I was unsure of this for a while. Being sick of Johnny Depp, I considered this film to be passable at best; cute, maybe get a few good laughs, but I simply did not know what to expect. During the set-up, they give a quite funny and completely unexpected nod to Fear and Loathing and it did get my attention, but it wasn't until I saw Ned Beatty give a "Deliverance" reference did I fully grasp how hard they were swinging with this. Simply put, if you are a movie-hound, then this film was lovingly and painstakingly made for you.

Isla Fischer was the first voice talent to really stand out, so well acted and masked is her performance I would not have believed it was her till I saw it on the Special Features, and Bill Nighy, In perfect form, channels a Jack Pallance/Lee Van Cleef so flawlessly, that after his character(the delightfully vile Rattlesnake Jake) is introduced to the screen, I rarely even wanted to watch another character.

This movie is wonderful, it fulfills every promise it makes at entertainment and will probably only get better with repeat viewings. This is not a homage to the spaghetti western, it is a love song. Packed with swag for cinephilles to just grab out of every scene this movie gives nods to almost every relevant film of the last forty years, from Chinatown to For a few Dollars More, the watchful eye will get something to smile about almost every cut. This is the film that Tarantino THINKS he makes, but this is closer to Edgar Wright than ANYTHING Tarantino has ever filmed. Everything works here, no matter how weird or obscure; it works. Well.

As a special mention everyone's new favorite Timothy Olyphant makes a cameo here that was so spectacular it nearly brought a tear to my eye! Simply put. If you don't like Rango, I prolly do not want to know you anymore.