The Lone Ranger - Review

THE LONE RANGER


2013

12A

Directed by Gore Verbinski

Starring Armie Hammer, Johnny Depp and Tom Wilkinson 


Aged Comanche Tonto (Depp) relates his days with John Reid (Hammer) and how the sole survivor of a massacre of Texas Rangers by the notorious outlaw Butch Cavendish (Fichtner) and his gang became the masked man bringing justice in the Old West. Corrupt railroad men, stampeding buffalo and a comedy horse all play their parts.

After years of 'production problems', changing writers and ballooning budgets, all I can say is that I welcomed this movie with a wide grin and am so happy that The Lone Ranger has eventually rode onto our screens because it was certainly worth the wait. What I love about the film is that it is so well crafted - it feels glossy and expensive but unlike the Man of Steel blockbuster, this film is still full of heart and human emotion. The Lone Ranger is the ultimate feel good movie of the summer with a stellar cast and soundtrack to boot. 

The action sequences atop of numerous moving trains are breath taking, gripping and extremely well choreographed. Far too often movies are padded out with unoriginal action sequences and reliance on green screen. Whereas Bruckheimer and Verbinski bravely took the logistical challenge of making an authentic set out on location in the scorching hot desert heat. It leads to more legitimate acting when the actors are genuinely in the elements against the weather instead of an air conditioned studio in California. This is partly where the spiralling cost would have come from but it was certainly worth it in my opinion at least; and I just hope it doesn't deter other big film makers from filming as much as possible for real. The Lone Ranger is a pleasure to look at - stunning vistas and immersive close ups that really bring the beauty and grit of the wild west to life. 

Armie Hammer exudes an aura on and off screen that screams leading man. He is a joy to watch; enthusiastic and full on but in a way that is never too much. Surprisingly comedic, John Reid keeps energy high and his relationship with Tonto is both funny and sincere all at the same time. Johnny Depp is hilarious and truly did flesh out and embody Tonto with great depth and originality. The casting of Harry Treadaway as Butch Cavendish's right-hand-man was inspired. If anyone could play a crazed villain with a penchant for crossing-dressing legitimately - it's him. 

I definitely agree with Depp and Hammer, who were recently quoted defending the movie by stating that the reviewers had made their mind up about this film before they even stepped foot in the movie theatre. They knew it had cost a lot and they knew its production had been plagued by troubles so perhaps The Lone Ranger did look like it could be a John Carter-style flop. But it isn't and it's truly sad that people aren't going to see it. They don't tend to make real movies like this any more; real acting and real wholesome heart in a western genre. 

Rating: 8

"Sometimes it's good to just tune out and watch a hero. There's something for everyone!" - Armie Hammer

Disney's The Lone Ranger - UK Premiere

Sorry for the absence! Amateur Reviews are back with a post recounting the UK premiere of Disney's The Lone Ranger accompanied by copious photos from the event. Yesterday comprised of a 10 hour stake out of Leicester Square in London and eventually all the stars came out for a brilliant evening in the sun! 

The premiere really got under way at 5 o'clock with Silver the horse getting a ride down the white carpet, however Armie Hammer later remarked that he did not in fact "know that horse"! Still, it was great to see our very own Lone Ranger in front of our very eyes: 

Hi-Yo, Silver! Away!

As ever Alex Zane was on hand to interview all the big names, this time he had his very own Lone Ranger rocky stage in keeping with the aesthetics of the movie. The Odeon was decked out with Tonto and Lone Ranger posters and the barriers were covered with official film posters which fans were free to take home after the event.

The stage in early stages of preparation

Odeon Leicester Square

Alex Zane behind the mask!

The first star out on the carpet was Armie Hammer! The 6ft 5" actor was looking summery and dapper in a striking red suit accompanied by his wife Elizabeth Chambers. Although we did not manage to nab an autograph from The Lone Ranger himself, we took a few photos of him and saw how playful and enthusiastic he was with the fans.

The Lone Ranger: Armie Hammer 

Armie Hammer

Armie Hammer

Director Gore Verbinski and Ruth Wilson were next on the cowhide carpet. Ruth looked gorgeous in a dynamic dress with fluorescent green stilettos and Gore spent time getting to meet some of the fans.

Director Gore Verbinski

Ruth Wilson signing for fans

Harry Treadaway was next out of the car. The young actor spent some time signing although sadly we missed out on an autograph from him which was a true disappointment because Harry is a real gem of an actor - if you haven't already seen him in the movie Control, it is a real must-see. Tom Wilkinson was out on the carpet too and posed for pictures with a great many people.

