Spoiler Alert: I won't give away too much, but I much rather you see the film before reading.
This film got really low reviews upon it's initial release. When I watched it nearly half way through I was beginning to believe the negative criticism. It appeared to be in many ways a western version of Pirates of the Caribbean. You can blame that on pure style and the fact that it's directed by the same director of the Pirates' movies Gore Verbinski. After watching the whole movie; the first half and the overall purpose of the film was not only justified but solidified into a masterpiece. Without a doubt this is Gore Verbinski's masterpiece.
A thought provoking critique
First I will say that this film is not just a kid's movie, but it is also very much an adult critique on expansionism and the abused ideology of progress. Most of all it's a critique on American progress. The idea of progress in America as history has shown involves oppression of the poor or indigenous to expand for the rich. It is ever so relevant in today's world, but as the movie points out it's been like that for hundreds of years. As always, the main motive is money or in this case specifically silver and the ones who are in the way of achieving wealth are trampled under foot. That was how American expansion worked.
A homage to old television and cinema
The last twenty minutes of the film are masterfully executed and the most brilliant action I've seen in 2013. The last set piece and probably a lot of Johnny Depp's work is clear homage to the brilliant set pieces of silent era legends such as Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. The final train sequence is that of nostalgic cinema. A type of euphoria only achieved by the likes of Keaton or a Kurosawa film. The whole build up is how epic films used to be done. You have to invest the time in order to feel the grand pay off. This is very reminiscent to A Bridge on the River Kwai, obviously the bridge setting. There are similar moments to Lawrence of Arabia as well in that Lawrence just like John Ried is the unlikely leader or hero. The Lone Ranger also dives deep into the mysticism (legend) of the hero just as Lawrence is to the desert, but I'll talk more about that later. The Lone Ranger also got quite some criticism for it's violence and being marketed to children, but I argue this is another brilliant point of the film. Western films and television have always been this violent. The first TV babies, they grew up watching shows like Gunsmoke and Bonanza where violence was everyday entertainment. The shoot-em up format was common in television westerns. In other words you can't make a true western without casualties. This is the cleverest form of homage The Lone Ranger is devoted to.
Every character is symbolic
When every character fits a certain purpose then I just have to applaud. Tonto represents so many things it's hard to know where to start. Well let's start with one of the key motivations to making an updated Lone Ranger. Tonto represents the white man's guilt and their ignorance throughout history. Tonto is brilliant yet never accepted. He is ignored by all but is persistent. He is an outcast because of his never ending curiosity, yet he is the one who survives. Finally he is the history we don't want to look at anymore; a forgotten but eternal figure. Latham Cole represents the blood hungry greed of American society. Fuller represents the ones who will turn away from injustice to save their own reputation. Cavendish represents the face of evil so that the others could hide behind; he is the common criminal that's exposed everyday, he does all the dirty work. Dan Reid is the hero we know about; the one who dies for us and becomes a symbolic public figure (very similar to The Dark Knight Rises). John Reid (Lone Ranger) is the hero we don't know about; he's a ghost and an outcast. He's the forgotten cowboy, the one who lost faith in the system therefore we lost faith in him. A figure who lives out of the system therefore he no longer exists.
It's a mythological film
As I noted before The Lone Ranger has a lot of magical realism. It's about the importance of western mythology. It is a legend, a tale and a fable but it speaks truths about our history and our world today. We can choose to turn our backs on American history and what is still prevalent today. We can choose to be ignorant, accept that Tonto was stupid, crazy and savage. We can unconditionally believe that our system is perfect. We can ignore the truth around us......or .... or open our eyes and see the reality, but to see the truth you have to believe. You have to put on the mask.
Last Word
Although it's not a perfect movie, it is a multi-layerd epic piece of filmmaking. It is evident that The Lone Ranger is about history and that's why it's important. It pays grand homage to the old world that we take for granted and what we choose not to believe.
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