![]() We meet John Reid, the new district attorney for the region, reading the treatises of John Locke while the rest of his railcar partakes in a worship service, singing hymns and asking him to join them in prayer. This framing device sets the stage for the film, as we’re reliving everything through Tonto’s memory. He proposes a trade for the boy’s peanuts, eating some and feeding some to the dead crow on his head, and begins to tell the story of how the Lone Ranger came to be. Inside he finds a stuffed buffalo, a stuffed bear, and a diorama of “The Noble Savage in his native habitat.” Has he stares at the representation of an elderly Native American, it suddenly stares back, shocked by the boy’s appearance. The film actually opens in 1933 at a carnival, where a young boy dressed as the Lone Ranger pays to enter an exhibit on the Old West. To understand the film you have to go back to the beginning, in fact to the very first scene. But that’s all on the surface, and maybe all most people were expecting. John Reid, younger brother of Texas Ranger Dan Reid, becomes the sole survivor of an ambush by the villainous Butch Cavendish, dons a mask and becomes the Lone Ranger, a hero fighting for justice along with his faithful companion, Tonto. The story of The Lone Ranger actually sticks to the well-established mythology from the character’s history. ![]() It’s gritty and real in a way that Man of Steel could never have imagined, and the final half-hour of is some of the most creative and exciting action seen on film in recent memory. It’s creative and interesting, a wild ride that is constantly shifting tone and style and keeps things fresh for its entire two and a half hour running time (a common complaint among film critics). The Lone Ranger is a rip-roaring, funny, violent, subversive, political, Western action extravaganza. It’s not even a live-action adaptation of Rango. It’s not Pirates of the Caribbean on horseback, though your ability to enjoy The Lone Ranger might be related to your ability to enjoy that saga of movies. ![]() It’s not a “Disneyfied” (hate that word, it’s so condescending) version of a Western, aimed at kids. It’s not a devoted adaptation of the beloved TV show from the 50’s or the radio show from the 30’s. The Lone Ranger is most likely not what you expect, though it probably has at least one or two moments (or silver bullets) aimed at you.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |