A Wild West saloon owner (Joan Crawford) finds herself at odds with the locals, and when the arrival of her outlaw ex-boyfriend (Sterling Hayden) coincides with a robbery that caused the death of their leader's brother, it leads to a fiery standoff at her place of business. Though simple seeming and modestly budgeted, Nicholas Ray's Johnny Guitar is bizarre and sexually charged. with a wide eyed Crawford and a repressed Mercedes McCambridge both looking possessed, that features memorable and famed sequences. Outstanding direction and use of technicolor.
*** 1/2 out of ****
