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The Texas Ranger “One Ranger” is a film that could have been released back in the 1980s. In America, it would have flopped in the box office but would have later developed a cult following, which was typical back in the day. It could have had a legendary Chuck Norris or Nick Nolte as main characters, both of them had the ideal persona to fit as the starring role of rangers in an action thriller. The movie starred Thomas Jane who had an iconic American stone-cold voice, a walrus mustache, and mirrored sunglasses. By now, most people are aware of the Nolte starred Texas Ranger in the 1987 film “Extreme Prejudice.” That specific film had a significant influence in modernized American Westerns alongside video games, movies, and TV shows. For me, the most iconic example would be the “Sicario” film. Western film heroes will always feature square-jawed American men, who ride in four-wheeled drive vehicles and spend their time trying to guard the enormous fenced-off piece of land known as the United States of America.
They are bold and surpass cocky, bordering on being cruel. The bad guys may be cold-hearted, but the phrase quantity over quality can easily be reapplied here. There is still an advantage to being faster on the trigger. You talk more than my ex-wife, was what the hero told the chatty prisoner.
Catapulting the viewers right into the thick of it is Jesse V. Johnson – a former stuntman and now a director and producer of ‘Avengement’ – who claims action is an important aspect to blending in the narrative. After a heist on a Texas bank from an IRA member known as Declan McBribe, chaos erupts. Texas Ranger Alex Tyree Jane was on a mission to capture a local burglar, but he only managed to do so after a grueling chase alongside his deputies. While in hot pursuit of McBride’s gang, Alex was forced to commandeer the rifle that the local burglar stole and forked out a series of miraculous long-distance shots. The results, which were in Alexfavor, allowed McBride’s only surviving henchman, an Irishman, to escape into waiting arms of the Mexican border.
Once McBrush was seized alongside the assistance of the British government, Alex and his team were forced to travel to Mexico in order to bring him to justice. However, these Mexican cops made a great point of disrespecting the British forces by claiming they will only allow the inter-country transfer if Alex was tasked with taking the prisoner. Portraying Alex in a good light was the intention of the British government to begin with as they did employ the aid of ‘The Elite Horseman of the American Southern Lands.’
Of course, things never go as planned. Because Alex is one of the only fools brave and foolish enough to face the consequences, he will now have to put the shackles on McBribe all by himself.
“Nice hat, very subtle,” remarks a British “Control” officer (John Malkovich) who’s Alex’s kinda-boss back in England. “I can get you one,” Alex retorts.
“One Ranger” deserves a special mention for knowing exactly what they want: an American Red State version of James Bond about a supremely legendary protagonist who always gets shit done and who more or less embodies the essence of America (though he goes out of his way to announce that he’s just a regular dude doing a job. Hence, the title). Even the scene where he finds his sidekick and the sidekick’s home coms off as terribly contrived. There is not a single Western Euro/American who is outright xenophobic/racist, but the dominance structures and relations that underpin all the action remain largely unexamined and, with a couple of exceptions like the opening quote, virtually ignored. Most of them are some kind of racial, ethnic, or national stereotype, flattened out to video game NPC levels. Here is a Ukrainian who helps Alex and puts on Nutcracker-style fur hat, “It is unwise to reject Cossack’s generosity.”
If you cranked the Ridiculosity dial on Alex just a bit more he would turn into a women’s shirt-wearing, screaming, gun-loving southerner who hasnt had a nice day until he’s killed atleast five people. But he’s the hero and you’re supposed to like and identify with him, so it never goes that far.
The dynamic between Alex and his British intelligence contact (Dominique Tipper) is fascinating in that both parties can regard each other as equals without the need to engage in elaborate rituals of loathing. At several moments in the movie, Alex appears to be worn out and utterly exhausted which for the first time lets us witness the “Cowboy’s” space suit, so to speak, and exposes the man underneath. You start to appreciate Jane’s ability in giving subtlety to a character sculpted out of granite. There’s a nice moment with Alex in a doorway that reminds us of some of the more poignant performances of William Holden and Paul Newman brought to “aging master” parts during and after their forties. He’s giving more to the film than the film is giving to him, but the viewer still appreciates the effort.
Like the “Taken” trilogy with Liam Neeson (and his other “old guy who can still kick ass” movies), and Denzel Washington’s The Equalizer revival, this is a decent reptilian brain film, one that is well executed enough to compel you until the end – which is certainly devoid of any shockers. This is better while not receiving the fist and gun treatment than people, but, like all reptiles, it has a good idea of what and where that target is and where its bullets will hit.
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