User reviews

The untold origin of the Lone Ranger. It shows who he was and how and why he became the Ranger.

Legendary bomb. The idea was not a bad one--reinvent and introduce the Lone Ranger for 1980s audiences. Right off the bat though there were problems. The studio ordered Clayton Moore (the original Ranger) to stop appearing anywhere as the Lone Ranger. It led to a nasty little battle that made headlines. I know of people who refused to see the film because of how Moore was treated. Also they hired the awesomely untalented Klinton Spilsbury to play the Ranger. Spilsbury was very handsome and muscular but had absolutely no charisma and just couldn't act. In fact his whole vocal performance was redubbed by another actor! Also his off screen antics (public drunkenness and beating people up) didn't help matters. Acting aside, the script is dull and slow. Also the Ranger himself doesn't show up until an HOUR in! There were some complaints at the time that the movie was too violent for a PG. However I don't think it was that bad.

There are a few (very few) things done right here--the photography was truly beautiful; Michael Horse was excellent as Tonto; Christopher Lloyd is lots of fun as the villain and when the Lone Ranger finally shows up (with the William Tell Overture booming from the soundtrack) it's really rousing. But, all in all, this is a boring and terrible attempt to bring back the Lone Ranger. It's easy to see why this bombed. A 4--mostly for the photography.

The lone survivor of an ambush of a Texas Ranger patrol (Klinton Spilsbury) is rescued by his childhood AmerIndian friend, Tonto (Michael Horse). He becomes the Lone Ranger and, along with Tonto, they go after the traitor & outlaw gang that orchestrated the massacre. Christopher Lloyd plays the villain, Matt Clark the crooked sheriff, Juanin Clay the beautiful lady and Jason Robards President Grant.

"The Legend of the Lone Ranger" (1981) is the first cinematic depiction of this Western hero, not counting the movies strewn together from the TV series (1949-1957) featuring Clayton Moore in the titular role. It's similar to "Mackenna's Gold" (1969) mixed with "The Comancheros" (1961) and its unacknowledged remake "Rio Conchos" (1964). All of these Westerns have a similar comic book tone, Southwest setting and a plot revolving around a veteran Civil War megalomaniac.

The difference is that "The Legend of the Lone Ranger" adds the masked Western hero angle, akin to the later "The Mask of Zorro" (1998), but this doesn't even occur until two minutes shy of the hour mark. From there, whenever the masked avenger shows up along with the corresponding "William Tell Overture" and "Hi, ho, Silver, Away!" it spurs chuckles. But, disregarding that, this is a standard comic book Western with a respectful, serious take on the legend.

This was lead actor Spilsbury's lone venture into cinema after only two small TV gigs. He looks the part and has the charisma, but the script doesn't give his character enough dimension and his voice was dubbed with James Keach's deeper vox. His fellow actors in the movie said this was unnecessary since there was nothing wrong with Spilsbury's voice (obviously the producers just wanted a deeper vox). Meanwhile, it's nice to see winsome Juanin Clay again (who had a significant role in the Buck Rogers episode "Vegas in Space" two years earlier), but not enough is done with her.

Unfortunately, bad publicity resulting from the studio's ill-advised lawsuit with Clayton Moore over his wearing the mask in public appearances tarnished the film's premiere. This combined with the recent box office bomb of "Heaven's Gate" (1980) and the general public disinterest in Westerns at the time doomed the movie. But, if you appreciate any of those Westerns noted above, it's worth a look even though the Johnny Depp version is all-around more entertaining (2013).

The film runs 1 hour, 38 minutes, and was shot Arizona (Monument Valley), New Mexico (Bonanza Creek Ranch and Eaves Movie Ranch in Santa Fe, Cook Ranch in Galisteo, Abiquiu), Southern Cal (Bronson Canyon Vasquez Rocks) and Utah (Moab, Monument Valley).

