'THE LONE RANGER'

'THE LONE RANGER' (PG-13) (2 STARS)

Written by Justin Haythe, Ted Elliot and Terry Rossario
Directed by Gore Verbinski
Actors: Armie Hammer, Johnny Depp, William Fichtner, Tom Wilkinson, Helena Bonham Carter, Ruth Wilson, James Badge Dale.

I don't think Hollywood knows what to do with the old radio serial and television show "The Lone Ranger". Writers Justin Haythe, Terry Elliott and Rosario and director Gore Verbinski don't get it because their "Lone Ranger" has multiple personalities. I didn't hate it as much as the critics did, I just shook my head a lot and felt kind of weird throughout. This almost hit the "White House Down" so bad it is good zenith but this movie is too dull in a lot of spots and it's hero is too much of a wimp and a dullard. This is a sometimes too violent (for what is supposed to be a light, fun western) and a lot of times an unintentionally funny and goofy slapstick cartoon.

Armie Hammer plays the titular character John Reid aka "The Lone Ranger" and I think he is either miscast or just not very good at playing a hero. This is a good actor that is called on to play a wimpering and shy simpleton who doesn't even want to be The Lone Ranger. The movie is over taken by Johnny Depp as the sidekick Tonto and Depp of course is good in the role but the character isn't really that deep. Shouldn't a modern "Lone Ranger" movie reinvent Tonto into someone more than just a cartoon character like he comes off here. Depp is good but this is in the good but weird category of Barnabas Collins and Willy Wonka then in the far superior Ed Wood and Edward Scissorhands category of Depp characters. So what you have here is a shallow Ranger and a cartoon character Tonto.

The other problem with "The Lone Ranger" is the uneasy blend of offbeat black comedy mixed with extreme violence (nasty violence) and slapstick chases in the tradition of Buster Keaton. I did laugh at the weird use of the Ranger's horse Silver showing up at strange times to save the day. I couldn't figure out though if the horse was supposed to be supernatural or having the horse showing up was just a weird ploy by the filmmakers to be too cute.
This movie does not know what it wants to be and is to many things except for rousing, good and entertaining. Who is this movie for? It's not for little kids because of the violence but it has eccentric humor, slapstick and that strange use of Silver. It is also not for western loving adults because the chases are Road Runner like and too silly.

"The Lone Ranger" should have been fun and freewheeling and thrilling shouldn't it be? It should not be overly violent, very long and full of so many dark and boring moments. It has a weird Johnny Depp playing a weird Tonto and upstaging a very boring Armie Hammer and Ranger. It has a bad guy in Butch Cavendish who here looks scary, dark and way out of place for this movie (this will scare little kids). It has slapstick scenes and chases that are more "Pirates of the Caribbean" than scenes and chases suitable for a western and where is the shootout or final duel? This is a sometimes fun but mostly boring, dull and very violent movie that should have been much more. There are too many long spots in the movie that will bore it's audience, this is not a very fun time at the movies.