Johnny Guitar (1954)

Directed by Nicholas Ray. Starring Joan Crawford, Sterling Hayden, Mercedes McCambridge, Scott Brady, Ward Bond, Ben Cooper, John Carradine, Ernest Borgnine, Frank Ferguson, Royal Dano.

It’s Clash of the Hussies, as vengeful hellion McCambridge refuses to stop at anything to ruin imperious saloon owner Crawford; the sentimental men surrounding them, including gunslinger-turned-guitarist Hayden and languishing outlaw Brady, may as well be the ones wearing the dresses. Eccentric Western is fascinating enough to have acquired a small but fervent following, but stiffens up and gets too talky at times. Heavy on metaphor, subtext and symbolism (too heavy when it comes to clunky lines like “when a fire burns itself out, all you have left is ashes”), short on restraint. The hatred that Crawford and McCambridge reportedly had for each other during shooting is represented onscreen, while Hayden gives one of his most laidback performances. Despite its issues, a minor (almost secret) genre classic, and far more interesting than the average oater.

76/100