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The Lone Ranger poster

CAST
JOHNNY DEPP
ARMIE HAMMER
JAMES BADGE DALE
HELENA BONHAM-CARTER
W. EARL BROWN
WILLIAM FICHTNER
MATT O’LEARY
BARRY PEPPER
TOM WILKINSON
RUTH WILSON

BASED ON CHARACTERS CREATED BY
FRAN STRIKER
GEORGE W. TRENDLE

SCREENPLAY BY
TED ELLIOTT
JUSTIN HAYTHE
TERRY ROSSIO

PRODUCED BY
JERRY BRUCKHEIMER
GORE VERBINSKI

DIRECTED BY
GORE VERBINSKI

GENRE
ACTION
ADVENTURE
WESTERN

RATED
AUS: NA
UK: 12A
USA: PG-13

RUNNING TIME
149 MIN

LINKS
IMAGES
MOVIE POSTERS
TRAILERS & CLIPS

THE LONE RANGER (2013)

As big and boisterous as any Jerry Bruckheimer production would be, The Lone Ranger perplexes as much as it entertains with a strong left of centre ideology clashing with the conservative roots of its action western genre.

In many ways The Lone Ranger is a carbon copy of The Pirates of the Caribbean: it is a Jerry Bruckheimer production directed by Gore Verbinski, stars Johnny Depp as an eccentric hero, a grizzly villain commands a group of grotty minions, there is a romantic sub-plot and things go “boom, crash, Disney” to choreographed precision. Just swap the ocean for the desert and you’re pretty much there.

Where The Lone Range stands apart from Pirates… – and indeed most other blockbusters – is that it has an ideology that is as jarring as it is interesting.

It all manifests from the arc of leading character John Reid (Armie Hammer) a naive district attorney who hates guns and proudly proclaims the law to be his religion ( a marked difference from the iconic characters inherent Christian philosophies).

When he and his brother Dan (James Badge Dale) are ambushed and killed by the savage outlaw Butch Cavendish (William Fichtner who plays the role with a delightfully gnarled villainy), Reid rises from the grave and swears justice upon the unjust, teaming up with the eccentric Comanche, Tonto (Johnny Depp) who has a vendetta of his own.

Both Hammer and Depp are solid in their roles. Hammer projects an “old Hollywood” vibe in his portrayal of a clean-cut hero, and Depp utilises that potent comedic timing of his to what could have been a tone flat performance. Of Depp’s gallery of oddballs, Tonto is a highlight.

Interesting is the different approaches these characters take to justice. Where Tonto prefers his up close and bloody, Reid is a stickler for the judicial process with a strict moral code often getting in the way of catching his man. While it is nice to see an action hero with pure principals in these Kick-Ass times, it is also frustrating to watch a cowboy with supernatural abilities trod along like he is the wild wests’ biggest boy-scout this way of Berkeley, especially in a genre which gave us gun-slinging, no BS giants such as John Wayne and Clint Eastwood.

Even more perplexing is the attitude Verbinski and Bruckhemier take towards American industry and the U.S. military. Where the former has its roots in the western genre with big banks, land barons and railroad companies often used for villainous foil, the latter is a surprise with The Lone Ranger taking the Avatar route in its portrayal of the American military as a totally corrupt institution on sale to the highest bidder, and with a taste for mowing down indigenous populations. Exactly how this will go down with the American public upon its 4th of July release date is to be seen.

With the animated western Rango under his belt, it is clear Verbinski is a fan of the genre. It can be felt in the scenery that evokes John Ford (The Searchers), and the character imagery is heavily inspired by Sergio Leone (Once Upon a Time in the West). Yet much like it’s title character, The Lone Ranger may look the look and talk the talk, but it does not walk the walk. If it strutted into an old town saloon, be sure it’ll be thrown out onto a pile of cow dung.

**1/2

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