Antonio Banderas, Anthony Hopkins and Catherine Zeta-Jones
Hyped as the action event of the summer and the movie to go up against the big budget blockbuster, The Mask of Zorro brought nostalgia to the theater in the form of a movie version of the famous television series Zorro. It doesn't quite live up to the hype (at least I didn't think so) but it is a refreshing movie in the midst of movies with budgets in the stratosphere because The Mask of Zorro delivers not only action, but some comedy and romance and it does so without the aid of mouth dropping special effects.
Antonio Banderas as Alejandro Murrieta and his alter ego Zorro
This version of Zorro starts out with the action of the TV series with the original Zorro (Anthony Hopkins) fighting against the injustice of Spanish rule in California and the Governor Don Rafael Montero (Stuart Wilson), who unjustly enforces its laws. Don Rafael is about to execute three men for no reason when Zorro shows up and singlehandedly swashbuckles and swings his way through most of the Spanish Army, rescues the prisoners and escapes on his trust steed Tornado, with a brief stop to brand the evil governor with his trademark Z. Zorro then returns to his home, and his original identity as Don Diego de la Vega (one of Rafael's Dons that help him rule California). After putting his baby daughter Elena to bed and talking with his wife they are interupted by Don Rafael and his troops... Rafael has discovered Zorro's identity and has come to destroy his enemy. During the ensuing swordfight (in this movie there is always a swordfight, so don't be suprised when I say "during the ensuing swordfight) de la Vega's wife is killed by one of Rafael's troops as he is trying to shot Zorro. Rafael, who also loved Zorro's wife, decides to punish de la Vega by throwing him in prison to rot and raising Elena as his own.
Anthony Hopkins as the original Zorro
Soon after Vega is put to his life sentence Spanish troops are defeated by Santa Anna and his Mexican Army, liberating California into Mexican rule... after which Rafael returns to Spain with Elena. Flash foward twenty years... Don Rafael retuns to California with "his" daughter Elena (Catherine Zeta Jones) to meet with his former Dons (whom he helped to make rich before he left for Spain) and discuss his plans for California. He has also come to check on his old nemesis Diego de la Vega, but when he cannot find him he figures him dead. He assumes wrong as he just passes over Vega, and Vega is instilled with feelings of revenge when he sees his former rival... so much so that he escapes from prison and plans on killing Rafael. Just before he strikes he sees the beautiful young woman that his daughter has become, and realizes he can't kill the man she believes to be her father. Now we move into the second part of our story (and the part which all you Antonio Banderas fans were waiting for), we then meet Alejandro Murrieta (Antonio Banderas) and his brother Joaquin who are theifs and wanted men. During one of their robberies they are pursued by Captain Harrison Love (Matthew Letscher), a military Captain "keeping" order. Captain Love captures Joaquin and murders him in front of Alejandro's eyes... now Alejandro has his own reason for revenge, but just as he is about to attempt a dual with Captain Love he is stopped by Vega, who convinces him that he would have no chance without the training the he, as Zorro, can give him. Alejandro agrees and begins training to exact his revenge against Captain Love while Vega is traing Alejandro to have help in exacting his revenge against Rafael. After several ensuing swordfigths... including the one everyone has seen where Zorro (Banderas, not Hopkins) cuts off Elena's dress with his sword... Alejandro discovers that Rafael plans to buy the territory of California from Santa Anna by stealing it from one of his own gold mines, and after he takes what he needs for the sale Rafael plans to destroy the mine with the workers still inside it. Now it is time for Zorro to save the day, and for both Alejandro and Vega to get their revenge.
Zorro (Antonio Banderas) and Elena (Catherine Zeta Jones) duke it out
As I said, for me this movie didn't really live up to my expectations. It was good, it just didn't do it for me liked I hoped it would. I remember watching the old Zorro on TV when I was a really little kid and I loved it, and it didn't seem to me that The Mask was a cool as the TV series. I don't know if that is because it really wasn't, or because when you are a little kid everything is cool, but for whatever reason the action just wasn't the same for me. That's not to say that the swordfighting scenes aren't pretty cool, in fact some of them are down right edge of your seat kind fo stuff. There were also a lot of funny lines and situations that the writers came up with, in fact the whole script is well written. The Mask of Zorro is a good action/adventure movie, it just wasn't as good as I expected.
