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The Mask of Zorro
The Mask of Zorro

6.6

The Mask of Zorro

PG-13·1998·136m

Summary

It has been twenty years since Don Diego de la Vega fought Spanish oppression in Alta California as the legendary romantic hero, Zorro. Having escaped from prison he transforms troubled bandit Alejandro into his successor, in order to foil the plans of the tyrannical Don Rafael Montero who robbed him of his freedom, his wife and his precious daughter.

Cast

Antonio Banderas

Antonio Banderas

Alejandro Murrieta / Zorro

Anthony Hopkins

Anthony Hopkins

Don Diego de la Vega / Zorro

Catherine Zeta-Jones

Catherine Zeta-Jones

Elena Montero / Elena Murrieta

Stuart Wilson

Stuart Wilson

Don Rafael Montero

Matt Letscher

Matt Letscher

Capt. Harrison Love

L.Q. Jones

L.Q. Jones

Three-Fingered Jack

Diego Sieres

Diego Sieres

Young Joaquín Murrieta

José María de Tavira

José María de Tavira

Young Alejandro Murrieta

Tony Amendola

Tony Amendola

Don Luiz

Emiliano Guerra

Boy Crying

Yolanda Orizaga

Woman Crying

Paco Morayta

Paco Morayta

Undertaker

William Marquez

William Marquez

Fray Felipe

Pedro Altamirano

Pedro Altamirano

Squad Leader

Luisa Huertas

Luisa Huertas

Nanny

María Fernández Cruz

Baby Elena de la Vega

Mónica Fernández Cruz

Baby Elena de la Vega

Julieta Rosen

Esperanza de la Vega

Raúl Martínez

Raúl Martínez

Heavyset Lieutenant

Victor Rivers

Victor Rivers

Joaquín Murrieta

José Pérez

José Pérez

Cpl. Armando Garcia

Tony Cabral

Soldier Holding 'Wanted' Poster

Tony Genaro

Tony Genaro

Watering Station Owner

Iván Rafael

Small Boy at Watering Station

David Villalpando

David Villalpando

Stupid Soldier

Maury Chaykin

Maury Chaykin

Prison Warden

Paul Ganus

Paul Ganus

Prison Guard

Sergio Espinoza

Leper Zorro

Conrad Roberts

Conrad Roberts

Black Zorro

Abel Woolrich

Abel Woolrich

Ancient Zorro

Pedro Armendáriz Jr.

Pedro Armendáriz Jr.

Don Pedro

Moisés Suárez

Moisés Suárez

Don Hector

Humberto Elizondo

Humberto Elizondo

Don Julio

Fernando Becerril

Fernando Becerril

One of the Six Dons

Alberto Carrera

One of the Six Dons

Eduardo López

One of the Six Dons

Vanessa Bauche

Vanessa Bauche

Indian Girl

Gonzalo Lora

One of the Six Dons

Rudy Miller

One of the Six Dons

Manolo Pastor

One of the Six Dons

Diego Sandoval

Padre at the Beach

Enrike Palma

Bartender

Erika Carlsson

Don Pedro's Wife

Manuel de Jesús Vásquez Morales

Guitar-Playing Soldier

Óscar Zerafín González

Giant Soldier

Kelsie Kimberli Garcia

Baby Joaquín

Kaylissa Keli Garcia

Baby Joaquín

Crew

Director

Martin Campbell

Novel

Johnston McCulley

Screenplay

John Eskow

Screenplay, Story

Ted Elliott

Screenplay, Story

Terry Rossio

Story

Randall Jahnson

Reviews

John Chard

John Chard

August 30, 2020

8

High definition a necessity for this delightful homage to swashbucklers.

Zorro senior tutors Zorro junior in the way of the blade, their combined goal? To enact revenge on Don Rafael Montero and Capt. Harrison Love respectively.

Martin Campbell was an interesting and wise choice for this latest take on the swashbuckling heroics of the Latin Robin Hood. Campbell was the man in the director's chair for both of James Bond's reinvigoration's, firstly with "Golden Eye" in 1995, and then with "Casino Royale" in 2006. For here it's evident that The Mask Of Zorro has no delusions of grandeur in the pantheon of cinema, it wants (and is) to be an action film with pure fantastical flamboyance pouring from practically every frame. It honours the swashers of old by ensuring all genre boxes are ticked, yep, we got swords a plenty, yep, we got a dashing hero (x 2 actually), yep, we got a spiffing looking villain, and yes we got a heaving bosom led romance into the mix as well. While Campbell and his team of screenwriters gleefully ensure that humour is a very prominent thing, thus keeping the fantasy in the comic book realm from which Zorro's essence comes.

The stunt work on show is top draw, none more so than during a horse chase sequence where this Zorro tips its hat to former glorious genre pieces (well done Tony Angelotti). Other notable technical aspects deserve a mention, the costumes from Graciela Mazón are desirable and now in this age of High Definition Cinema, good make up work really comes to the fore, so it be that that department did sterling work on this picture (check out Elena's gorgeous face). The cast are basically very strong, Antonio Banderas slips into the Zorro cape with charming ease, and though it's nice to see a Spanish actor playing the famous Spanish character, here in this adaptation the irony is that Zorro is Mexican! Anthony Hopkins is as elegant as ever as the elder, newly retired Zorro AKA: Don Diego de la Vega, and Catherine Zeta Jones is positively ravishing as Elena, while Stuart Wilson does a nice line in pompous villainy as Don Rafael Montero.

Some minor complaints do dwell within the picture. Campbell has a lot to fit into a running time of two hours and twenty odd minutes, and this makes the wait for the rip roaring finale longer than one at first wished for. Though for sure let it be noted that the gold mine action bonanza at pics end is totally worth the wait. Weak in the cast is Matt Letscher as Captain Love, oddly looking like some Kiefer Sutherland tribute act, he lacks any real menace for what is a pretty well written role. James Horner's score lacks the necessary boom boom bang bang that someone like Alfred Newman would have provided, and a comedy horse strand pushes the boundaries of acceptable genre homages a little too far.

But really why moan and groan at irks that don't alter the trajectory of The Mask Of Zorro's blade? It isn't trying to do anything other than whisk you along for a blade swashing ride, and that is something that it most assuredly succeeds in doing. 8/10

Media

Status:

Released

Original Language:

English

Budget:

$95,000,000.00

Revenue:

$250,300,000.00

Keywords

epic
california
hero
horseback riding
spy
superhero
sword fight
revenge
vigilante
swashbuckler
action hero
zorro
vigilante justice