Johnny Guitar - Gehasst, gejagt, gefürchtet

Johnny Guitar is a western from another world occupying the allegorical space between reality and a bad dream (or do we find ourselves squarely in the characters’ subconscious?). It is at times a tense psycho-thriller (the opening scene with a spinning roulette wheel and the wind howling outside), at other times a satanic horror flick (a night-time lynching, obviously reflecting McCarthy’s witch hunt), and at its core a heavy melodrama, but one in which it is not entirely clear until the climax who longs for whom. The cynical and mentally unstable protagonists (as in most of Ray’s films) are a representative sample of post-war American society, with Vienna as an emancipated woman to whom a man, ignorant of the new conditions, returns from the war. The crucial motif of the circle (roulette wheel, chandelier), the colour symbolism emphasised at the boundary of camp (Crawford constantly changes costumes), the formalistic virtuosity and the riveting pace of the narrative. This is a film in which so much happens and that can be "read" in so many different ways that the first viewing will be just the beginning of a beautiful friendship for any lover of the dark side of classic Hollywood. 85% (11.06.2016)

A western movie named after a typical dandy who thought that he was the king of the wild west but who was easily overtaken by two usurping dominatrices. One glance at them is enough to see who the true ruler is. Certainly an interesting piece within its genre where the only memorable thing are the two girls. They’re not something you get to see everyday. (24.08.2019)

This is exactly the type of movie why I like Joan Crawford so much. Strong, confident, and incredibly beautiful in her own way. Plus, the interesting Sterling Hayden and the story about the cruelty of people and how life can be unjust even in the Wild West. An excellent western in great colors that is worth watching. (03.12.2014)