# why the Lone Ranger flopped...



## billc (Aug 23, 2013)

True Grit and Django Unchained were successful westerns...The Lone Ranger flopped...this article looks at the reason why...

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Hollywood/2013/08/23/Where-Have-All-the-Cowboys-Gone



> I didn't hate The Lone Ranger as much as other people. In fact, I enjoyed it. Never, though, did I think it was a true western. It was a film that was trying far too hard to appeal to the biggest audience possible. It was goofy, strangely dark in places and it attempted to be deep on some level by shifting the focus to Johnny Depp's Tonto. The last thing the film did, however, was try to be a western. Never did we get the sense of the individual above all else in the flick. The movie could never even decide who the main character was or what the exact motivation for each character really was. We also didn't get any sense of old school grit or overall values when it came to freedom or anything else examined by most westerns. The Disney flick kinda just made us want to smile and not much more.
> Our hero, John Reid, walks around in the beginning of the film spouting early theories about government and eventually learns that a gun is sometimes the right way even when the law doesn't approve. It's a cool theme for a western to examine, but Lone Ranger glided right over it. That was something Grit and Django didn't do. The first brought us an anti-hero that fought for real values and justice and an innocent and strong little girl. He was a drunk that still believed in something. The latter film brought us a character fighting for freedom above all else. It was a spaghetti western celebration of the individual's right and right to fight for that right.





> The other two were true blue westerns while Ranger was just trying to fill seats by showing us cool stunts and throwing green paper at the screen.
> Real westerns are hard to manipulate into mass appealing Disney certified fast food entertainment. Old John Wayne westerns celebrated heroes and real American values while old Clint Eastwood westerns celebrated the individualist mentality. It's all very American, very cool and very fun to watch. Lone Ranger didn't get it unfortunately. It cost too much and tried to be too innocent in its nature which is unfortunate for the overall genre because Ranger was seen as the film that could invigorate the genre thanks in large part to its big names, giant studio backing and huge advertising push.


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## Brian R. VanCise (Aug 23, 2013)

I thought the Lone Ranger was fun.


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## billc (Aug 23, 2013)

I will probably catch it on redbox or cable...I still enjoy a good western.


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## jks9199 (Aug 23, 2013)

But, bill, what's your opinion?  Why do YOU think that the movie was a flop?


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## granfire (Aug 23, 2013)

jks9199 said:


> But, bill, what's your opinion?  Why do YOU think that the movie was a flop?



Breitbard told him so...


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## seasoned (Aug 23, 2013)

granfire said:


> *Breitbard told him so*...


Don't be naughty, granfire.........


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## arnisador (Aug 23, 2013)

I didn't see it but this article is in line with why the trailers turned me off.


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## Tgace (Aug 24, 2013)

I thought True Grit was awesome....

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## Bob Hubbard (Aug 24, 2013)

I haven't seen it yet.  The trailers made it seem cheesy. Will probably catch it later on Netflix.


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## billc (Aug 24, 2013)

I haven't seen it yet, but when I do I'll let you know if it was any good.  I thought the article was a nice look at westerns and what may make them enjoyable to people.  I saw Django, and True Grit, and was surprised at how good the two were.  That it was a flop isn't a secret, it was a huge flop.   The fact that Hell on Wheels and The Hatfields and McCoys is successful shows that they can be successful even if The Lone Ranger wasn't.


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## Big Don (Aug 24, 2013)

There are a couple reasons I won't pay to watch this:
I'm not that impressed with Johnny Depp, or the stupid bird on his head.
Without looking it up, can you tell me who played the Lone Ranger? He is, after all the title character...


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## Big Don (Aug 24, 2013)

Tgace said:


> I thought True Grit was awesome....
> 
> Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2


As much as I like the original John Wayne version, the remake was better.


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## Steve (Aug 24, 2013)

Tgace said:


> I thought True Grit was awesome....
> 
> Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2



Both versions were excellent.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD


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## granfire (Aug 24, 2013)

seasoned said:


> Don't be naughty, granfire.........



Yessir :angel:


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## arnisador (Aug 24, 2013)

billc said:


> I saw Django, and True Grit, and was surprised at how good the two were.



I expected Django to be good (and it was--incredible performances by several actors) but was wary of True Grit. However, it definitely worked.

But of all the relatively modern Westerns, Clint Eastwood in Unforgiven stands alone. Absolutely classic.


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## arnisador (Aug 24, 2013)

Big Don said:


> Without looking it up, can you tell me who played the Lone Ranger? He is, after all the title character...



His main claim to fame was playing the heads of both Winklevoss twins and the body of one in the Facebook movie. I was surprised he got the lead here. A bigger name than "Armie Hammer" might've helped.


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## granfire (Aug 24, 2013)

arnisador said:


> His main claim to fame was playing the heads of both Winklevoss twins and the body of one in the Facebook movie. I was surprised he got the lead here. A bigger name than "Armie Hammer" might've helped.



