The Legend Of The Lone Ranger

Chances are that you have heard as much about this version of The Lone Ranger as you have heard of Klinton Spilsbury, the actor who portrays him. Klinton who? I hear you say. Steady on, cowboys and cowgirls… you’re not the only ones.

Yes, the man in the mask rides again or rather he rode way before the Armie Hammer/Johnny Depp vehicle flopped at the box office. Back in 1981, a totally unknown actor (the aforementioned Klinton Spilsbury) donned ‘that famous mask’, rode that famous white horse, fought for justice together with his Native American friend Tonto (here played by Native American actor Michael Horse) and well… flopped at the box office! The curse of the Lone Ranger?
That said, The Legend Of The Lone Ranger has a fair bit going for it and isn’t nearly as bad as the initial box office figures and reviews would suggest. Then again, neither was the Hammer/Depp version.

We all know the story (or varieties thereof) and before our masked hero becomes ‘The Lone Ranger’, he is plain John Reid, a young Texan lad who, after an attack, bonds with a young Comanche called Tonto who hands him a silver amulet for protection. Fast forward several years, and John comes to join his older brother, Captain Dan Reid, and his Rangers in the fight for evil outlaw leader Butch Cavendish (a great performance by Christopher Lloyd). Unfortunately, brothers Dan & John and the Texas Rangers are ambushed by Cavendish and his men. After a fierce shootout in a canyon the Rangers are left for dead, though John has miraculously survived and – even more miraculously – happens to be discovered, recognised and rescued by his old childhood friend Tonto… Just what are the odds of a lone Indian passing by in a huge canyon at precisely that moment? Oh, how we love a good yarn! Their friendship rekindled, John Reid is swearing to avenge the brutal murder of his brother and his friends – by becoming the Lone Ranger. Enter his encounter with Silver, the white horse, the signature William Tell overture, and before you can shout “Hi-yo, Silver! Away!” the open-air stage is set for a showdown at break-neck speed. Get ready for fantastic stunts on saddle and on train, as well as the kidnapping of President Ulysses Grant (Jason Robards) by Cavendish, and the wacky characters of Buffalo Bill and Wild Bill Hickok. Hell, even General Custer makes an appearance (though really he was a nasty piece of work and not exactly wacky…).

Sounds all rather good, so why did the film flop upon initial release? One of the main reasons could be that it takes quite long until John Reid makes his transformation into the Lone Ranger. We are talking way over one hour – that’s simply too long for all those fans out there! It’s not as if nothing happens until then, far from it: there is the love interest in the shape of Amy Striker (Juanin Clay), there are fantastic shots of the Mexican Day Of The Dead parade, there are breath-taking shots by Oscar-nominated cinematographer William A. Fraker, there is an outstanding film score by the one and only John Barry, and a tongue-in-cheek ballad narration by country star Merle Haggard. As I said, many things… just not the Lone Ranger. Another contributing factor could well be our leading hero Klinton Spilsbury – a man who had next to no acting experience prior to saddling his horse, and it shows. Michael Horse as Tonto fares slightly better. Although not exactly mega-experienced either, at least he was a friend of Jay Silverheels (the actor or portrayed Tonto in the old Lone Ranger TV-series). And Jay taught Michael a trick or two.

This DVD/Blu-ray release will give you the opportunity to decide for yourself. The showdown is great fun, even though it’s camped up to the nines. Saddle up for some extraordinary adventure!

SPECIAL FEATURES include:

Soundtrack suite, featuring score and musical arrangements by John Barry
Song suite, with music by John Barry and narration/singing by Merle Haggard
Original theatrical trailer
Image gallery
Promotional material PDF
Film and Soundtrack Notes by Geoff Leonard and Pete Walker