GRADE: B-

The legend of the Lone Ranger is ¨the untold story of the man behind the mask and the legend behind the man¨ . This flick that wavers between irony and seriousness follows the adventures of the Ranger , his white stallion Silver and his American Indian pal Tonto, as they attempt to bring local criminals to justice. It began on radio and made the transition to the small screen more than 50 years ago . This cinematic adaptation deals with the young Texas Ranger named John Reid ( Klinton Spilsbury who was dubbed), he is the sole survivor of an ambush arranged by the rebel outlaw leader, Butch Cabendich, as he is saved by an old childhood Comanche partner named Tonto (Michael Horse), and subsequently both of them form a formidable pair . The sole surviving Texas Ranger of a treason planned by the militaristic Butch Cavandish (Christopher Lloyd) returns to fight back as a relentless masked hero . When Reid recovers from his wounds, he becomes the great masked western hero, The Lone Ranger. With the help of Tonto, the duo go to save the President Grant (Jason Robards) when the nasty Cabendich takes him hostage . The President Ulysses S. Grant is accompanied by other historic personages as Will Bill Hickok (Richard Farsworth) , Gen. George A. Custer (Lincoln Tate) and Buffalo Bill Cody (Flicker) .The Ranger who was nursed back to health by the Indian Tonto rides with him, on Silver and Scout, throughout the West, doing good deeds and they dedicate their life to combat the evil that Cabendich represents. The two heroes ride off in a cloud of dust under classic musical background composed by Rossini.

¨The Legend Of The Lone Ranger¨ is crusader's last silver screen outing , but the film bombed so badly at the box office, the movie's star Klinton Spilsbury never worked in Hollywood again. The film contains action , thrills , great scenery with spectacular outdoors magnificently photographed by Laszlo Kovacs . This shows a campy and entertaining glimpse at nostalgic television series , though slow-paced and often corny. Klinton Spilsbury is mediocre as the mysterious and righteous gunslinger , he is at times absurdly awkward, yet the shows have an endearing innocent charm to them , while Michael Horse is passable as his faithful sidekick Tonto. This is a middling effort to narrate origin of the masked man though packs some fine action and excellent musical score by John Barry. The motion picture is regularly directed by the late William A. Fraker. While children will undoubtedly love , adults will probably be tiring and falling asleep .

Originally created as a radio play in 1933 by George W. Trendle and developed by Fran Striker, this is the last big screen iteration of the famous character .The Lone Ranger started off as an America radio show started in the 1930s and finally ended in 1954. It later expanded on to the big screen with 1938's "The Lone Ranger," 1939's "The Lone Ranger Rides Again," . The Lone Ranger was also a television series from 1948 through 1957 in which gained widespread notoriety on ABC television, as Clayton Moore donned the mask each week to fight crime and corruption in the old west and of course Jay Silverheels as Tonto. The last appearance of The Lone Ranger was in 2003 for a two-hour special on WB Network starring Chad Michael Murray and Nathaniel Arcand.Jerry Bruckheimer Films has debuted a logo for the upcoming adaptation of The Lone Ranger.The tagline on the site reads, "The Legend Returns." Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski has been contracted to filmmaking the classic TV show film , a blockbuster retelling for the big screen, and Johnny Depp is attached to play Tonto, the Lone Ranger's partner. There's still no word on who will play the Lone Ranger, but at one point George Clooney was rumored to be in talks.

I know that I am in the minority here, but I've always really liked this movie. I fondly recall viewing it in the theater with my parents when i was 6 years old. Maybe I am blind when it comes to the film, but i don't see any major problems with it. It's not a perfect film, but it is quite enjoyable. Let me put it this way, there are many films out there which are much worse!

I think what i liked the most was the music score, that theme song was haunting to my ears and one of the few that stayed fresh in my mind for so many years. John Barry truly did a marvelous job on this one, and many other movie scores over the years as well. I wish i could find the original theme song on CD, or at least on MP3.

Hokey and weak but still better than the unwatchable Depp/Hammer debacle.

Here's the origin story of the Lone Ranger, built up over a quarter of a century from its beginnings as a local radio show in 1933 to a well remembered TV oater in the 1950s. I found it bloated and unfocused.

Like many attempts in the last forty years to revive a dead franchise, it never seems to figure out what audience it is trying to appeal to. It takes about two thirds of its interminable 100 minutes before Klinton Spilsbury puts on the mask, the color matrix turns from brown to pearlescent, and he ambles away atop his horse to the strains of the 'Storm' sequence from the William Tell Overture to rescue Jason Robards as President Grant from the clutches of Christopher Lloyd, playing a mad army officer called 'Butch'.

