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Johnny Guitar

1954 · TMDB 7.4

Directed by Nicholas Ray

On the outskirts of town, the hard-nosed Vienna owns a saloon frequented by the undesirables of the region, including Dancin' Kid and his gang. Another patron of Vienna's establishment is Johnny Guitar, a former gunslinger and her lover. When a heist is pulled in town that results in a man's death, Emma Small, Vienna's rival, rallies the townsfolk to take revenge on Vienna's saloon – even without proof of her wrongdoing.

Why it matters

A saloon owner faces a lynch mob in a stylised Western, written by blacklisted Philip Yordan (who fronted for others) and directed by Nicholas Ray.

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