THE LONE RANGER (2013)

Genre: Action/Adventure
Director: Gore Verbinski
Cast: Johnny Depp, Armie Hammer, Tom Wilkinson, William Fichtner, Barry Pepper, James Badge Dale, Ruth Wilson, Helena Bonham Carter
RunTime: 2 hrs 30 mins
Rating: PG13
Released By: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Official Website: http://www.facebook.com/TheLoneRanger
 
Opening Day: 4 July 2013 

Synopsis: From producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Gore Verbinski, the filmmaking team behind the blockbuster "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise, comes Disney/Jerry Bruckheimer Films’ "The Lone Ranger," a thrilling adventure infused with action and humor, in which the famed masked hero is brought to life through new eyes. Native American spirit warrior Tonto (Johnny Depp) recounts the untold tales that transformed John Reid (Armie Hammer), a man of the law, into a legend of justice—taking the audience on a runaway train of epic surprises and humorous friction as the two unlikely heroes must learn to work together and fight against greed and corruption.

Movie Review:

If not for Johnny Depp, this big-budget revisionist interpretation of the classic ‘Lone Ranger’ character would probably never have happened. Sure, the baby-boomer generation of the 1950s might remember the popular TV show in which Clayton Moore was the titular character, but there is scarcely any trace left of the masked ex-Texas Ranger in popular culture half a century later. That reality isn’t lost on Depp nor his ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ director Gore Verbinski; rather than keep to the spirit of previous incarnations, their reboot essentially applies the sensibilities of their previous franchise-spawning ‘Pirates’ venture to the story of two outlaws in the Wild West. 

Notwithstanding the title, it is the Lone Ranger’s sidekick Tonto who takes centre-stage here. That’s no surprise really - after all, Depp is playing Tonto and not the Ranger, so it’s only logical who gets top billing. His trademark eccentricity in glorious display, Depp’s Tonto has a face painted white with four vertical black streaks and most distinctively, a dead crow perched atop his forehead which he obsessively feeds. Suffice to say that this is not the Tonto that Jay Silverheels used to play in the TV series; instead, this is a distinctively Depp creation, one that immediately recalls his Jack Sparrow kookiness but is yet more grounded and complex and in our opinion his most intriguing character part yet.

Even though his behaviour and mannerisms are signature Depp, this Tonto retains the reticence of the original character and therefore speaks little and with much brevity. That characteristic isn’t in any way a handicap though (even though Depp’s loquaciousness with Jack Sparrow in ‘Pirates’ might suggest otherwise); instead, the witty script concocted by the ‘Pirates’ team of Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio along with Justin Haythe reserve the best punchlines for Tonto, which Depp delivers with sheer aplomb. In particular, Depp’s deadpanning makes for great humour in the middle section of the film, which deliberately lets the action take a back seat in favour of some wry character bonding between Tonto and the Lone Ranger.

Yet for the scene-stealer (or show-stopper even) that Depp is, one would not be able to do the film justice without due mention of the Lone Ranger himself. Setting aside his dramatic chops from ‘The Social Network’ and ‘J. Edgar’, Armie Hammer gives a straight-up performance as the clean-cut prosecutor turned Texas Ranger John Reid whose staunch belief in the code of law is tested by the wonton corruption that he witnesses. Reid’s transformation from a lawman to an outlaw is the origins story that Elliott and Rossio want to tell, which along the way includes how the mask came to be as well as why his “spirit horse” is named Silver.

Though Reid’s quest for justice propels the story, Hammer knows better than to try to steal the thunder from Depp. Aptly therefore, he contends with being Depp’s foil, the ‘yin’ to Depp’s ‘yang’ that is as straight-arrow orthodox as Depp is idiosyncratically unorthodox. By being Depp’s opposite, Hammer finds a sweet spot completing the odd couple-pairing that manifests itself both in their snappy repartee as well as some truly amusing physical moments. In particular, the latter forms a nice segue into the big-action climax, especially since that marks the first time our two heroes work side by side like clockwork to stop what they finally realise is their common enemy.

That enemy is none other than the sadistic criminal Butch Cavendish (played with dastardly menace by William Fitchner), whom fans of the TV series will recognise as the person responsible for killing Reid’s posse of Texas Rangers and leaving him for dead in the desert. Butch isn’t alone as the villain here though; to up the stakes, the writers also throw in a railroad tycoon named Latham Cole (Tom Wilkinson) as well as a cavalry leader General Fuller (Barry Pepper) whom Latham enlists in his feigned war against the Red Indians in a bid to control the railroad and the riches to be found deep in Indian territory. That is a fair bit to set up, which explains the seemingly indulgent two-and-half-hour running time that in reality coasts by surprisingly swiftly.

Besides the sheer charisma of Depp’s character as well as to a lesser if no less significant extent Hammer’s, the film manages to be consistently entertaining thanks in no small part to Verbinski. No stranger to the Western genre after successfully directing Depp in voice only in “Rango”, Verbinski makes an effortless transition to live-action with the same derring-do that he amply demonstrated at the helm of the first three ‘Pirates’ movies. As with ‘Pirates’, he shows a deftness in navigating Elliott and Rossio’s intentionally convoluted screenplay, which actually succeeds in giving Depp and Hammer the space for their characters to develop alongside each other while creating the right excuses for major action setpieces.

Verbinski is of course no stranger to the kind of spectacle summer audiences want to see. Trading pirate ships for old-school coal trains, he begins with a literal bang as Tonto and Reid first make their acquaintance on board a hijacked train transporting Butch Cavendish to a New Mexico town to face punishment for his crimes. It is a jaw-dropping setpiece to say the least, even more so for the fact that it was shot for real instead of by CGI. But Verbinski sets aside the bulk of the coin for the climax, which can only be described as a glorious triumph in action choreography that pits good and bad in breathtaking fashion aboard two criss-crossing locomotives. Thrilling doesn’t even begin to describe how exciting it is, given an elegant balletic touch by Hans Zimmer’s rendition of Rossini’s ‘William Tell Overture’.

And on that exuberant note, Verbinski more than convinces that his ‘Pirates’ treatment of the Lone Ranger classic is a resounding success. Not only does it pack the same level of exhilaration, it allows Depp an opportunity to yet again tap on his considerable pool of acting quirks to create a familiar yet wholly refreshing character. His Tonto is like no other Tonto yet seen, nor is it simply just a Jack Sparrow in the desert; therein lies the beauty of Depp’s creation and even if it isn’t Tonto’s name you see on the title, it will be his that you will remember and reminisce fondly long after the credits are over. 

Movie Rating:

(Bringing their 'Pirates' sensibilities to the Wild West, the triumvirate of director Gore Verbinski, producer Jerry Bruckheimer and star Johnny Depp succeed in fashioning a rollicking action adventure full of eccentric charm, quirky humour, and big-action spectacle)

Review by Gabriel Chong