THREE STARS

 

It’s “Hi-ho, Silver. Away!” for Gore Verbinski and Johnny Depp, director and Oscar-nominated star of Pirates Of The Caribbean, who reunite for this rootin’ tootin’ reinvention of the masked avenger.

The Lone Ranger began life as a radio series in the early 1930s The title character, who rode the plains searching for truth and justice in the company of his Native American sidekick, inspired a spin-off series that galloped from the big to the small screen as a long-running TV series with Clayton Moore and John Hart.

Verbinski’s romp spares no expense for spectacle, including two outrageous set pieces aboard moving trains that are a thrilling combination of old-fashioned stunt work and pyrotechnics. On the few occasions the film resorts to digital effects, the results are clumsy, like when the hero and his trusty steed leap on to the locomotive in a manner that defies gravity.

While the title may be The Lone Ranger, this is Depp’s show and again he is given carte blanche to conjure up a quixotic, comic creation out. His Tonto lassos all of the best lines and is involved in the most thrilling action.

The Lone Ranger is an entertaining action adventure, distinguished by Depp’s theatrics and stunning cinematography. The west has seldom looked so wild and rugged but the 149-minute running time will leave audiences slightly saddle sore.