Rango

"That ain't nothin'. I coughed up an entire tribe of pygmies." Elgin

☆☆☆☆☆ Classic 


Rango (2011) is a fun and lively animated spaghetti western.


Directed By Gore Verbinski.

Starring Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher, Bill Nighy and Timothy Olyphant among many others.

I had no idea what to expect from Gore when I started watching his first animated film. What a joy and surprise I soon discovered. By lampooning such classic film scenes from Apocalypse Now, Star Wars (1977), and A Fistful of Dollars to name a few Verbinski kept me laughing and amused at his tongue in cheek humor. Gore employs eerie sounds to great effect in a nod to Sergio Leone's Once Upon A Time In The West (1968). 

The star of this film are the animators who create high quality digital characters, landscapes of the desert and old west without any 3D FX. Credit must go to George Lucas' magicians at Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) who created all the CGI in their first animated film.

The voice overs from Johnny, Isla, Bill and Timothy are pitch perfect and make the animated characters come to life. In the scene below watch how the animator perfectly capture the tension and high drama at the high noon shootout. I loved the way Gore combines close-ups and long shots to create the look and feel of a classic western shootout.

Film Scene

Trivia - The character of Rattlesnake Jake was modeled after the actor Lee Van Cleef.

Film Trailer

Film Posters

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Film Script

Once Upon A Time In The West

"You brought one horse too many." Harmonica

☆☆☆☆☆ Masterpiece

Once Upon A Time In The West (1968) re-imagined the western with stunning visuals, eerie sounds and characters who were morally and ethically gray.

 Directed by Sergio Leone.

Starring Henry Fonda, Charles Bronson, Jason Robards, Gabriele Ferzetti, Claudia Cardinale.

Including Ennio Morricone (Music), Toninio Delli Colli (Cinematography), Nino Baragli (Editor), Sound, Costume and Set Departments all contributed to making this the greatest western of all time.

I have never included non-actors in the starring of a movie until this film. The actors all magnificent, but without the brilliant characters that the eerie sounds, the music, the sets and the costumes create Once Upon would not be a masterpiece.

The scene below with the character actor Jack Elam and a fly illustrate the high caliber of acting throughout the film. A fly (like any animal or child) would normally steal a scene from an actor. Jack managed to play off the fly brilliantly.

The majestic visuals throughout the film and morally grey characters reminds me of Michelangelo Antonioni's L'Eclisse. Pay particular attention to the sounds, music, sets and costumes in this film, because each one is its own character that propels and deepens the story for the audience. One of my favorite character traits is the use of specific music for each cast member. I also enjoyed the eerie sounds from the set pieces and the costumes that define each character.

Film Scene

Trivia - To get the fly to come on Jack Elam's face they lightly coated his face with jam. They had a jar full of flies and let one out close to Jacks face. They shot close-up's of Jacks' reactions to the fly on his face.

Film Trailer