It's directed by William Fraker and shot by Laszlo Kovacs, and it seems to spend much of its time showing beautiful compositions rather than advancing its idiotic story. There are shots of Ford Country glimpsed from a stagecoach window. There are some classic stunts, including a man leaping from a horse to the underside of a horse team and being dragged for a bit before letting go. John Barry composed one of his worst scores for this one.

The Great American Western seemed to come to a strange end in the mid-seventies. There were two well-known examples from 1976, "The Shootist" and "The Outlaw Josey Wales", but I cannot think of any from the period 1977-79. In the early years of the eighties, however, there was to be a modest attempt at a revival of the genre, of which "The Legend of the Lone Ranger" from 1981 was part.

In this version, the Lone Ranger is John Reid, the sole survivor of an ambush which wiped out a group of Texas Rangers, including John's brother Dan. Hiding his identity behind a mask, John sets out on a quest for revenge against the gang of outlaws responsible for the massacre, a quest in which he has the assistance of his Native American blood-brother Tonto. (John was raised by Tonto's people after his own parents were killed in another massacre by bandits). The outlaws John and Tonto are pursuing have rather more ambitious aims than the normal robbery and mayhem perpetrated by the villains in this sort of film. They intend to kidnap President Grant in order to force the US Government to recognise a large slice of Texas as an independent Republic of which their leader, Butch Cavendish, will be crowned Dictator.

The producer Walter Coblentz said of the film, "This is a grand old western in the heroic and glorious style of the cowboy picture", adding "This is not Blazing Saddles". By the time the critics had finished with the film, which was a massive commercial failure as well as a critical one, Coblentz must have wished he had gone for a "Blazing Saddles" type spoof instead.

The trouble started when the film-makers scored a public-relations own goal by bringing a lawsuit against Clayton Moore, the actor who had played the character in a successful 1950s television serial, to prevent him from making public appearances as the Lone Ranger. Moore was a widely respected figure who made many of these appearances at children's hospitals, and the lawsuit brought the film-makers much negative publicity they could have done without. Their problems did not, however, end with this self-inflicted wound. They had announced that the leading role would be played by an unknown actor after a talent search. They would have done better simply to have got on the phone to Clint Eastwood's agent.

The best their talent search could come up with was Klinton Spilsbury, an actor so bad that we are not allowed to hear just how bad he was; all his dialogue had to be dubbed by another actor, James Keach. He was rewarded with two Razzies, "Worst Actor" and "Worst New Star". (And, remember, this was the year of Miles O'Keeffe's spectacularly awful debut in "Tarzan the Ape Man"). Spilsbury's off-set brawling and heavy drinking earned the film more unwanted publicity; it is perhaps not surprising that he has not appeared in any films since. (At least O'Keeffe did go on to have a subsequent career of sorts, as did Michael Horse, who plays Tonto and was also making his debut here). The film also ended the directing career of William A. Fraker, better known as a cinematographer.

"The Legend of the Lone Ranger" does have some positive features. The storyline is no sillier than that of a lot of Westerns, and the treatment of the Native American characters is more positive and respectful than normal. There is some striking photography of the Western scenery, although if Fraker thought that Monument Valley is in Texas he was clearly not paying attention in geography class. Christopher Lloyd gives a decent performance as the villainous Cavendish, and the music is a lot better than a Razzie for "Worst Musical Score" might suggest. (And, yes, the "William Tell" overture does crop up in the score). These features, however, were not to save the film from failure at the box-office or from nomination for a "Worst Picture" Razzie. (It lost out, if that is the correct expression, to the much-maligned "Mommie Dearest", which in my view is nowhere near as bad as its detractors make out. My Razzie vote would have gone to "Tarzan the Ape-Man", which has virtually no redeeming features whatever).

The modest Western revival of the early eighties was doomed to remain a modest one; by the middle of the decade only a few diehards like Eastwood ("Pale Rider") and idealists like Lawrence Kasdan ("Silverado") were still making Westerns. Most of the blame for this situation must lie with another Razzie nominee from 1981, Michael Cimino's "Heaven's Gate", which artistically is much better than it is normally given credit for but which in commercial terms was one of the worst disasters in Hollywood history. "The Legend of the Lone Ranger" did not fail quite as badly as that- few films have- but it still failed, and its failure helped contribute to a climate in which investors were unwilling to take a risk on anything to do with the Old West. 4/10

