5. Johnny Depp’s Nearly Fatal Trouncing During Filming of The Lone Ranger

In a stunt scene that went seriously awry, Johnny Depp managed to avoid serious injury after his saddle came lose, and his horse dragged him for upwards of 75 feet.

A perfectly timed escape was the only thing that saved Depp.

Hopefully the accident will prove worthwhile. This is one of those films that is garnering varying reviews according to what the viewer is looking for.

Paradoxically, part of the problem is that Johnny Depp has become too respected (or idolized, if you like).

Talents who get big are expected to be bigger each time, and for a “serious” actor like Depp to undertake a rollicking film with moments of humor and sheer absurdity strikes some as being demeaning to one of such talent.

This is said many times in film criticism, but it is almost always wrong. Only critics want serious actors. The public just wants entertainment, and “The Lone Ranger” may supply it.

Political correctness has also prompted cooler-than-thou comments from some critics. Johnny Depp plays a half-humorous native American parody with a dead bird on his head, admittedly a ludicrous and possibly insulting image. Comparisons have been made to Steppin Fetchit, a black actor who made a career in the 1930s and ’40s by playing “darkie” roles.

Only time will tell whether Depp’s run-in with that horse was for a good cause.