The Lone Ranger (2013) Online Streaming

Release : 2013-07-03
Genre : Action, Adventure, Western
Runtime : 149 minutes

Storyline

The Texas Rangers chase down a gang of outlaws led by Butch Cavendish, but the gang ambushes the Rangers, seemingly killing them all. One survivor is found, however, by an American Indian named Tonto, who nurses him back to health. The Ranger, donning a mask and riding a white stallion named Silver, teams up with Tonto to bring the unscrupulous gang and others of that ilk to justice.

The Legend Returns

Wrong Brother.The early signs were not good, tales of production problems galore andearly critical notices wading in to kick the film before it had evenhad a run at the theatres. The Lone Ranger seemed destined to be ablockbuster stinker. Yet in spite of it noticeably alienating originalLone Ranger purists, and some Western lovers as well, for a rollickingaction fun packed time then Gore Verbinski's movie delivers in spades. It's awash with the serial silliness of adventure films and TV shows ofyore, pitching good guys against bad guys with buddy buddy shenaniganspulsing away at the core. The stunts are outrageously enjoyable, thelandscape photography as beautiful as it is respectful in homage topast masters of the Western genre, while in Depp's Tonto there's a bonafide hero to root for just as much as he makes you laugh out loud. This is an origin story, a tale of how John Reid (Armie Hammer) becameThe Lone Ranger, and of course how the noble steed Silver and Indianside-kick Tonto became integral to his villain fighting ways. TomWilkinson and William Fitchner file in for polar opposite villainduties, the former is the weasel business man trying to mould the Westin is own image, the latter a repugnant psychopath with a penchant foreating human hearts! Then Helena Bonham Carter wanders in from someGrindhouse movie for a couple of cameos that are resplendent withsexual energy. It's all very wacky and wild, and rightly so, but this is not at theexpense of very good story telling. Some parts of the narrative couldhave been trimmed, but as the bromance builds between our two heroes,and Silver gets up to all sorts of comedy horse escapades, there's narya dull moment here. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Verbinskithrow all the action staples into the pot. Chases, fights, swingingfrom ropes, shoot-outs, people dangling from speeding train (pic isbookended by awesome train sequences), grisly deaths and on it goesfrom start to end. There's caustic asides to the machinations of organisations of thetime, from railroad magnates to the cavalry, while the catchphrases andlegends of The Lone Ranger TV series are deftly inserted into the tale.It was interesting to see Depp come out and defend the movie againstthose damning early critic reviews, it's not something he does, beingas he is very much a guy who sees acting as just a job. Bruckheimer,Hammer and Verbinski backed Depp up, stating that some reviews werewritten before the film had even been released, the big budget andproduction problems clearly making this a big stinker Not so, it's certainly not flawless, and those seriously intoanachronisms are likely to have kittens. But if you haven't seen ityet, if you was put off by the venomous early reviews, then give it achance, you may just be surprised at just how entertaining it is. Italso looks and sounds brilliant on Blu-ray, where repeat viewings evenshow Hammer to be better than first thought as that masked man. 8.5/10