Page 18 THE VILLADOM TIMES II & IV • July 17, 2013 Lone Ranger makes journey from radio to silver screen by Dennis Seuling There was a time when one immediately thought of The Lone Ranger upon hearing Rossini’s “William Tell Overture.” That was the theme of both the radio and TV incarnations of the adventures of the former Texas Ranger who put on a mask to fight bad guys in the Old West. The character was created by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker and became an immediate hit with youngsters and their families. The new “Lone Ranger” stays with the basic story line of the masked man’s origin adding a few flourishes along the way. While pacifist lawyer John Reid (Armie Hammer) is traveling by train to visit his brother Dan (James Badge Dale), the train is hijacked by Butch Cavendish (William Fichtner) and his gang. Even though John and Dan attempt to stop the gang’s escape, Cavendish gets away. Dan deputizes John. Later, an ambush by Cavendish wipes out Dan and his fellow Texas Rangers. John, the sole survivor, is nursed back to health by Tonto (Johnny Depp), a mystical Native American. Tonto, who is seeking vengeance for a tragic event that occurred several years earlier, convinces John he must avenge the death of his brother. The two set out together on their respective missions. This is hardly the Lone Ranger from the old days. Director Gore Verbinski has put together a Wild West show that is as far-fetched as it is overly long at two-anda-half hours. The problem is excess. A movie, particularly an action film, should never repeat itself and should escalate the action to a crescendo. In “The Lone Ranger,” Verbinski has a terrific sequence with a train, but then incorporates another, thus diluting its impact. Since Depp’s name sells more tickets than Hammer’s, the script makes this Tonto’s story, with the Lone Ranger a sort of afterthought. Depp is one of Hollywood’s more eccentric actors, and this quirkiness has paid off with such characters as Jack Sparrow, The Mad Hatter, and Edward Scissorhands. It is fun, initially, to see a heavily made-up Depp, in a framing prologue that takes place in 1933, when the radio show is all the rage among kids. Tonto proceeds to tell the real story, and the film segues into how it all began. Depp cannot sustain the weirdness, and a lot of his choices are misfires, falling flat. Sporting a headdress with a bird with wings spread is the oddest of his choices, and he often looks as out of place as his headwear. Hammer has a tough job. In the past, the various Lone Rangers, including the best ever, Clayton Moore, played it straight, maybe even squarely, but that was who the character was. He was affected by the Tonto (Jonny Depp) and the Masked Man (Armie Hammer) team up in ‘The Lone Ranger.’ loss of his brother and his own near-death experience. He was sobered to focus on rounding up miscreants with little time for joking it up. In the current film’s attempt to make Tonto more an equal to the Ranger rather than a dutiful sidekick, there is the semblance of a buddy film without the chemistry. Hammer overplays and Depp underplays, and the viewer never believes these two characters have become the Holmes and Watson of the Old West. There is no point to remaining slavishly tied to an original concept if Hollywood decides to tackle a remake or reimagining. However, the script should at least be worth the money and effort. Hollywood seems to equate quality with running time: Give the audience a grand profusion of explosions, action, and wacky humor, and they will leave the theater happy. Not so. The movie overstays its welcome long before the final credits roll. “The Lone Ranger,” rated PG-13, is yet another big budget extravaganza in which a ton of money is thrown at a production to make it bigger, louder, longer, and zanier. Had the producers concentrated more on developing the script rather than showing off the limits of special effects, the movie would have been far more engaging.