The Lone Ranger

Many years since his days in the Wild West as a Native American warrior, Tonto (Johnny Depp), the infamous man of western mystery, is now an act in a touring circus. Prompted by a young attendant to the circus he recounts the story of how the lawyer John Reid (Armie Hammer) became the enforcer of justice known as the Lone Ranger. Specifically, how the greedy and dishonest men of the railroad industry came to power, how Tonto and Reid’s paths crossed, and ultimately how the two came to join forces.The-Lone-Ranger-2013-Movie-Poster But let’s be fair, this isn’t really a movie about the Lone Ranger, rather the Lone Ranger happens to be the canvas for Johnny Depp to apply his quirky self in another one dimensional display. That being said, if you enjoy Depp’s off beat delivery and sensibilities, well, here’s two more hours and ten minutes of Johnny doing his thing, at a certain point though, even the most stout fans will probably grow a bit weary. Armie Hammer on the other hand doesn’t really seem to get as much time in the limelight questioning why the film’s title isn’t just “Tonto!” Younger attention spans may be tested as getting to the real action is more of a slow burn. Scoring from Hans Zimmer feels like left overs from Sherlock Holmes, bringing to question when will Zimmer challenge himself again? But, when we finally get about two thirds into the film a rousing arrangement and beautiful recording of the William Tell Overture (quite possibly the longest re-arrangement ever)blows the audience out of their seats almost guaranteeing smiles on the faces of all aware of the Lone Ranger lore. A handful of pokes at the Ranger’s source material bring a few extra laughs, still the end product somehow feels empty, fun but empty. Maybe a matinee, you could do worse. The Lone Ranger is rated PG-13.