This may just be the film that I have to use going forward as an example of a very standard adventure film. The Lone Ranger is typically a fairly basic hero I suppose but even considering that, this is such a short movie that there isn’t a whole lot of time for a more advanced plot. You have a gang and the Ranger stops them but it’s all very by the numbers. It’s a fun movie to be sure but it’s one that doesn’t have a “hook” which means that it might be tougher to explain to people why they should watch it.
The movie starts with the Lone Ranger’s intro as the theme song plays and then we get to today’s adventure. Some Indians have been getting murdered and their amulets are being taken. The fact that they are being murdered isn’t surprising as the townsfolk can’t stand them but what is this odd connection? Well, the Lone Ranger and his pal Tonto are going to find out. They get the town doctor to help them out in treating some of the injured and along the way it looks like the town may be at the heart of the trouble.
This isn’t really meant to be a complete mystery kind of film so it’s pretty clear at least who some of the villains are. The movie doesn’t make the Ranger or Tonto look very smart at times though. First off in an early scene the Ranger sends Tonto for the doctor. So he walks into the local bar and is greeted with a whole lot of antagonistic characters who all but say that they want to beat him up. So Tonto…turns his back to them and is promptly beaten up. They probably would have murdered him if the doctor hadn’t gone downstairs. It’s a really bad look though because it’s as if Tonto had no survival sense.
It should be obvious not to give your back to the opponents right? I don’t blame him for losing the fight because he was outnumbered but the fact that it basically wasn’t even a fight is what looks bad here. Also I would have liked for the Ranger to do something about this. Yeah I know he’s not an eye for an eye kind of guy but it’s always annoying when the heroes just have to take the high road here. In most ways it is good of course but this is pushing it. It’s one area where Zorro has the edge since that vigilante doesn’t mind mixing things up a bit. The Lone Ranger at least tries to stay the hero through and through the whole time.
There is a fairly big subplot that at times threatens to replace the main one though. So the doctor is a well respected member of the community. He’s the only one who treats the natives well but generally the towngoers look the other way since they need a doctor. Well, the twist is that the doctor is also an Indian and he has hid his upbringing all these years so that he can continue his work. The logic is sound, he knows that if the town finds out his true lineage then he will likely be murdered in quick order. The Indians would then be left on their own with nobody to help them and would likely all be crushed.
The one losing out here is his girlfriend as a result and it’s a big loss. So she keeps trying to get him to reveal the truth and even says that she will leave afterwards. It’s all very dramatic but I do wish she could have been a bit more understanding here. The doctor also could have probably worked out a better deal or at least agreed to talk things out with her more. It’s not a perfect situation for either end but the “solution” of just exposing himself seemed really flawed to me. The film takes a fairly optimistic view at the end but you could also picture the Ranger and Tonto leaving…then the villains taking the doctor out. I mean hopefully they’ve all learned a valuable lesson with the most radicals gone but it’s still really risky.
In a way that plot was more interesting than the main one anyway. Yeah the amulets are relating to some gold and silver but it’s all pretty standard western stuff. The Ranger is also not the most powerful guy so generally when he’s up against the group, he’ll take one guy down and then call it a day. A lot of the film is really hit and run tactics as they slowly defeat more and more of the gang. I can’t call the film a slow burn at all because it’s not but sometimes you do hope that he can just take the whole gang down already.
The fight scenes we get are pretty fun though. There is quite a bit of hand to hand going on and the villains can typically fight on a pretty close level to the Ranger. So you’re never quite sure if the hero will win or not. He also has to try and keep them alive instead of accidentally letting them fall off a cliff which is surprisingly a lot harder than it sounds. Even just thinking about that stuff in the back of his head will naturally slow the Ranger’s thought processes down a bit.
Overall, I would have liked the film to have taken a few more risks here. Lets actually have the City of Gold running around and maybe even delve into the supernatural. It’s not like that is a foreign concept considering the Ranger’s origin right? Instead we have what I would call one of the more generic westerns. Nothing really wrong with it as it’s too short to ever get boring but I just don’t know how I would present this film to folks. I guess the best way is just to go to the basic route of recommending it so the people can see the Lone Ranger. It’s not as if he has a ton of films after all so fans will want to check them all out.
Overall 7/10
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