"The Lone Ranger" Review

This Independence Day, Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski brings us his edgy update of The Lone Ranger, which sees the Native American warrior Tonto (Johnny Depp) recounting the untold tale of John Reid's transformation from a mild-mannered lawman into the masked legend of justice known as The Lone Ranger (Armie Hammer).

The script from Pirates scribes Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio and Snitch writer Justin Haythe delivers nonstop humor and action, as well as a plot riddled with twists and endearing characters. In essence, it's everything that a great summer movie should be.

If you're going to do a big-budget reboot properly, the top priority for a filmmaker is to stay true to the spirit of the source material. Anything else, such as fleshing out characters more deeply, is just a bonus. Not only does Verbinski's Lone Ranger stay true to its campy Wild West roots; it tackles many of the familiar tropes from the old radio and television programs with a wicked, often gleefully self-deprecating sense of humor. The Lone Ranger's classic "Hi, ho Silver!" is met with a blunt "Never do that again!" from Tonto. There are also roughly two or three instances where Tonto breaks the fourth wall in his recounting of the story in hilariously unexpected fashion. I found myself laughing so often that I had to do some research afterwards to assure myself that this film, in fact, was not intended to be a comedy so much as it was to be a western with comedic elements.

Furthermore, longtime fans of The Lone Ranger should be pleased to know that the film's musical score DOES include Rossini's rousing "William Tell Overture", which has served as the theme music for The Lone Ranger since his earliest appearances on radio in the 1930s and 40s. Watching stars Depp and Hammer miraculously weave their way across two runaway trains, beating up bad guys, with all of the action set to Rossini's music is some of the most fun I've had at the movies all year.

As for the leads, they're nothing short of stellar. Depp goes all in with the makeup once again in his role as the Lone Ranger's Native American sidekick, Tonto. He is a blast to watch, as usual, and successfully drives most of the film's humor; though his character takes several cues from Captain Jack Sparrow, be it with facial expressions or the way he convinces himself of the relevance of some inanimate objects. (Here it's a dead crow, but remember the "jar of dirt", the Aztec medallion, or that weird scene with the crabs disguised as rocks in Pirates 3?)

Hammer plays the unlikely titular hero with aplomb, even though his name and good looks may recommend him more for a role in Thor. He perfectly embodies the fish-out-of-water qualities that make his character so endearing. Hammer's John Reid knows that he must protect the Wild West from the fiendish likes of Butch Cavendish (a disgustingly, gleefully sinister William Fichtner) and his train-robbin', silver-stealin' gang. The fascinating problem for Reid is that he must decide whether to be true to his college-educated self by apprehending the villains and allowing them to stand trial or remain loyal to his unlikely partner (Depp) by embracing the mask of the Lone Ranger and demanding blood. Hammer's chemistry with Depp is near-perfect, as the two make for a wonderfully mismatched duo.

Any major faults with The Lone Ranger can be attributed to its sense of campiness. There are several  ham-fisted stunts that get harder and harder to forgive as things move along. But even so, you can't help but smile and call Tonto a badass for non-chalantly walking across a ladder from the roof of one speeding train to another, just to have the ladder hit a tree and shatter into a thousand tiny splinters the moment he steps off. There's also a decent amount of violence, even for a PG-13 Disney movie. The ambiance isn't quite as dark as Pirates of the Caribbean, but the violence is more frequent and more intense. Scenes of cannibalism, blood, gunplay and drowning are depicted in a fairly non-graphic manner, but think twice before bringing children under the age of 10.

All in all, credit the screenwriters for a strong script that maintains its reverence for the source material while refusing to take itself too seriously. Credit both Verbinski and Pirates producer Jerry Bruckheimer for taking the appropriate creative liberties to ensure that an 80-year-old property would feel new and exciting to young audiences while still allowing fans of the original material to take a walk down Memory Lane.

A surprising sense of humor, a fair dose of intense Wild-West action and fine performances from Hammer and Depp allow The Lone Ranger to zoom past expectations like a runaway train. All the ingredients for a perfect summer blockbuster are here, and Verbinski and company darn-near pull it off. This is as entertaining a time as you're likely to have at the movies all year.

9.5/10