Orphaned at a young age by outlaws, John Reid (Klinton Spilsbury) returns to Texas after having spent time becoming a lawyer to reunite with his Texas Ranger brother Dan (John Bennett Perry) in the frontier town of Del Rio. John saves his fellow stagecoach passengers from hooded bandits of the Cavendish Gang, led by disgraced Union Major Butch Cavendish (Christopher Lloyd). John stirkes up a romance with one of the passengers, writer Amy Striker (Juanin Clay) daughter of local newspaper publisher Lucas Striker (John Hart). When Lucas Striker's newspaper office is attacked by the Cavendish Gang leaving Lucas dead, Dan and his fellow rangers organize a posse to go after Cavendish with John joining. The group trace Cavendish to a ravine where having been betrayed by Collins (David Hayward) are gunned down by Cavendish and his gang and left for dead. By chance Tonto (Michael Horse) comes across the site of the shootout and discovers not only is one of the rangers still alive, but it's his friend and adoptive "blood brother" Kimo-Sabe who had saved his life in their youth. Tonto nurses John back to health and eventually honing John's skills in shooting and helping him wrangle a white Stallion he names Silver, John dons a mask leaving behind his former name and swears to protect law and order as The Lone Ranger starting with bringing Butch Cavendish to justice.

First appearing on radio station WXYZ (Detroit) in 1933 and created by either station owned George W. Trendle or by writer Fran Striker (matter of some debate), the series while initially aimed at children managed to exhibit a broader reach than anticipated with over the half the audience consisting of adults. The success of the character and radio program lead to expansion of the character to other areas including books (many written by Striker), two Republic Pictures produced film serials, and most famously the 1949-1957 TV series adaptation starring Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels as The Lone Ranger and Tonto respectively. After the series ended Moore continued to make appearances as the character at Children's Hospitals, Fairs, and charitable events having identified with the character. Rights to the character were eventually bought by oil billionaire Jack Wrather, who sought to make a feature film adaptation of the character for modern audiences. Development on the film was sped along by the success of 1978's Superman encourages financiers to revive other older Ips and characters including The Lone Ranger. The movie was beset by problems including Klinton Spilsbury who portrayed the character in the film whose behavior was reported to be problematic with the actor often getting into brawls, showing up to set drunk, or acting with an unearned air of arrogance. Spilsburry's performance was deemed weak and was eventually dubbed over by actor James Keach (who later said Spilsburry's performance wasn't THAT bad but it was an easy payday), but the biggest negative publicty came from Wrather's treatment of Clayton Moore who obtained an injunction against Moore from making any appearances as The Lone Ranger in public out of fear his continuing to do so would confuse audiences. Moore continued to make appearances using wraparound sunglasses and eventually won a countersuit that allowed him to continue. When the movie was released, the film was a massive disaster and alongside Heaven's Gate is credited with making the western genre less bankable at the box office (though Lone Ranger would mitigate its losses thanks to healthy TV sales). The Legend of the Lone Ranger is considered a black mark on the character, but is it really that bad?

One of the major criticisms of The Legend of the Lone Ranger was in the hour long lead up before John Reid dons the mask, a point producer Lew Garde would concur with in his memoirs saying in hindsight the backstory should've been done away with in the first ten minutes. The movie does take a long time before Reid finally dons the mask, but I do understand why the hour exists in relation to the rest of the story. The movie tries to set up the relationship of both Tonto and Reid from the days of their youth (only hinted at in the TV series) and give us more insight into the motivation behind the characters and their relationship. It's not bad in theory, and the sequence where we see Reid raised alongside Tonto is definitely influenced from contemporary westerns of the 70s such as Little Big Man or A Man Called Horse that tried to give more depth to Native American characters in contrast to the majority of productions of the 40s,50s, and 60s, with instances like Tonto in The Lone Ranger being the exception rather than the rule. I think what doesn't work is the story beat of John being sent to Illinois so he can study law because it feels like it distances him a bit too much from both Tonto and Reid's brother Dan with Tonto being absent for nearly a half-hour until the 50 minute mark.

