Despite dismal reviews, Jack and I thought this was a hoot. Johnny Depp playing Tonto as a skeptical, complaining sidekick tickled us and, along with the magnificent period set dressing and train-top chases, carried us through the slow parts. I must admit, though, I wasn't a fan of the 1930s flash-forward part, even though it has a few laughs as Tonto is senile and silly. The 1869 part is plenty, with social commentary (the 1% represented by the greedy train-builders) (I must add that we are big fans of train travel), bad guys of all stripes (heinous criminals, dubious "lawmen," greedy train-builders), double-crosses, equine stunts, and an exciting soundtrack by Hans Zimmer. Depp (last blogged in Dark Shadows) and Armie Hammer (after The Social Network he was in J. Edgar) have good chemistry as the wise-cracking Indian and the awkward, righteous ranger. Tom Wilkinson (most recently in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel), William Fichtner (some of his work I've liked was Strange Days (1995), Albino Alligator (1996), Contact (1997), Go (1999), Crash (2004), Nine Lives (2005), The Chumscrubber (2005), and his 2009-11 series arc on Entourage), Ruth Wilson (apparently the reason her face was familiar is that she was in Anna Karenina), and Helena Bonham Carter (also last in Dark Shadows) are among the featured players, the latter equipped with a wardrobe accessory that has a nice payoff towards the end.
Be prepared for a high body count and lots of property damage (even accounting for inflation). The script is credited to Justin Haythe (co-writer of Revolutionary Road and two others) and the writing team of Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio (Oscar-nominated for adapting Shrek (2001), co-wrote Aladdin (1992) and every iteration of Pirates of the Caribbean (only 2011 is covered in the blog), among others). Director Gore Verbinski (I liked The Mexican (2001), his three Pirates of the Caribbeans (2003, 06, 07), and particularly The Weather Man (2005), but missed Rango (2011), which won him his Oscar for Animated feature) probably shares with the writers the blame for the bad reviews.
You can stream the rousing Hans Zimmer soundtrack at this link but in order to hear each subsequent track you must make the window active before going about your other business (my regular readers know I often listen to the soundtrack while I write).
Those interested in the critics' vitriol can read the rottentomatoes reviews, where the average is up to a whopping 27%. And although audience ratings average 64, this was number five in sales last weekend. We saw it three weeks ago, as part of our usual Independence holiday, before our grand downtown fireworks. It's certainly not the first movie we would recommend this summer, but it is also not the last.
You can stream the rousing Hans Zimmer soundtrack at this link but in order to hear each subsequent track you must make the window active before going about your other business (my regular readers know I often listen to the soundtrack while I write).
Those interested in the critics' vitriol can read the rottentomatoes reviews, where the average is up to a whopping 27%. And although audience ratings average 64, this was number five in sales last weekend. We saw it three weeks ago, as part of our usual Independence holiday, before our grand downtown fireworks. It's certainly not the first movie we would recommend this summer, but it is also not the last.
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