Director: Gore Verbinksi
Writer: John Logan
Story: Gore Verbinski & James Ward Byrkit
Release Date: 2011
Foxfire Category: Junk Food/Fine Wine
MPAA Rating: PG
One-line Review: Who you are is determined by who you serve.
The story begins with an unamed chameleon trapped in a fish tank. The story ends with a sheriff named Rango facing down a gunslinger on main street. I had a difficult time deciding which Foxfire category this animated western belonged in two: Junk Food & Fine Wine.
One one level, this movie classifies as junk food. It’s a goofy western involving an obvlivious lizard sheriff and a posse of thirsty townsfolk working together to find water. Their quest lands them in the middle of the desert fighting a tribe of gophers who are flying on bats. If that sounds too odd to be true, well, just watch the movie. The action just works. The visuals are superb. My favorite cinematographer, Roger Deakins, designed the lighting. The movie does things visually that cannot be translated into words. Of course, all movies do that, but this one does it more self-consciously than others. There are plenty of jokes for everyone to laught at and a few innuendoes most kids will miss entirely. This is well-rounded junk food.
On another level, this movie classifies as fine wine. An unnamed chameleon searches for his idenity. He decides to self-select it, giving himself a name and backstory. He buys the duds to go along with the badge and tries to play the part well. He’s heard the stories, watched the movies: he know how to play his part. But in the end, he fails. The charade turns to dust in the face of the gunslinger who goes by the name of Rattlesnake Jake. Only after Rango is stripped of his badge and exiled does he confess his failure. With his head hung low, he crosses the road, meets the spirit of the west, and learns that no man can walk out on his own story. The story is not about him. It’s about the people he serves. On this level, the movie provides a splendid critique to us moderns. Identity does not come from within you, but from without. Not from your choosing who you will be, but from knowing whose you are and whom you serve.
For more interesting analysis of the film, I highly recommend Josh Keefe’s video below.