The Lone Ranger – A review using the Jungian Archetypes
The Lone Ranger is a
western genre movie, narrated by an ancient Native American named Tonto whom
tells the story of the Lone Ranger to a small boy lost at a circus exhibition.
This story will be analysed with the Jungian archetypes in mind.
Fig 1: Lone Ranger
Poster (2013)
In the film John
Reid, a lawyer, is confronted with his brother Dan Reid’s reality who is
employed as a ranger in a small stereotypical American western town. On a man
hunt trip all of the rangers get killed by Butch Cavendish’s band of outlaws
but just as Tonto, played by Johnny Depp (Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of
the Caribbean) gives them all a proper
burial, the white spirit horse resurrects John Reid back to life. Reid and
Tonto team up to attempt to save the Wild West from a conspiracy evolving the
Indians plundered silver.
It all starts with the Herald
Tonto, who is an exhibition in a circus is 1933 and gets visited by a boy who
is interested in the story of the lone ranger. As Tonto starts talking, the Hero John Reid is being introduced into
a normal western setting, on a train to visit his brother’s family, his home
town. Adventure awaits as the train falls victim to a robbery which reveals
Butch Cavendish the Shadow of the story.
Butch is already handcuffed and tied up right next to the Tonto who shows
himself as the Mentor.
After the whole train being hijacked John and Tonto narrowly
escape with their lives Butch escapes and John insists on locking Tonto up in
his brother’s prison cell because he must have been handcuffed for a reason. In
this setting we meet Dan’s wife, Rebecca who embodies the Maiden as John clearly desires her and cares for her son Danny who,
being an actual child, fills the Child
role in the Lone Ranger.
Fig 2: Hero with
Maiden and Child (2013)
As Dan and John ride out with a party of rangers, they come
upon Butch’s band of outlaws and get themselves killed. Tonto finds the bodies
and starts to bury them, trading items he desires with the dead. He doesn’t
seem surprised when the white spirit horse, who takes the role of the Trickster, shows up, Tonto then tries to
persuade it to resurrect Dan instead of John as Dan is a “great warrior” but
the horse persists on John which is the beginning of John’s and Tonto’s
allegiance. Tonto tells John that Collins, one of the rangers, betrayed them
and is a member of Butch’s group, gives John a mask to hide his face behind as
he is believed dead. Tonto continues to offer wise council for the rest of the
film.
Only having the goal to stop Butch, they visit Red Harrington
who functions as the Threshold Guardian
as she gives vital information that alters the hero’s paths. According to her
Dan and Collins have been fighting over a cursed silver rock which lead to Dan
and the rangers getting killed.
In the meantime, Rebecca and Danny are captured by Butch and
nearly killed, but Collins reveals himself as a Shapeshifter out of guilt and protects them long enough for them to
run away, even though he pays with his own life.
The ending of the film is quite long and requires all the
hero’s characters to work together to defeat Butch and turn him in to Cole and
Fuller, who up to this point were believed to be trustworthy people but reveal
themselves as shady with the potential to be shapeshifters, as Cole (a trusted
character in the film) reveals himself as Butch’s brother and can’t let his
criminal past reach the light of day. Rebecca and Danny get captured again and
the showdown is a long battle on a train where John finally gets to kiss
Rebecca and save Danny for good. John is recognised a hero after all is over
but prefers to ride away with Tonto to right any injustice he comes upon as the
lone ranger.
Fig 3: Mentor with
Trickster (2013)
Altogether, the film is a decent western which is good
entertainment and fills nearly all the Jungian archetypes without making them
seem forced. It has a complex story with funny elements and lots of action with
shootings on trains, horses jumping on roofs and a happy ending, and while it
is a good film, it’s not one of the best. My personal score would be 7/10 as
the second half feels quite long and has action for the sake of it rather than
for bringing the story forward.
Illustration List:
Figure 1. Disney
(2013) Lone Ranger Poster [Poster]
available from: https://fabiusmaximus.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/lone-ranger-poster.jpg
(accessed on 20/10/15)
Figure 2. Disney
(2013) Hero with Maiden and Child
[Lone Ranger still] available from: http://frontrowfeatures.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/jun24wilson01_hi.jpg
(accessed on 20/10/15)
Figure 3. Disney
(2013) Mentor with Trickster [Lone
Ranger still] available from: https://filmfork-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com/content/Lone%20Ranger.jpg
(accessed on 20/10/15)
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