Klinton Spilsbury is a major issue with the movie, he looks fine as The Lone Ranger and looks like a leading man, but with his voice dubbed noticeably by another actor we don't have a "full" performance for the character and instead we have two halves of a performance crudely stapled together. This was Spilsbury's only film role and I'm not sure how fair I can judge his performance since I'm not experiencing all of it, but as is its unfortunately not all that great. I did enjoy Michael Horse as Tonto in what was Horse's film debut and Horse would go on to have a respectable career as a character actor notably playing Deputy Hawk on the cult TV show Twin Peaks. Most of the supporting cast is really good with Christopher Lloyd's take on Butch Cavendish as a rogue separatist union Major bent on establishing the Republic of New Texas by kidnapping President Grant is a fun premise and Lloyd's intensity makes him seem like a force to contend with, similarly Jason Robards is very entertaining as President Grant with his grizzled demeanor and acerbic commentary leading to some fun exchanges between him and Lloyd.

The movie is the final directorial feature of noted cinematographer William A. Fraker of Bullitt and Rosemary's Baby among others, and having directed well regarded Lee Marvin western Monte Walsh in 1970, it's clear Fraker knows how to direct and stage an epic and energized western. The action sequences are brutal and chaotic with a sense of weight to them with the Stagecoach set piece in particular featuring some beautiful vistas as well as some thrilling sequences. The movie was very expensive for the time and you can see the money on screen with how elaborate the action sequences are. Unfortunately what drags them down is the lack of a strong lead and thanks to the dubbing and dragging nature of the first half of the film, Spilsbury and Horse really don't replicate the chemistry Moore and Silverheels managed to convey in just 66 minutes that this movie tries to do with 97 minutes.

The Legend of the Lone Ranger is okay. There's some strong performances from Lloyd, Horse, and Robards, and the action is suitably engaging with elaborate stunts and set pieces where the money was clearly spent, but the lack of chemistry between Spilsbury and Horse, as well as the fact there's not really a "full" performance for The Lone Ranger makes for a pretty noticeable weak point in the movie. It's not a complete failure and there is some fun to be had, but it's pretty hard to ignore some major faults.

Finally, a movie everyone can agree on -- it was horrible!

This movie was so bad that the only way the producers could get any kind of buzz going about it was by legally barring Clayton Moore from dressing as the Lone Ranger when he went to visit sick kids in the hospital.

This movie is so bad that it destroyed the directing career of William A. Fraker. This movie is so bad that Klinton Spilsbury, the Lone Ranger, never landed another role, his acting apparently being so inept that his voice was dubbed over with that of another actor.

Christopher Lloyd (Butch Cavendish) managed to survive this train wreck with his career intact, and Michael Horse (Tonto) found his way into David Lynch's "Twin Peaks, so it didn't destroy everyone it touched, but I'm sure it was a near thing.

As for the movie itself: the story is dull, the pacing is slow, and the acting is wooden. So, all in all, not that far from the 2013 version with Johnny Depp.

Its not even the kind of bad movie which is fun to watch, it is just SUPER dull. If you're tempted (as I was) to watch it just to see if it is as bad as everyone says, resist the urge. Its just that bad.

I heard about the negative remarks about this film. I know about the problems of making it. The only good thing about the movie is that I enjoyed it very much. I remember seeing the old reruns of the original show. I enjoyed Clayton Moore being the masked avenger. Jay Silverheels, the original Tonto died in 1980. Michael Horse did well playing the role. This movie goes back into the origins of the Lone Ranger. He was orphaned as a kid. Raised by Tonto as a "blood brother". After becoming a lawyer and a Texas Ranger, that's is when The Lone Ranger was born. Following the ambush set up by a rogue Calvary leader(Christopher Lloyd), recovering from his injuries by Tonto, and finding the steed that made his famous. The Lone Ranger is a symbol of justice. The movie could have been a hit if the right people were involved. Oh well. It may have been a bomb in the box office, but it is a hit with me. The other remake I heard was a bomb, at least this version is better. 2.5 out of 5 stars

This movie contains the worst acting performance of all time. Spilsbury lacks energy to say the least. Energy is what Clayton Moore gave us in spades. I never felt once in this movie that Spilsbury was anxious for anything. Revenge, love, justice? Not in this guy's portrayal.

There is also no chemistry between Tonto and LR. If the plot did not force them to be friends, you don't get the impression they want to hang out with each other. Plus, the sidekick has the more interesting personality. Ewww.

The dialogue is predictable and boring.

The narration is stunningly bad and if you are familiar with the Dukes of Hazzard you can picture what this is like. I cannot believe the director would agree to this. It insulted me as a viewer by explaining every plot line I just witnessed.

