The Mask of Zorro

Starring: Antonio Banderas, Anthony Hopkins
Director: Martin Campbell
Genre: Adventure
Year: 1998
Rating: 4 / 5

If you find yourself scanning the pages of Weekend segments looking for an entertaining summer film, look no farther than The Mask of Zorro, an action-packed, fun-filled romp of a film. Though I have always considered myself a rabid Antonio Banderas fan, his role here as a Zorro-in-training far outperforms even my lofty expectations. Anthony Hopkins delivers as we have all come to expect him to, portraying both a dashing Zorro and the same older, wiser bandit. Together, the two prove to be quite the lively pair, and with a dash of screen spunk (newcomer Catherine Zeta-Jones), this movie truly explodes.

The movie finds itself in the territory of California, where the natives are struggling for their freedom from both Spanish and Mexican oppression. Spain has ordered the removal of unpopular ruler Don Rafael Montero, who hopes to leave his beloved California with one final feat of authority. His mortal enemy, Zorro (Hopkins), champion of the people, has thwarted his efforts time and again. After one final defeat at the hands of the masked marauder, Montero invades the home of his adversary, imprisoning Zorro and stealing his daughter. Zorro is left to rot in the prisons of California while Montero returns to Spain with Zorro's daughter.

Flash forward twenty years, and Montero has returned, and this time, he has a grand vision for the future prosperity of California. Yet before he can begin this mysterious plot, he must confirm the truth of that which has occuppied his mind for twenty years. Is his enemy dead? Did he perish in the dungeons beneath the city? As we may have all guessed by now, Zorro is in fact still alive, and his escape is inevitable. Out in public, Zorro's only quest is for revenge, until, that is, he sees his daughter (Zeta-Jones) alive and well, believing herself to be the daughter of Montero. This momentary joy is all that prevents Don Diego/Zorro from ending the life of Montero.

Alejandro Murrieta (Banderas), a known thief on the run from slithering Captain Harrison Love, runs into Don Diego, who is all that stands between Alejandro and the personal vengeance he wishes to enact on Captain Love. Don Diego informs Alejandro that he can teach the young thief how to fight, how to charm, and how to gain his vengeance... the proper way. So begins the often-humorous training of Alejandro, up to the point where he is worthy of donning the mask of Zorro. Of course, this will inevitably lead the new incarnation of Zorro into the arms of the lovely Elena (Zeta-Jones), the spirited daughter of his own teacher. (A fact of which Alejandro is not yet aware.) The chase is then on, with vengeance and love being pursued by both crusaders.

The Mask of Zorro delivers on so many levels, appeasing the romantic in all of us and the action fan as well. Banderas is able to deftly play both the rogue and the gentlemen, and Hopkins brings a suave grace to the role of the elder Zorro. Zeta-Jones is definitely one of the most impressive discoveries of the year, sizzling across the screen, and lighting up the movie during a seductive dance sequence with Banderas. My only slight gripe is the disappointing group of secondary villains. Matthew Letcher's Captain Love is bland and uninspired, and we are never truly shown the motives behind his hatred of Alejandro Murrieta. Other than that, the movie is well shot, the action sequences are ample, yet not unrealistically so, and the film trots along at a surprisingly quick pace. Before you know it, two hours have passed, and the mask has been passed again...

Cast:

Antonio Banderas..........	Zorro/Alejandro
Anthony Hopkins..........	Zorro/Don Diego
Catherine Zeta-Jones..........	Elena
Stuart Wilson..........	Don Rafael Montero
Matthew Letscher..........	Capt. Harrison Love

Certification: Rated PG-13 for violence.
Running Time: 136 minutes.

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