"THE LONE RANGER" (2013) Review

"THE LONE RANGER" (2013) Review

My memories of the 1950s television series, "THE LONE RANGER", is a bit sketchy. Actually, it is downright vague. I can recall Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels in their costumes - the latter wearing a mask. I can recall Moore bellowing "Hi ho Silver!" every once in a while. And I do recall that the series was shot in black-and-white. I have no memories of a particular episode or storyline. I never invested any genuine interest in the series during my childhood. 

When I learned that the Disney Studios and Jerry Bruckheimer planned to produce a movie about the Lone Ranger, I regarded the announcement with very little interest. Not even the news that Johnny Depp would portray Tonto could generate any excitement within me. Usually, I would have been excited by the news of another collaboration between Bruckheimer and Depp - especially since this collaboration marked the return of Gore Verbinski as director. But my lukewarm regard toward the old "THE LONE RANGER" made it impossible for me get excited. Instead, I merely adopted an attitude of "wait and see" and dismissed the news from my mind . . . until the release date for the movie finally approached.

Directed by Gore Verbinski, "THE LONE RANGER" was not only based upon the 1950s television show, but also the 1933 radio program. The movie is basically an origin tale of how a Commanche named Tonto met the man who became the Lone Ranger. It begins in San Francisco 1933, in which Will, a young boy and fan of the Lone Ranger myth, meets the elderly Tonto at a Wild West exhibition at a local fair. The story jumps back 64 years to 1869 in Colby, Texas; where a young attorney named John Reid is returning home by train to become an assistant district attorney. Also traveling on the train as prisoners is the notorious outlaw Butch Cavendish and Tonto. Cavendish is heading back to Colby to be hanged, following his capture by John's older brother Dan and the other Texas Rangers in the area. However, Cavendish's gang manages to rescue their leader and escape, leaving John, Tonto and other passengers aboard a runaway train. The latter eventually derails at a rail construction site for the unfinished Transcontinental Railroad and Tonto is arrested by the Reid brothers. Dan, who is married to John's childhood love Rebecca Reid, deputizes his younger brother as a Texas Ranger before the whole group sets out to recapture Cavendish and his gang. Unfortunately for the Reid brothers and their fellow Rangers, there is a traitor amongst them who sets them up to be ambushed and killed by the Cavendish gang. Only John survives, due to the assistance of Tonto, who managed to escape jail. Seeking revenge, John sets out to find and capture Cavendish with Tonto's help; unaware that the Commanche has his own vengeful agenda regarding Cavendish.

The question remains . . . did I enjoy "THE LONE RANGER"? I can honestly say that I did not like it as much as I had liked the three "PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN" movies that Gore Verbinski had directed - "THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL", "DEAD MAN'S CHEST" and "AT WORLD'S END". I take some of that back. Perhaps I liked it as much as I did "AT WORLD'S END". I certainly liked it more than the fourth "PIRATES" movie, "ON STRANGER TIDES". However, "THE LONE RANGER" had its flaws. One, I found the 149 minutes running time a bit too long about the movie adaptation of an old radio/television character. This movie could have undergone a bit more trimming, leaving the movie slightly longer than 120 minutes. What could Verbinski, Bruckheimer and the three screenwriters have cut? I have no idea. Well . . . I would have cut the 1933 sequences. I really did not see the need of an aging Tonto recalling his first meeting with the Lone Ranger with some kid. Two, there were some minor aspects of the plot that could have been a bit more clear. For instance, who saved Rebecca and her son Danny Reid from Collins, the Texas Ranger who had betrayed her husband? The movie never explained. The movie also failed to explain how Tonto had escaped from the Colby jail in time to find a wounded John Reid and nurse him back to health. Three, I was not impressed by Hans Zimmer's score. To be honest, I have no memories of it. And if there is one thing that can contribute to the quality of a movie, is a first-rate score."THE LONE RANGER" simply did not have one. And finally, I could have done without the train wreck that Tonto and John survived near the movie's beginning. I wish screenwriters Ted Elliot, Terry Rossio and Justin Haythe could have found a less over-the-top way for Cavendish to escape the hangman's noose.

Despite these flaws, I still managed to enjoy "THE LONG RANGER" very much. The screenwriters still managed to construct an interesting and entertaining tale about frontier politics, justice and revenge. In fact, the movie not only featured its usual staple of humor and action found in an Depp/Verbinski/Bruckheimer film, it also featured some pretty dark moments in its plot. Aware of moviegoers' current dislike of summer films with a dark undertone - unless its a movie about some comic book hero or simply a drama - I was rather glad that the screenwriters and Verbinski managed to inject some darkness into the plot. The tragic circumstances surrounding the deaths of Dan Reid and his fellow Texas Rangers, along with the reasons behind Tonto's desire for revenge against Cavendish, the deadly attack upon the Reids' ranch, and the threat of railroad construction and the U.S. Army against Commanche lands made this story very interesting. Another fascinating aspect of the movie's plot proved to be the relationship between Tonto and John aka the Lone Ranger. First of all, I liked how the screenwriters made Tonto responsible for the creation of the Lone Ranger myth. Two, the development of Tonto and John's relationship proved to be an uphill and hard-won battle. The screenwriters did not make it easy for the pair. A fellow co-worker had complained of John's reluctance to trust Tonto by following the latter's advice. A part of me agreed with him. Another part of me understood John's reluctance, considering that Tonto had failed to be completely honest with him. Although I was not impressed by Zimmer's score, I must admit that I truly enjoyed how the composer used the old Lone Ranger theme - Gioachino Rossini's "William Tell Overture" - to accompany the movie's final action sequence. I found it so inspiring.