Hey, at least the horses and locations looked good, maybe that is what happens when you hire a cinematographer to be your director.

RATING-2 You may be able to watch this one for laughs or to demonstrate to an alien what a bad movie is.

After reading so many bad comments on this film, I guess I'm one of the few that disagree with the critics. I really liked this movie. I thought it was well directed by William Fraker, with terrific photography and a well written story. So, for once, there isn't a lot of blood and guts all over the place. Who cares? It was also interesting to me to see how the Lone Ranger got his name and the whole silver bullet legend, which I never knew. So, thanks for filling me in on that subject.

Some wonderful performances by all of the leads. How wonderful to see Jason Robards as President Grant. He added so much to the role with his usuall unbeatable acting abilities. This is a terrific actor in all that he does. And Christopher Lloyd as "Butch" Cavendish, the villain, plays the part with simplicity and not the usuall western bad guy. It was nice to see Lloyd play a different kind of role other than the character from "Taxi" he's known for. I liked Matt Clark as the Sheriff. You see Clark in many films and most of the time his work goes un-noticed. This actor, too, does fine character work. Then we have the Lone Ranger and Tonto. Yes, there are many legends that lean on the gay relationship, but this viewer liked these two actors. I didn't know that Klinton Spilsbury's voice was dubbed as the Ranger. But I thought he had lots of charm and certainly good looks, with or without the mask. His scenes with the horse, Silver, were wonderfully humorous and appealing. His scene in the church with Amy was also well played and well photographed. I liked this actor and don't understand why he never appeared again in a film. It must have been his own choice.

As Tonto, Michael Horse was perfection. Simply played with dignity for his race, he brought some nice quality to the film. You felt that unsaid respect and devotion the two heroes had for one another. If you want to go the gay route, do so. I guess in this day and age, one must take that aspect and build on it. What, then, does that say of the Three Muskateers?

I remember this bomb coming out in the early 80's. At first it sounded like a great idea. A retelling of an American classic with the help of modern movie techniques of the day. There was a bit a of a back lash over the treatment of the original "Lone ranger", Clayton Moore. The movie studio had threatened legal action if Moore continued portraying him self as the real lone ranger. (Moore was performing at children's hospitals as the Lone ranger for sick kids.) To many Americans Clayton Moore was just that the; the one and only lone ranger. I had always felt that the studio could have done justice to both the fans and legacy of the lone ranger if Moore had been treated better. Maybe even a cameo in the new movie. How ever this was not the case, and many of the viewing public stayed away in droves. Also the story and acting were weak. All this added up to a big box office bomb, and rightly so. I personally I'm glad the studio lost big money after the way the real Lone ranger was treated. You don't treat an American icon that way.

I very well remember the bad press this film got because of the producers' court order against Clayton Moore using the name "Lone Ranger" or donning his black mask at personal appearances. Quite apart from any consideration of the film's quality, this was the absolute height of nearsighted arrogance and stupidity on the part of the producers and their attorneys. And I suspect that the lesson was well-learned after this film tanked, which was widely perceived as some sort of karma for the jerks responsible for the court order against Moore.

In more recent times it has become the custom, when reviving a legendary film or TV project, to invite the original star or stars for cameo appearances, and rightly so. Show some respect, you idiots! And even if they turn up their noses at the prospect, which has happened, at least the offer was made. This is proof positive that film producers, studio executives, and entertainment attorneys are not quite too stupid and arrogant to be taught by example.

Whatever the producer was going for, he missed entirely. The Lone Ranger is not camp, but "the" icon for good-doers all over the world. And it's a total violation of the spirit of the character that the only real Lone Ranger, Mr. Clayton Moore, was forbidden to wear his mask in public appearances when this movie was released.

Whelp, long story short, the single saving grace of this gross (and poorly done) distortion was that in that year, I had the honor of meeting Mr. Clayton Moore in Columbus Ohio, as part of a tour resulting from the bad press over Mr. Moore's treatment. Needless to say, Mr. Moore's character, integrity and presence far outshined the movie.

Some things cannot be done better. There is only one Lone Ranger.

This attempt to give the legendary Lone Ranger character an origin story is passably entertaining, but could have used better lead actors and a more interesting tale to tell. As a directorial effort by a noted cinematographer (William A. Fraker) that is shot by one of his peers (Laszlo Kovacs), it's not a surprise that the movie LOOKS great. The beautiful scenery looks magnificent in the 2.35:1 aspect ratio, and John Barry supplies a typically engaging music score.