Lead? You mean side kick to side kick?


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## billc (Aug 24, 2013)

> But of all the relatively modern Westerns, Clint Eastwood in Unforgiven stands alone. Absolutely classic.



Yeah, the final scene in the bar was great...It was probably one of my favorite westerns...just surpassing The Outlaw Josey Wales...obviously Clint Eastwood really understands westerns so perhaps they should have asked him to do the Lone Ranger.

It was funny when they had the trailer out...I had no idea who Armie Hammer was...so it seemed like a bad sign for such a big movie.  The lead was already outclassed by Johhny Depp...I hope it is better than the critics...and the public said it was...


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## granfire (Aug 24, 2013)

billc said:


> Yeah, the final scene in the bar was great...It was probably one of my favorite westerns...just surpassing The Outlaw Josey Wales...obviously Clint Eastwood really understands westerns so perhaps they should have asked him to do the Lone Ranger.
> 
> It was funny when they had the trailer out...I had no idea who Armie Hammer was...so it seemed like a bad sign for such a big movie.  The lead was already outclassed by Johhny Depp...I hope it is better than the critics...and the public said it was...



Eastwood is nearly 80....although he is to Westerns what Chuck Norris is to the rest of the world, I don't think he would be believable riding through a train...not to mention the Lone Ranger never killed anybody....Eastwood's punks never were that lucky!


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## Takai (Aug 24, 2013)

billc said:


> Yeah, the final scene in the bar was great...It was probably one of my favorite westerns...just surpassing The Outlaw Josey Wales...obviously Clint Eastwood really understands westerns so perhaps they should have asked him to do the Lone Ranger.



He would have made a great consultant for this film.


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## billc (Aug 24, 2013)

> Eastwood is nearly 80....although he is to Westerns what Chuck Norris is to the rest of the world, I don't think he would be believable riding through a train...not to mention the Lone Ranger never killed anybody....Eastwood's punks never were that lucky!



I meant directing the movie...


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## granfire (Aug 24, 2013)

billc said:


> I meant directing the movie...



LOL, as if the Lone Ranger was a Western!

1940/50s Saturday matinee kiddy amusement!


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## Steve (Aug 24, 2013)

I like Clint in his old westerns, but I think he's overrated as a director.  

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## Tgace (Aug 24, 2013)

The whole "Bruckheimeresque" look to the movie turned me off right from the previews. 

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## Brian R. VanCise (Aug 25, 2013)

If you take it as just a fun movie then you will enjoy it.  If you want it to be a gritty western then you will be disappointed.


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## Haakon (Aug 25, 2013)

Johnny Depp as Tonto alone probably turned off more people than went to see it. Who wants Cap'n Jack Sparrow in the old west destroying a classic character? Maybe they should have looked at Wild Wild West for inspiration if they wanted to make a western comedy, it may not be the greatest movie and certainly not the greatest western, but it was funny and entertaining.

I'll probably watch it when it gets released on HBO and don't have to pay extra for it.


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## Blindside (Aug 25, 2013)

I didn't go to it because I thought it looked ridiculous, same reason I didn't go to see Will Smiths "Wild Wild West."


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## billc (Aug 25, 2013)

> I like Clint in his old westerns, but I think he's overrated as a director.



I think he can do a good western, but you're right...I thought that movie about the car and the gang in the city was dumb, and the ending was unfulfilling.



> I didn't go to it because I thought it looked ridiculous, same reason I didn't go to see Will Smiths "Wild Wild West."



As a kid, I really liked the television show Wild Wild West...but that movie was just bad.


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## arnisador (Aug 25, 2013)

My wife and daughter thought The Lone Ranger was OK--but they're not Western fans so they probably viewed it differently.


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## arnisador (Aug 25, 2013)

billc said:


> As a kid, I really liked the television show Wild Wild West...but that movie was just bad.



Megadittos.


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## granfire (Aug 25, 2013)

It was a Will Smith steampunk flic...cute, but not related to the TV show...


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## Big Don (Aug 25, 2013)

Blindside said:


> I didn't go to it because I thought it looked ridiculous, same reason I didn't go to see Will Smiths "Wild Wild West."



The girl I was dating at the time demanded I take her to see Wild Wild West. 
Then, 20 minutes in, she demanded we leave...
That movie was almost as bad as the Brady Bunch Movie


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## Randy Strausbaugh (Aug 30, 2013)

Over all, I found the movie to be a disappointment.  Westerns should have at least one of the following:
A) A sense of adventure.  The train chase at the end was OK, but the rest of the film fell flat.
B) A feeling of realism.  This movie gets a Zero here.

All the while I watched The Lone Ranger, it seemed to me that too many elements were stolen from the two most recent Zorro movies.

As for the star, I guess Armie Hammer is no Clinton Spillsbury.  But then, who is?


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