Critics have attacked The Lone Ranger (2013) for a number of reasons. Because of the movie’s big budget and low box office returns, some have labeled it a flop, although that is not how a viewer should judge a film. Many attack the film for Johnny Depp’s portrayal of the Native American Tonto, while others have defended his role. I understand the criticisms, and the producers should have expected that discussion. I am not qualified to add much to the Tonto debate, but I can say that the portrayal of the Lone Ranger disrespects the franchise and the Lone Ranger, by portraying him as kind of a jerk. [Warning: Post contains some spoilers.]
First, though, let me say I enjoyed the movie for a summer popcorn movie, which may explain why the film still has a Rotten Tomatoes audience rating of 68% compared to the horrible 26% critics’ rating. While critics have argued that the film shows that Westerns cannot do well at the box office, such conclusions are wrong. Good Westerns, like the 2010 remake of True Grit, will continue to find an audience. It is wrong to put the whole genre of Westerns on the shoulders of The Lone Ranger, which fails to succeed because it is not a great movie.
So what are the problems with the way the movie portrays the Lone Ranger? First, while Armie Hammer is a very good actor and captures aspects of the character, physically he is not right. Yes, it is a fantasy that folks will not recognize anyone who puts a mask around the eyes, but it stretches fantasy too much to expect someone would be fooled by the masked Hammer, who towers over everyone else. Further, the movie is never quite sure whether or not it is a fantasy. There are some realistic scenes of violence, but then we are expected to believe the Lone Ranger can ride Silver up and down the top of a moving train.
But the main problem is that this Lone Ranger is not a man of honor, and even if the intent of the film is to show the character’s evolution or it is meant to be a comedy, it fails in those respects too. In director Gore Verbinski’s The Lone Ranger, we are expected to accept the Lone Ranger as a symbol of upholding law, but he turns out to be kind of a dick. Some of it makes no sense, like the fact that he would leave Tonto to die buried up to his neck even after Tonto has helped him.
In another scene, we see that the Lone Ranger has evolved into an attempted murderer. In that scene near the end of the movie, the Lone Ranger points a gun at the head of his prisoner Butch Cavendish (William Fichtner) and pulls the trigger in cold blood. Although the gun misfires and, yes, we have already seen Cavendish is a horrible person, the scene makes the Lone Ranger into a cold blooded (attempted) killer without addressing any of the moral ramifications.
The late Walter Wink wrote about the use of “redemptive violence” in movies, where an audience is manipulated into rooting for the hero to commit acts of violence by watching the bad guy repeatedly do horrible things to the hero. While I am not opposed to violence in movies, the problem is when we are supposed to accept the hero killing a captured prisoner out of revenge and still root for the hero.
Again, the movie is a fantasy, and we can suspend reality a little, especially once we hear the William Tell Overture. And for a summer movie, it is better than a lot of others. But as someone who likes Westerns, I hate to see The Lone Ranger used as a representative film of the modern Western genre or that this film will be the only portrayal of the Lone Ranger that kids will know.
Maybe I need to cleanse my palate with a viewing of my Appaloosa (2008) DVD. Or I can just watch the 1949 Enter the Lone Ranger below with Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels, where the Lone Ranger captures Butch Cavendish instead of trying to kill him in cold blood — and where he does not abandon Tonto to die.
Conclusion? The portrayal of the Lone Ranger in the 2013 The Lone Ranger may not be offensive, but it fails to capture what made the earlier versions of the character heroic and fun.
What did you think of The Lone Ranger? Leave your two cents in the comments.
(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)
Hi Chimes
Once again, let me thank you for putting in print what I’ve been thinking since reading, I think it was in the LA Times, that the western was dead. Equating the “failure” of The Lone Ranger and, with it, the western genre is just the same old horse dung that’s been thrown around thru much of the film era and especially since end of the thirty year period of dominance that began around Stagecoach and ended somewhere around The Wild Bunch. Although it clearly is not the dominate force it once was, at its best, it is an organic exploration of our myths thru the examination of our connections to the good but dangerous earth its creatures and the individuals and peoples who walk upon it. It has produced some of our greatest stories.
Maybe, The Lone Ranger failed. Maybe big budget westerns attempting to win the summer crowd are not the best idea today any more than yesterday, I’m thinking of How The West Was Won. Maybe your excellent example Appaloosa, didn’t make a fortune. But I thought it was great. And, I bet most people would like it. They should check it out. Maybe a run of There Will Be Blood, No Country For Old Men, and True Grit was unusual in Academy Award history. Hell, I don’t know, maybe the western is dead. But check out The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford and the Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada for literate measured beautiful stories. Heck, the western even managed to stay relevant to the gay community and finally illuminated a truth often buried in the old west with a film, Brokeback Mountain, that should have joined Dances With Wolves and Unforgiven as an academy award winner for best picture. Hell western filmmakers have triumphed on television with the brilliant Lonesome Dove and Deadwood. There are minor western classics from the “golden” age like Lonely Are The Brave still being discovered or rediscovered. And btw, John Wayne acts in The Searchers. At least that’s the rumor. But, now I’m getting away from modern films and babbling. Ah forget it. Never mind. The western is dead.
I agree Michael, and one should watch all of the films mentioned in your post if they have not done so already. Those films not only are entertaining but they also have something to say, which is rare in most big movies today. Few modern films have had a more beautiful final 20 minutes than “The Assassination of Jesse James,” and I never figured out why “Three Burials” didn’t get a larger audience. As you mention, “Brokeback Mountain” was important in a number of ways, but it also was an excellent film.
I thought of “The Searchers” during “The Lone Ranger” because, like the John Wayne classic and some other Westerns, some of “The Lone Ranger” is set in Monument Valley. In the new film, though, it seemed out of place as a setting for a town, perhaps because I have visited the area. John Ford used the scenery to evoke the loneliness of the West, while “The Lone Ranger” seemed to be using it only to evoke old Westerns (which is okay, but just not as effective). As always, thanks for the comment.