I remember watching old episodes of The Lone Ranger television series when I was a young girl. Back then I was totally into John Wayne (to this day I’m not sure exactly why – maybe it’s because we share a birthday?). I enjoyed watching westerns. Bonanza, Gun Smoke… I was totally into those shows.
I always thought the Lone Ranger was cool. There was just something very appealing about him. Maybe it was his beautiful white horse and his trusty sidekick Tonto.
When I heard they were making a film based on the Lone Ranger I was a bit surprised. You don’t see many films or TV shows these days based on cowboys and Indians.
I am a huge fan of Johnny Depp. He really puts his heart and soul into every character he portrays, no matter how quirky they are.
I received a copy of The Lone Ranger to review.
The Lone Ranger stars Johnny Depp as Tonto and Armie Hammer as the Lone Ranger.
If you read my blog frequently you know that I tend to write very lengthy posts. 🙂 Instead of me giving you a “play by play” of the film I’ll just share a brief synopsis of the film.
Armie Hammer plays John Reed, a Texas lawyer who is returning home via the Transcontinental Railroad. On the very same train is an outlaw name Butch Cavendish and an Indian name Tonto. Both men are in custody of the law and about to be sentenced for their crimes.
Before John can make it home the train is attacked by Cavendish’s men who rescue him from the law. In doing so they derail the train.
Once back in town John meets up with his brother, Dan, and his family. John is deputized by his brother and becomes a Texas Ranger. The brothers and a few other rangers head out to find Cavendish and his men. Sadly the rangers are ambushed and all are left for dead. Cavendish even cuts out Dan’s heart and eats it.
Meanwhile Tonto escaped from jail. He happens to come across the dead men and digs graves to put them in.
Out of no where a white horse appears. The horse has “chosen” John as a “windwalker”. Tonto thinks the horse is crazy. He didn’t see anything special in John when they briefly met on the derailed train. Because the horse has chosen him, Tonto has to do what he can to help John.
Tonto helps John to mask his identity, fearing that the bad guys will try and kill him again if they knew he was still alive. They came up with the name “Lone Ranger”.
This unlikely pair have to team up to battle some very corrupt people, including putting an end to Cavendish and his men who are trying to pass themselves off as Comanche Indians so that the Calvary will show up to drive them out of the area, making it easier for the bad guys to not only get the railway to go through their territory, but also to take possession of a not-so-secret Silver mine.
There are a lot of twists and turns, and plenty of bad guys. It’s up to the Lone Ranger (aka John) and Tonto to save the day.
Will they succeed in stopping the massacre of innocent Comanche Indians? Will they be able to stop the bad guys before it’s too late? To find out you need to pick up a copy of The Lone Ranger, available where movies are sold.
I liked the movie, but I found it to be way too long (almost 2.5 hours). A few times I felt like it was dragging along, and perhaps even a few scenes that might not have been needed to convey the story line.
Johnny Depp was great as Tonto. I can’t see anyone playing that part any better than Johnny. He was made for quirky parts like this.
Armie Hammer is very handsome, so he was pleasing on the eyes, even though the wore a most through most of the movie.
There were plenty of comical scenes, mostly between the Lone Ranger and Tonto. They were not “laugh out loud”, but chuckle worthy.
The action sequences and special effects were awesome. The entire train/action sequence towards the end of the film was amazing. They really put a lot of thought in creating each and every part of the sequence. It was really action packed. It was probably my favorite part of the film.
Check out this clip from the beginning of the film when John and Tonto first meet. It will give you a good sense of the type of edge-of-your-seat action you can expect from this film.
I know that the film didn’t necessarily do well in the box office, but that doesn’t mean its not a really good film. Plenty of other films didn’t do well in the box office but did great afterwards. Case in point – Elf, Pitch Perfect, Napoleon Dynamite and A Christmas Story. They failed to impress critics when they were in theaters but people love to watch them again and again on Blu-ray, DVD and on TV.
The Lone Ranger might be a bit long and drawn out in spots, but the action sequences more than make up for it.
Did you see The Lone Ranger when it was in theaters? What did you think about the film? Feel free to share your thoughts.
Here is the film’s trailer for your enjoyment.
Kimberly
*I received a free screener copy in order to do this review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.
M.Clark says
I did not see The Lone Ranger at the theater, I am looking forward to seeing it on DVD. Thank you for posting this great review and synopsis.
Sarah L says
I meant to go see it in the theater but never got around to it. Want to see it. I LOVED Pitch Perfect and have watched it several times.