Arts & Entertainment

The Lone Ranger

This time out, Tonto doesn’t live to serve the Masked Man. He’s a wandering spirit on his own mission of justice, disillusioned and driven mad by pain he endured decades ago.

The Ranger, whose birth name is John Reid, has gone west to join his Texas Ranger brother. Reid meets Tonto shackled on a train with the repulsive outlaw Butch Cavendish, who escapes, links up with his old outlaw gang, and wreaks havoc on Reid, Tonto and the territory — but not in a vacuum. Butch may be a leering, scar-faced sadist who eats human flesh — Tonto refers to him as “wendigo”, says he’s driven “life out of balance”, and carries a silver bullet to put him down — but in time we see that the outlaw is an expression of the American id. Like the railroad baron that he secretly serves, Butch expresses the will of the majority, even though the kindlier members of the majority hate to think of themselves in such unflattering terms. Director: Gore Verbinski. Cast: Johnny Depp, Armie Hammer, Tom Wilkinson, William Fichtner, Barry Pepper. Rated: PG-13. Time: 2:29.