Underneath the hammy humour and overacting that permeate Gore Verbinski's The Lone Ranger, an acceptable western film is struggling to get out. The script revisits western tropes with imagination, the action scenes are wild and engaging, and Johnny Depp's Tonto, while not the most subtle portrayal, is fun to watch.
The film bounces merrily back and forth across three genres: action, comic western, and revisionist western. Featuring harsh depictions of violence (despite a rating of PG-13 in the US, and IIA in Hong Kong), it harbours a scathing attack on American capitalism, depicting big business and the authorities as corrupt. In keeping with most western film heroes, the masked Lone Ranger stands up for the little man in the face of the crushing might of big commerce.
A former Texas Ranger by the name of John Reid (Armie Hammer) is disgusted with the corruption of the state and works outside the law to bring justice to the wild west.
The character was created in 1933 for a radio show, and found international fame with his Native American sidekick Tonto in the 1949 television show which featured Clayton Moore in the titular role.
In the 2013 film version, Tonto is not a sidekick but an equal partner. The two men do not like each other and there is no warmth between them at all - an unusual blockbuster relationship. The story, which is serviceable, focuses on the hunt for a depraved criminal who might be tied to big business.