The Mask Of Zorro
Director: Martin Campbell
Screenplay: Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio
Starring: Antonio Banderas, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Catherine
Zeta-Jones, Maury Chaykin, Stuart Wilson
John's Review
This deliberately operatic re-working of the Zorro
myth is a terrific action adventure, one of the best sex, sin and swordplay epics since
Errol Flynn cut his enemies to ribbons in the 1930s and '40s.
In the new movie, both Anthony Hopkins and Antonio Banderas play
the role of the Californian crime fighter. Hopkins is seen in early scenes as a
middle-aged Zorro fighting an evil despot, a Spanish governor named Don Rafael Montero
(Wilson). After a series of successes, though, Zorro is captured and imprisoned. Twenty
years later, the now elderly, embittered Zorro sets out to exact his revenge. Montero has
returned as the architect of a nefarious plot to take over California as his personal
fiefdom. Diego (Hopkins) does a Yoda on Alejandro (Banderas), whipping him into shape, and
the two set out to topple Don Rafael's tyranny.
The fight is renewed between the forces of evil aristocracy and
enlightened peasantry. Intriguingly, the socio-political ground shifts in the new movie
because aristocrat Hopkins' Zorro chooses a shiftless, drunken but virile peasant --
Banderas' character -- to replace him as a hero.
That said, The Mask Of Zorro is too silly for history buffs to take
seriously. The peasants here are cartoon characters. Even the aristocrats are movie
archetypes. Any social significance of the story is lost in the romantic undertow, the
dazzling action, the great swordplay and the cheeky humor. Which also makes The Mask
Of Zorro a little too mature for kids, although slick director Martin Campbell
(GoldenEye) ensures, as in the 007 pictures, that little blood is shed.
The story is simple and easy to follow, the action scenes are well shot
and the music is uplifting. But the film does have it's plot holes. First the training of
young Banderas lasts, in movie time, no more than a couple of minutes. Also for a
commoner and a thief Alejandro is an exceptional speaker.
As for the romance, Catherine Zeta-Jones (like Hopkins, she is Welsh)
plays Zorro's adult daughter and the young Zorro's romantic interest with a fiery passion
that will melt hearts and get libidos going, no Viagra necessary. Hopkins, meanwhile,
brings an uncanny sense of pathos and drama to the screen, imbuing this Zorro movie with a
poignancy that is almost shocking in an action flick.
Banderas, his dashing machismo notwithstanding, offers another
surprising quality that raises the stakes of the film. He flashes his self-deprecating
humor with the same adept strokes that he uses to handle his sword. This Zorro seems to
know he's dressed for fun, not heroism, and encourages us to laugh along. It makes for a
potent mix.
If you're looking for swash buckling fun with action and adventure with
a splash of romance, look no further. I highly recommend this feature, but not for kids
under 10. The violence although bloodless is at times rather graphic. The purposeful
shooting of a peasant from point blank range is sure to conjure up nightmarish images for
children that are too young. Executive Producer Steven Spielberg's influence is evident
from the start and Campbell's direction is right on, much like that in Goldeneye, and
fortunately the plot is not nearly as complicated. The photography is well shot
and the acting is above par.
Grade: B
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