Featured Audience Ratings

• Anthony L

  
  Johnny Guitar is probably my favourite western I've seen so far. It looks so good thanks to brilliant director Nicholas Ray and the performances are second to none, Joan Crawford giving one of the most captivating performances ever and Mercedes McCambridge being one of the most… More
  Johnny Guitar is probably my favourite western I've seen so far. It looks so good thanks to brilliant director Nicholas Ray and the performances are second to none, Joan Crawford giving one of the most captivating performances ever and Mercedes McCambridge being one of the most overlooked cinematic villains of all time. The story is so much more than the usual Westerns of the time, a popular genres that was almost done to death until a brief come back in the 70's and again much more recently. Johnny Guitar still remains one of the more memorable and original and a bit of a cult classic.

• Matheus C

  
  It's quite a weird western with Joan Crawford filling the John Wayne shoes, glossy romantic scenes which could be thrown into a Douglas Sirk film and all painted with dramatic red strokes - from the sunsets, to a dramatic fire to Crawford's iconic lips. And it all ends in a… More
  It's quite a weird western with Joan Crawford filling the John Wayne shoes, glossy romantic scenes which could be thrown into a Douglas Sirk film and all painted with dramatic red strokes - from the sunsets, to a dramatic fire to Crawford's iconic lips. And it all ends in a rootin' tootin' gun shooting between its two female leads - a sort of Western version of a women's catfight. Peppered with great dialogue and a performance by Mercedes McCambridge which leaves no doubt why she was chosen to play the demon in "The Exorcist", there's little not to love.

• AJ V

  
  I hate westerns, so I rated it lower because of that, but it is a different kind of western than normal. The story is sort of boring, but the characters aren't is another way of putting it. Anyway, it's interesting.

• Devon B

  
  Joan Crawford is Vienna, a frontier woman you don't want to mess with, but her arch nemesis, the maniacally evil Emma Small (Mercedes McCambridge) is one terrifying broad. The movie may be titled "Johnny Guitar", but it's all about the women duking it out, in a… More
  Joan Crawford is Vienna, a frontier woman you don't want to mess with, but her arch nemesis, the maniacally evil Emma Small (Mercedes McCambridge) is one terrifying broad. The movie may be titled "Johnny Guitar", but it's all about the women duking it out, in a sort of pseudo-feminist western (the men are all but dominated by the women). The film opens strongly, with a confrontation in Vienna's casino/bar. It seems the stage coach was robbed and Emma's brother was killed (they bring his body right into the casino and lay it down on the craps table). Emma blames Vienna's club and the men who frequent it, especially "the Dancin' Kid" (Scott Brady). In reality, Emma is in love with the Dancin' Kid and is jealous of his relationship with Vienna (who it's suggested, is sort of a fallen woman). She has another reason to hate Vienna; as the new railroad is being built, more and more outsiders will come to town, spreading their indecency and immorality. She thinks Vienna is the vanguard in an onslaught that will bring about her cherished town's destruction. She forms a posse and seeks to lynch Vienna, the Dancin' Kid and his cohorts. The Dancin' Kid claims he and his pardners are mining silver in a hidden mine, but they're being run out of town anyway. The Kid decides if they're going to be accused of being criminals, they may as well be criminals and they go and rob the bank. Vienna happens to be in the bank at the same time, closing her account. One thing leads to another, and it's Vienna who's accused of aiding the outlaws. In the midst of all this is Johnny Guitar, once Vienna's lover and now just a wandering minstrel. Vienna sends for Johnny to come and perform in her saloon, but really she wants to use him for protection, for you see Johnny is a former gunslinger, and one of the fastest and best gunmen in the west. The plot details don't mean a whole lot, as this is all just an excuse to see Crawford and McCambridge go at it, tooth and nail. All in all, it's good, 1950s, campy fun.

