their final escape, and she changes into ... a bright red shirt. (3.5/5)

Nicholas Ray's masterpiece works on multiple levels. Watch it for its melodramatic thrills. Then read about all of the production drama that took place to appreciate how it affected the acting. But, on either screening don't overlook the sexual sub-text and political allegory.

Not your typical western exactly (although you can see many of the western tropes in there). Also, it is a strange film and I can't say exactly why I liked it.

The landscape and the dessert area is beautiful. It reminds me a lot of Red Dead Redemption. Damn! This Vienna chick is a badass! She knows how to stand her own ground and she's not afraid to do whatever it takes to protect herself and her assets. I love all the surprises that come out of nowhere in this movie as well as all the reveals and interactions with all the characters. There's some grade A acting going on in this movie. Wow, the Dancing' Kid's horse is beautiful. There's nothing more exhilarating than horseback riding. The bond you share with the horse and getting it to run is a truly unforgettable experience. It's crazy to think that back then they were blowing up mountains and land just so they could excavate gold and silver and get rich. Everyone has there own characteristics and personality which makes each one stand out. Sterling's acting, I will say, does go a bit flat at times almost seeming like he doesn't want to be there or like he's on the wrong set. It's crazy to see how people can get when they congregate into a stir crazy group. And all it takes is one person to rile up a whole group. You can see just how thirsty for blood Emma is. How mad she is with power and rage and anger. It's kind of frightening to watch. Almost like she's turning into a little demon wreaking havoc. This movie must have been somewhat controversial back in the day especially with the whole hanging a woman on screen. This movie was sublime. A really well done Western that's not really Western but more of a love revenge story. It was written to perfection and can be deemed one of the best Western's I've ever seen. It goes deep within the human's psyche and shows us the evil's were capable of when we let jealousy, greed, and power get the best of us. It's definitely a movie with a statement that is well ahead of it's time. I'd totally watch it again.

One of the finest Joan Crawford films ever made. Heart-pounding action with an incredible story that reaches the heights that matches the best early classic westerns. Brilliant acting by Crawford and McCambridge and Sterling Hayden. Fine cast all around! Not to be missed!

The best Western movie ever made! With the best movie character ever portrayed: Mercedes McCambridge as Emma Small!

Made more than 60 years ago, Nicholas Ray's Joan Crawford starrer, which puts her in her first proper Western, has not dated well. Aside from the rigid acting styles, jarring studio shoots and the (intentional) campy scenarios and dialogue - all of which can still be charming even in the present context, the thing that stands out most, and not necessarily in a good way, is the casting of Crawford, a kitchen-sink melodrama queen repositioned the strong-minded saloon owner Vienna, who has attracted the hostility and detestation of other town folks, especially Mercedes McCambridge's Emma Small - who reminds me of a demented Judy Garland. Subverting the Western genre, and despite the film's title, the men are not the real protagonists here as the two ladies (and there seems to be only two women living in this town) take centre stage in moving a fairly predictable narrative along. However, despite some progressive tendencies, I don't see this as a feminist film, as the ladies' motivations are still fairly men-centric, while Crawford has to be saved more than once by good ol' Johnny. Ray's direction is exemplary, especially considering he has to cope with Crawford's temperaments, and the script, sharp and funny in places and just plain ridiculous in others, is a camp exercise in retrofitting one genre (western) for the benefit of another (melodrama) and while there are enough zingers here to keep some fans happy, I was cringing more than I was laughing - reactions that I cannot imagine were Ray's or Crawford's intentions when they made the film. While some might consider this a (camp) classic, but sorry, Vienna, this means nothing to me.

Absolutely Brilliant.

We don't get this rating at all! I would say that the movie scrip, cast, dialog and setting are So Bad it is a must see to believe. The buggy ride is hilarious with the high speed background flying by at breakneck speed.