The delightful Luke Treadaway

Tom Wilkinson; a living legend 

At around 5:30, the man of the hour turned up. Mr Johnny Depp arrived on the carpet to rapturous applause and looked like the true movie star that he is. After yesterday it is safe to say that Johnny Depp is one lovely gentleman! He stayed out on the carpet for hours ensuring that no one went home without an autograph. He was incredibly relaxed and at ease with fans. Johnny spoke to some people near us and had a very sincere and gracious manner about him; you got the impression that when he looked at you, he cared very much about all the fans who had stayed out all day (and night) to catch a glimpse of him. They certainly don't make 'em like that often; Christian Bale take note! 

Remarkable man; Johnny Depp

Johnny Depp

Johnny Depp

Johnny Depp's treasured signature!

Finally producer Jerry Bruckheimer made his way on to the carpet and was tremendously thorough at signing and posing for pictures too. One of the best and nicest producers currently working in Hollywood!

Jerry Bruckheimer's autograph

A bit close-range; sorry Jerry!

As ever at these premiere events there was a good array of other celebs who had turned out for the great occasion so it was a fabulous evening had by all. Hope you enjoyed this mammoth post, Amateur Reviews will follow up this post on August 9th with a review of Disney's The Lone Ranger!

Modern Classics – The Social Network

The Social Network

12A

Directed by David Fincher

Written by Aaron Sorkin

Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield and Justin Timberlake

You don’t get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies.

Amateur Reviews are embarking upon a new series of posts celebrating modern classics from recent years. Today’s feature is the 2010 Oscar Winning film The Social Network. Given the fact this post has the word ‘Classic’ in the title you can rest assured that these movies do not need a rating out of 10 because they are all examples of impressive film making at its peak.

One evening way back in 2003, Harvard undergraduate Mark Zuckerberg started what was soon to become a global phenomenon in world wide communications. The success, however, was not without its controversies and The Social Network chronicles the various legal and personal issues that stemmed from the inception of Facebook.

Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing) heads up the writing credits, alongside Ben Mezrich whose book, The Accidental Billionaire, was the basis for the script. It is probably worth mentioning straight off that The Social Network is not 100 percent fact based and plays with multiple perspectives. In our opinion, the main strength of the movie lies within the script. These characters are the smartest in their game but all have a vulnerable side which makes it impossible not to empathise with them. The script has Sorkin written all over it – the witty banter is extremely clever and there is an elegant level of humour that is just superb. The storyline is told in a non linear style from the various court cases that eventually took place and this allows Sorkin to play with character perspective and memory in an interesting way.

Director David Fincher is up to some of his best work also. The whole film is glossy, sleek and sexy. If someone had said a film about computer coding and lawsuits would be this attractive, it would have seemed unlikely before watching The Social Network. Fincher has succeeded in creating an incredibly well paced and flowing film that moves through a significant amount of content in a modest time: a little over two hours.

Jesse Eisenberg takes on the role of Mark Zuckerberg and makes it his own. To be honest, it is hard for us to judge if he was a ‘good’ Zuckerberg because it is not like we really know who he is. Given that, Eisenberg is incredible. Prior to The Social Network he was quite similar to Michael Cera... We were used to seeing him in nerdy and endearing roles (Zombieland), but The Social Network is a stage where Eisenberg really shows what he's made of. He still channels a lot of that awkwardness and his delivery of lines in light speed time is impressive, but there is a crueller edge to him that is something we have not seen before. Justin Timberlake plays Sean Parker and you genuinely manage to forget you are watching the great JT… He is genuinely charming and shows he is capable of humour as well. The role of co-founder Eduardo Saverin, who is later shunned out of the business, is played by Andrew Garfield who is definitely a young actor on the rise. Armie Hammer tackles both Winklevoss twins and manages to give both Cameron and Tyler distinct personalities. Rooney Mara stars too and rounds of what is a stunning cast of young talent.

One of the reasons The Social Network has been earmarked as a modern classic is because it emulates the best of everything. The best of directing, writing and acting. Facebook is something millions of us use every single day without even considering it so The Social Network is more relatable than so many other films. And while the story is deeply rooted in technology and the impersonal nature of social networking, Fincher manages to bring it back to very human qualities that strike a chord with us all: the need for recognition and acceptance.

The Social Network is definitely a favourite with Amateur Reviews and also friends of our blog! Go check out http://moos-ramblings.blogspot.com/ for more musings on TV, film and life in general!