Mask of Zorro

Anthony Hopkins is Zorro, the Fox. After years of struggle, Spain is pulling out of California and leaving it to the Mexicans. But Zorro slips up and the evil Governor tracks him down, kills his wife, steals his daughter and throws him in prison. Twenty years later Don Diego (Zorro) hears that the Governor is back. Minutes later he has escaped from prison (what was he waiting for?) and is destined to run into Antonio Banderas. After their meeting, Don Diego trains Antonio to be the new Zorro. The rest of the movie involves the plan to create the Independent Republic of California by buying it from Santa Ana with gold dug out of its soil and stamped to look Spanish. Mexico is willing to make the sale because of their war with the United States (it is now 1841).

If you are looking for a fun swashbuckling adventure, then this is definitely the movie to see. If, however, you want to see Zorro, you might find yourself a little disappointed. Gone is Zorro, the defender of the common people and the innocent. In his place is, not one, but two, Zorro's who are bent on personal vendetta's and enlightened self-interest. It is actually Don Diego's daughter who helps some enslaved Mexicans near the end of the movie.

The transition from one Zorro to another takes the Fox out of the wealthy and privileged and makes him a commoner. The new Zorro is also a thief (in a wonderfully fun scene the young Zorro steals his horse, a very serious crime at the time). Having Zorro break so common a law seemed wrong to me. To have Zorro flaunt the breaking of laws meant to worsen the lives of the commoners is another thing entirely. But in this movie Zorro does not taunt authority. He plots against it, to be sure, but for his own reasons and not for the good of the people.

As this movie has two Zorros, there are now also two villains to be defeated (one each). The elder Zorro still has his old nemesis to contend with while the younger Zorro has made a personal enemy of Captain Love, a young Cavalry officer who seems to be in the wrong country. Both villains are vile and easy to hate. This make the personal vendettas a little more palatable as well as making the ending a lot more fun.

The other main problem with this film is that Zorro loses. Zorro never loses. but in this film Zorro loses big time. He loses his wife, his home, his daughter, his name and twenty years of his life. Granted, he briefly regains his daughter but gone is the hero who can laugh in the face of danger and triumph brilliantly.

The last thing I wanted to mention is that, probably due to the controversy over the new Jeffrey Irons film, Zorro is no longer married to his wife Lolita. Her name has been changed (how dare they) to the more common Esperanza. I can understand the concern of some but Don Diego won the heart of Lolita before the Roaring Twenties. As in the Nabakov novel, Lolita is a valid name before it was turned into an adjective. Next thing you know people are going to try and get Disney to change the name of Bambi because they think it is a girl's name (Bambi was the prince of the forest).

So, if you want to see The Mask of Zorro because, to you, it means an exciting swashbuckling movie, you will really enjoy this one. But if you want to see the movie to watch the continuing adventures of a hero that has entertained all generations since his debut almost eighty years ago, part of you will be disappointed in what has happened to the character.


ZORRO MEETS ZETA JONES   May 26, 2004
Michael Butts (Martinsburg, WV USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

THE MASK OF ZORRO is a rousiing, energetic, exciting romantic swashbuckler movie, reminiscent of all those great Fairbanks and Flynn movies.
Antonio Banderas is a perfect Zorro, starting off rude and crude, ending up flamboyant and gallant. His injection of humor and the way he rolls his eyes is a definite good addition to his role.
The ever amazing Anthony Hopkins shines in his role as the first Zorro, whose life is ruined when his wife is killed and his daughter taken away from him by his cruel enemy. It's rare to see an action hero over the 50 year mark!
Catherine Zeta-Jones is breathtakingly beautiful and is wonderful in her role as Hopkins daughter, feisty, yet adolescent in her yearnings for the masked man.
Stuart Wilson is vile and irreprehensible as Don Metero, the head villain, and he plays it to the hilt.
Matt Leschler as the Captain is even worse, his dashing good looks hiding a psychotic imbalance.
The whole movie is superb; James Horner's overlooked Oscar score is beautiful, including the closing credits duet by Tina Arena and Marc Antony of "I Want to Spend My Lifetime Loving You."
This is a fun, enjoyable and uplifting kind of movie. ENJOY!


The epitome of swashbuckling.   March 23, 2004
This movie is so much fun. It could not have been more perfectly cast. Anthony Hopkins as the elder Zorro has just the right amount of suaveness layered over a quiet but intense desire for revenge. Catherine Zeta Jones makes a great traditional "spunky heroine", with enough flashy moves of her own that she's never the damsel in distress. And Antonio Banderas, ahh. Seeing this movie reminds me of why I was a fan of his after so many of his other movies did their best to put me off him. If you'd only seen "Two Much" and "Ballistic: Ecks Vs Sever", you'd wash your hands of him forever.

Which is perhaps what the entertainment industry has done. How else to explain how such a charming, charismatic actor gets so few good roles? Is it just his Spanish accent getting in the way? If so, what a pity. As the younger Zorro, he displays all his talents: He starts off as a bumbling bandit, so unkempt you can practically see the fleas on him. His transformation is a wonderful thing to behold. Step by step, he becomes the dashing swordsman, both in appearance and bearing. Every look of his eyes, every flick of his hand is just right. He has amazing acting instincts.

Another thing I like about this movie is the pacing. It takes its time setting up the story so you get a good background. By the time the bandits appear, you already care about them, because you've met them as children in a previous scene. At the same time though, there's never an instance where I felt the movie was moving too slowly, even with all the backstory.


PLEASE MAKE THE SEQUAL   February 9, 2004
0 out of 1 found this review helpful

the minute i first saw this movie i loved every scene of it and i haven't stopped watching it since then, i can hardly wait for the sequal to come in theaters