"THE LONE RANGER" also featured little moments that I found very interesting . . . and entertaining. One of those moments was a hilarious flash-forward that depicted the Lone Ranger and Tonto's robbery of a local bank that contained an item used by the pair to defeat the villains. Another scene that I enjoyed centered on the pair's efforts to escape from being trampled upon after being buried in the ground by Commanches. I also enjoyed Tonto's rescue of John, who was nearly hanged by Cavendish and the U.S. Army. And I especially enjoyed the last action sequence in which the pair tried to prevent the transportation of silver stolen from the Commanche lands by Cavendish and his partner. But my favorite moment - and it is a small one - centered around the love triangle between the Reid brothers, the woman they both loved, Rebecca; and a blue silk handkerchief used in the most subtle and erotic manner.

As for the movie's technical aspects, I must admit that I left the movie theater feeling very impressed by it. I found Bojan Bazelli's photography of the locations in California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Utah and Colorado very beautiful. There was another aspect of Bazelli's photography that I found interesting. The movie's color scheme started out as chrome gray as soon as the plot shifted to 1869 Texas. Yet, even the 19th century "flashbacks" eventually grew in color as the story unfolded and the relationship between Tonto and John strengthen. I also have to commend the film's editing done by James Haygood and Craig Wood, especially in many of the film's action sequences. And Jess Gonchor did a beautiful job in re-creating mid-19th century Texas through his production designs - especially in the Colby and railroad construction sequences. Three time BAFTA nominee Penny Rose, who had designed the costumes for the "PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN" movies, collaborated with Bruckheimer and Verbinski again as costume designer for "THE LONE RANGER". I could rave about Rose's work and how she perfectly captured the style of frontier fashions at the end of the 1860s. By why bother, when all I have to do is point out her work in the image below:



I found the performances featured in "THE LONE RANGER" outstanding . . . aside from two. One of those exceptions proved to be Helena Bonham-Carter's portrayal of Red Harrington, an ivory-legged brothel madam who assists Tonto and John. Actually, Bonham-Carter gave a colorful and earthy performance as the one-legged madam who also sought revenge against Cavendish. Unfortunately, the movie's screenplay failed to do anything with her character, other than allow her to provide some information to the pair in the movie's first half and assist them for a brief moment in the final action sequence. Elliot, Rossio and Haythe pretty much wasted her character and Bonham-Carter's time. Barry Pepper gave a colorful performance as the xenophobic U.S. Army Captain Jay Fuller, who allowed himself to be corrupted by Cavendish and his partner. But as much as I enjoyed Pepper's performance, I found myself a bit unsatisfied with how the screenwriters handled his character. Captain Fuller's transformation from a determined Army officer to a corrupt one struck me as a bit rushed and clumsy. James Badge Dale fared a lot better as John Reid's older brother, Texas Ranger Dan Reid. He gave an excellent performance as the professional lawman torn between his love for his younger brother and jealousy toward his wife's continuing feelings for the latter. Remember my recall of the scene featuring the blue silk handkerchief? Badge Dale's performance in that scene really made it particularly memorable for me. It has been a while since I last saw William Fitchner in a movie - over three years, as a matter of fact. The man has portrayed a vast array of interesting characters over the years. And I would definitely count the outlaw Butch Cavendish as one of those characters. Fitchner skillfully portrayed the outlaw as a walking horror story with an impish sense of humor.

Tom Wilkinson, whom one could always count on portraying interesting and complex characters, skillfully portrayed another one in the form of railroad tycoon, Latham Cole. Wilkinson did an excellent job in portraying Cole as a subtle and wily man whose desire for Rebecca Reid, power and wealth; along with the construction of the railroad makes him a potential enemy of both Tonto and the Lone Ranger. I was surprised to discover that British actress Ruth Wilson had been cast as Rebecca Reid, John's sister-in-law and the love of his life. I have always felt that she was a top-notch actress and her portrayal of the spirited Rebecca did not prove me wrong. But I was very surprised by how she easily handled a Texas accent during her performance. If someone ever decides to do a remake of the 1965 movie, "THE GREAT RACE", I would cast Arnie Hammer in the role of Leslie Gallant aka the Great Leslie. Hammer did a beautiful job in conveying a similar uptight and annoyingly noble personality in his portrayal of John Reid aka the Lone Ranger. In a way, I could see why a good number of fans found John's stubborn refusal to improvise in dealing with Cavendish rather annoying. And if they did, Hammer succeeded in his performance on many levels . . . and still managed to be likeable. At least to me. Some critics had complained that Depp's portrayal of Tonto failed to become another Jack Sparrow. Others complained that his Tonto seemed too much like Tonto. I will admit that Depp, the screenwriters and Verbinski utilized a similar sense of humor in the portrayal of Tonto. But thanks to Depp's performance, the latter proved to be a different kettle of fish. Not only did I find Depp's portrayal of the wily and vengeful Commanche rather funny, but also sad, considering the character's back story. This allowed the actor to inject a tragicomedic layer in his portrayal of Tonto that reminded me why he is considered one of the best actors in the film industry.

As I had stated earlier, "THE LONE RANGER" did not strike me as perfect. I certainly do not regard it as one of the best movies from the summer of 2013; due to a running time I found too long, a few problems with the script and the presence of two characters I believe were mishandled. On the other hand, it turned out to be a first-rate action Western with a plot that featured some surprising plot twists and a dark streak that I believe made the story even more interesting. It did help that I not only enjoyed the post-Civil War setting, but also the performances of an excellent cast led by Johnny Depp and Arnie Hammer and a very entertaining direction by Gore Verbinski.