Review of Johnny Guitar (1954) by Chris M — 13 Aug 2012
"Never seen a woman who was more of a man." One of The Great Westerns, Johnny Guitar sizzles with an angry intensity not often found in the genre at this point in time. Joan Crawford is a stern saloon owner determined to make her fortune along the rails of Arizona, but when she calls on a former lover to protect her from Mercedes McCambridge's unbridled hatred the soon-to be-boom-town ignites in reckless, operatic violence.
Nicholas Ray shoots a gorgeous picture but it's the spitting stylized dialog that really sets this Western apart from any other. "Down there I sell whisky and cards, up these stairs all you can buy is a bullet in the head.
" Sterling Hayden is slick and cool as the titular gunfighter but this is Joan Crawford's show--and she owns it as the frontier's toughest broad. VF.
This review of Johnny Guitar (1954) was written by Chris M on 13 Aug 2012.
Johnny Guitar has generally received very positive reviews.
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