Johnny Depp re-teams with director Gore Verbinski for magical cartoon Western 'Rango'
Strip away Johnny Depp's handsome looks and rebel posturing and you're left with a performance half full. One assumes. Depp, the slyest, the most mischievous and magical of Hollywood leading men, re-teams with his Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski to provide the voice of an eccentric lizard who takes the name Rango and becomes the mayor of an isolated Western town battling to survive a crippling drought. Deep brings Rango alive via snappy delivery that's lively, colorful and perfectly over-the-top. Scriptwriter John Logan, working from a story he co-created with Verbinski, deserves credit for the inspired slapstick and fast-paced buffoonery. Yet, beyond doubt, Rango rises on the playful, childlike spirit of Depp who makes this cartoon adventure the wildest, Wild West adventure in years - and he accomplishes this simply through the magic of his voice.
When his glass terrarium home shatters on a lonely strip of desert highway after his owner's car hits a bump, a lizard (Depp) finds himself alone in a small town named Dirt filled with a dusty Main Street that resembles the Old West. Inside the town's saloon, he chooses the name Rango, becomes the sheriff and faces a plot to steal away the town's precious water supply from the corrupt mayor (Ned Beatty), a turtle no less.
Logan, who also scripted The Last Samurai and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and the upcoming Martin Scorsese film The Invention of Hugo Cabret, keeps the movie humming via one comic action sequence after another.
Verbinski breaks down the wall between the audience and movie in a way that would make the Marx Brothers laugh. Rango is experiencing the adventure of a lifetime and with a wink and a nod he's inviting us lucky moviegoers along for the ride. Clever touches include modeling the despicable mayor after John Huston's character in Chinatown; offering a brief glimpse of gonzo writer Hunter S. Thompson (a past Johnny Depp character) in a speeding car.
Composer Hans Zimmer pulls inspiration from past Ennio Morricone scores like A Fistful Of Dollars with plenty of harmonica riffs.
Animation supervisor Hal Hickel and his team of artists capture the dusty look of the film's desert backdrop and the ragtag animals that call Dirt home. Rango shares none of the clean visual style of the standard Pixar adventure and it's a better movie for its gritty sheen.
Timothy Olyphant (Justified) supplies the voice of a Clint Eastwood-inspired loner called the Spirit of the West who gives advice to Rango. Olyphant is just one piece of a supporting cast of voices including Isla Fisher (a strong-willed female rancher named Beans), Alfred Molina (an armadillo named Roadkill) and Bill Nighy (Rattlesnake Jake, who has a Gatling gun on nis tail). Abigail Breslin, Ray Winstone and Harry Dean Stanton help round out the ensemble.
Standing tall in the center of it all is Johnny Depp as Rango proving that his voice is enough to bring a film alive. After creating magic via their Pirates of the Caribbean movies, Depp and Verbinski once again prove they are a creative team like no other via a fun cartoon adventure that's one for the ages.
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Cast: Johnny Depp, Timothy Olyphant, Alfred Molina, Isla Fisher, Bill Nighy, Abigail Breslin, Ned Beatty, Ray Winstone and Harry Dean Stanton
Director: Gore Verbinski
Writer: John Logan, based on his story co-written with Gore Verbinski
Music: Hans Zimmer
Producers: Blind Wink Productions, GK Films
Rating: PG
Running time: 96 min
Rango Movie Details:
Genre/s: Animated Comedy Family
Release Date/s: 3/4/2011 (Showtimes & Tickets)
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Company: Blind Wink, GK Films, Nickelodeon Movies
Official Site: Visit the Official Site
Alternate Titles:
CAST and CREW FOR Rango
Starring: Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher, Abigail Breslin, Alfred Molina, Bill Nighy, Harry Dean Stanton, Ray Winstone, Timothy Olyphant, Claudia Black, Alanna Ubach, Stephen Root, Gil Birmingham, Beth Grant and Kym Whitley.
Directed By: Gore Verbinski
Written By: John Logan from the story by Gore Verbinksi and James Ward Byrkit