• Michael G

  
  Johnny Guitar is a decent western that even with the presence of horses, guns and cowboys didn't feel like a western. Nicholas Ray's direction is decent enough and it started off great, but about an hour in it just kind of went dead behind the eyes. I understand Joan… More
  Johnny Guitar is a decent western that even with the presence of horses, guns and cowboys didn't feel like a western. Nicholas Ray's direction is decent enough and it started off great, but about an hour in it just kind of went dead behind the eyes. I understand Joan Crawford and Mercedes McCambridge hated each others guts and it took a toll on Ray. Despite my not really caring after awhile, the cast makes the movie and if you don't want to dropkick McCambridge off the top of the Grand Canyon you're not alive. Worth the watch but don't trample any puppies to see it.

• Stella D

  
  campy and highly melodramatic but very entertaining. strong parallels to the mccarthy hearings. and there can't be too many westerns of this era with a shootout between two women! i couldn't help seeing stanwyck in joan's part but the ott performances are a big part… More
  campy and highly melodramatic but very entertaining. strong parallels to the mccarthy hearings. and there can't be too many westerns of this era with a shootout between two women! i couldn't help seeing stanwyck in joan's part but the ott performances are a big part of the fun :)

• Ken S

  
  Solid Western Melodrama. Sterling Hayden is awesome as usual

• William S

  
  More than just the camp classic it's held up to be. A truly great and under-valued master-piece. A great western that touches on feminism, masculinity, gender, sexuality, lynch-mob mentality and is still supreme entertainment. The big climactic stand off with McCambridge and… More
  More than just the camp classic it's held up to be. A truly great and under-valued master-piece. A great western that touches on feminism, masculinity, gender, sexuality, lynch-mob mentality and is still supreme entertainment. The big climactic stand off with McCambridge and Crawford makes me breathless!

• jay n

  
  bizarre

• John B

  
  Ray's Johnny Guitar is like no other western that I have ever seen. Joan Crawford is incredible as the toughest lady gun in the west. There are numerous ways to consider this film - as an outsider's perspective, as a subtle romance, as subversive..and it works in any way… More
  Ray's Johnny Guitar is like no other western that I have ever seen. Joan Crawford is incredible as the toughest lady gun in the west. There are numerous ways to consider this film - as an outsider's perspective, as a subtle romance, as subversive..and it works in any way that you view it.

• Anthony V

  
  As kinky as it gets in the 50s. Almost seems like a Western as directed by Sam Fuller. Full of symbolism, great performances and direction.

• Jared H

  
  This definitely seemed quite different than the other westerns that we've seen thus far in my western class. The role of women is interestingly managed here - you won't find a damsel in distress around these parts. And the overall entertainment value of this movie is pretty… More
  This definitely seemed quite different than the other westerns that we've seen thus far in my western class. The role of women is interestingly managed here - you won't find a damsel in distress around these parts. And the overall entertainment value of this movie is pretty high. It did feel a little campy at times, but in the kind of way that probably has made it more enjoyable over time. I can almost sense that it had a fair amount of influence on Tarantino's Kill Bill movies. Maybe that's just me, but it has more of that edge than, say, a standard "classic" western like Shane.

• MJS M

  
  This Nicholas Ray film would appear to be a standard Republic western at first sight, but it has become a staple of film school analysis because it has a number of subversive elements in its subtext. There?s an obvious anti-McCarthy allegory to the story with its sympathy toward… More
  This Nicholas Ray film would appear to be a standard Republic western at first sight, but it has become a staple of film school analysis because it has a number of subversive elements in its subtext. There?s an obvious anti-McCarthy allegory to the story with its sympathy toward people that are being persecuted by the elite of a town that tries to turn the gang against each other. There are also feminist elements to the film with Joan Crawford playing a very strong female protagonist and Mercedes McCambridge playing an equally strong female villain. This is definitely a step above its peers, but there are elements of cheese left over from its modest origins and it also has kind of a weak middle act between its strong beginning and stronger finish.

• Emily B

  
  A feminist western with the gender roles reversed. The title character is almost forgettable compared with Crawford and McCambridge and the bitter rivalry between them. The story itself is rather second rate, but the characters and the glorious overacting make this cult classic… More
  A feminist western with the gender roles reversed. The title character is almost forgettable compared with Crawford and McCambridge and the bitter rivalry between them. The story itself is rather second rate, but the characters and the glorious overacting make this cult classic worth seeing.

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