Klinton Spilsbury stars as John Reid, who as a child was orphaned thanks to maniacal bandits. He befriended the young Indian Tonto, and was adopted by Tontos' tribe. As an adult, he prepares to begin a career in law, but fate intervenes. His brother Dan (John Bennett Perry) is a Texas Ranger, who with his troops rides off to apprehend the nefarious villain "Butch" Cavendish (Christopher Lloyd) and his minions. But Cavendish and company ambush the Rangers, and only John survives. Nursed back to health by the adult Tonto (Michael Horse), he puts into motion a plan of revenge, while wearing a mask to obscure his identity. He must also rescue U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant (Jason Robards), who is kidnapped by Cavendishs' goons.

Spilsbury is a very handsome man, but unfortunately he's just too bland as an actor. Even using James Keach to dub his lines doesn't really help. Horse gives his character pride and dignity, but he's not particularly charismatic either. Spilsburys' leading lady Juanin Clay (playing brave newspaper woman Amy Striker) is another debit, although she *is* certainly lovely. Lloyd is an okay villain, although he just doesn't project a lot of menace or intensity. Robards is a colorful President Grant, and he's among a solid supporting cast also including Matt Clark as a useless sheriff, David Hayward as one of the Rangers, and John Hart as Amys' uncle Lucas. Richard Farnsworth has a typically delightful cameo as Wild Bill Hickok.

Well intentioned but decidedly unmemorable, this movie may do the trick for dedicated Western fans. That narration by Merle Haggard, however, is intrusive and annoying.

Six out of 10.

When you were a kid and listened to the Lone Ranger on the radio it was exciting. Years later, when Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels played the Lone Ranger and Tonto in the TV series The Lone Ranger, it brought ones heroes to life through the eyes of a youngster. Who can forget the masked man riding away at the end of the program shouting, "HiHo Silver,and Away", all to the stirring music of the William Tell Overture! Wow!

We all loved and respected the lone ranger and his faithful companion Tonto, but we never really knew the story of how the two came to be such great friends and why they had chosen fighting evil and injustice as an occupation. Well,the Ledgend of the Lone Ranger brings us right up to speed in a fashion that reveals many of attributes and flaws that are found as choices for all us. Loyalty, honesty, character, and fair play are pitted against deception, greed, cruelty and murder! Sounds just like another Lone Ranger episode. But,No! This time the hero is portrayed in the role of the victim. Will good have its day and triumph over evil? Things look mighty grim, after all, we've been into at least half the movie and haven't even seen or heard of our hero. And that's the point. Stick around for the wonderful second half to see how the Lone Ranger evolves, when he comes upon Silver, when he's reunited with Tonto and when he rides like the wind to even the score, as Rossini's Overture creates goosebumps, just like it did when we were kids!

This is just an awful movie. I love The Lone Ranger saga. I have the entire television series. And many episodes of the radio series. I have seen all of the movies from the fifties. This one had such promise. This was Bill Fraker's opportunity to direct. He wanted to direct so badly. And he did. What's bad about this movie is mostly his fault. I knew Bill personally and respected him immensely as a cinematographer. But he was no director. As a side note, Speilberg and Lucas had approached him at this time to do a new movie. He turned them down because he had always wanted to direct and this was his chance. They came back at him and offered him 5% of the movie if he would shoot it. This was, at the time, an unprecedented offer. No below the line personnel had every been offered a piece of the movie. He struggled with the decision but eventually turned them down cold. The movie he turned down a piece of was the Indiana Jones franchise.

The overuse of the William Tell overture finale was heartbreaking. It did a fair job of telling the "legend" but it skimmed over key parts while bogging down with more trivial matters. Very, very slow for an action movie. Klinton Spilsbury wasn't as bad as everybody says he was. Clayton Moore was no Laurence Olivier himself. But Clayton Moore did fit the part for a Saturday morning kid's show.

I could go on and on, but I'm just sad that Jason Robards and Christopher Lloyd were wasted in their parts. This may have been Lloyd's first "bad guy" role. He certainly didn't seen to know what to do with it. Cinematography was good. Fraker oversaw that part of it well. Overall, painful to watch. Sorry.