The Lone Ranger

I freely confess, though familiar with the iconic imagery, I have never once ever laid eyes or ears upon a single minute of that now iconic original series so ingrained into popular culture. However, thanks to a recent release from Sky Movies, I was greatly enthused to see what the blockbusting, action-packed corker of a modern movie had to offer. From the team that brought us the massive Pirates of the Caribbean series, this is Disney's The Lone Ranger. Apparently, this film was slated for budget issues and a stunted release, and some have even questioned bits and pieces of content of the film. But I just don't care. I loved almost every moment of this film from start to finish. It was a film that featured brilliant actors presenting incredibly mythical and respected characters, but with a hugely impacting and modern twist. 

Some of the key, and some of the most celebrated action sequences of this film were the "train scenes" which were done by building a custom railway track to film on in the desert, which I think is an achievement in itself. They were stunning to watch unfold, highly imaginative with tons of charm and pace and, like almost all of the film, hugely evocative of a true sense of wonder and adventure; the likes of which I have not seen in a film for a very long time indeed. Normally for me, it is the cast and characters and their performances which stand out to me in a film alone, but the whole look of The Lone Ranger, from the beautiful cinematography, to the iconic imagery, to the fantastic costumes and make-up all make for a truly great Western. Which, considering its origins is perhaps not surprising, but very pleasing none the less.

In terms of the cast, well I do feel there are some true supporting gems to look at first, before we get to the main stars. Tom Wilkinson, who is now an incredibly renowned and respected actor globally, gave a sufficiently confident, individual and resounding performance as villain Latham Cole; the likes of which we now come to expect and enjoy from him. The other main villain of the piece Butch Cavendish, played by William Fichtner was dark, brooding and at times gruesome enough for a film like this, but in terms of added depth, there wasn't much for me to see, but a solid Western bad man he did make. Sexy and sassy Red, AKA Helena Bonham Carter was a welcome surprise for me. At first, I thought she would be little more than a bright cameo, but her selected scenes did always seem to sparkle and sizzle whenever she appeared on screen.

Naturally we must discuss John Reid; The Lone Ranger himself. Even though Armie Hammer is still a relatively young and upcoming actor, he once again proved his great talent by taking on the role and donning the famous mask and hat of this iconic character. Playing the part initially with enough maturity and believability, then with a  great baptism of fire into the masked rider with great amounts of humour, grit and edge. If there is to be more to come from this incarnation of The Lone Ranger, then I am sure Armie Hammer will be welcomed back into the role.

If there is a stand out performance for me in The Lone Ranger however, it is certainly the great Johnny Depp as Tonto. The character is simply brilliant, and Depp is simply brilliant. From his very first scene to the last moments before the credits, Depp's Tonto exudes a never-ending barrage of fantastic lines, expressions and mannerisms that, not only make the character thoroughly believable and entertaining, but wonderfully unique. When he delivers humour he is hilarious, when he shifts to drama he is superb, and everything in between just generates so much love and respect for Depp as Tonto. The way Tonto was conceived to look in this film on its own was fantastic, but when inhabited by Johnny Depp's huge personality and sheer genius at creating and sticking with a character; it is pure cinematic magic. I said earlier this film was done by many of the same people who gave us Pirates of the Caribbean, including Depp himself of course, and I shall now go further to say that I think the legendary actor has now given us another legendary character to stand proudly alongside the now immortal Captain Jack Sparrow.

Together, the chemistry which seems so easily created and goes on to link and bind these two stars is for me what drives The Lone Ranger. As dynamic a duo as the original, and one which delivers a fantastic all-out frenzy of Western fantasy, fantastic action, and oodles of utter fun.