Released: July 1998
Director: Martin Campbell
Rated PG-13
Run Time: 136 Minutes
Distributor: Sony Pictures/TriStar Entertainment
Genre: Action/Adventure
Cast:
Antonia Banderas: Alejandro Murietta
Anthony Hopkins: Don Diego de la Vega/Zorro
Stuart Wilson: Don Rafael Montero
Catherine Zeta-Jones: Elena
Matt Letscher: Captain Harrison Love
Between 1990 and 2001, action movies saw a very significant change in direction in terms of the use of visual effects and overall quality. James Cameron’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day is largely to blame for the real adoption of CGI into movies. To be fair, T2 was a phenomenal action film that revolutionized visual effects. Even today, that film stands out as one of the best action movies ever made. That being said, you could definitely see a change in how action movies looked over the course of that decade. 1996 saw the release of the science-fiction blockbuster Independence Day which was one of the last movies of its kind to use not only CGI, but practical and miniatures, often at the same time. But after that, CGI became more and more prominent in action films to the point where movies using practical effects were starting to get pushed to the back-burner. Thankfully, director Martin Campbell and producer Steven Spielberg teamed up to deliver a new epic film based on a very old character, Zorro. In 1998, The Mask of Zorro was released to theaters and strong reviews.
The Mask of Zorro begins in 1821 as Spain’s rule of Mexico came to an end. Don Rafael Montero, is set to execute three random peasants when local hero Zorro comes to the rescue. After riding into the sunset, Zorro a.k.a Don Diego de la Vega, rides home to his wife and child only to be confronted by Montero. With his wife dead and his daughter captured, de la Vega is imprisoned vowing revenge. 20 years later, notorious local bandits, Joaquin and Alejandro Murietta are set upon by Mexican soldiers led by American army captain, Harrison Love. Witnessing his brother’s death, Alejandro vows revenge against the American captain. After escaping his prison, de la Vega runs into Alejandro. Together, they set out to confront and exact revenge on Don Rafael and Captain Love. The overall story is a simple, yet elegant yarn about not just revenge and redemption, but also passing the torch. It’s a story that’s right of the old serials and black and white films of the 20’s and 30’s. It’s been updated to incorporate modern elements of film-making and production. Well, modern as of 1998. It’s an incredibly tight and well-written tale that has the perfect balance of action, comedy, romance and tension. Not a lot of action films take the time to get those elements right. Sure, action, comedy, and tension are par for the course for movies of this type, but throwing in romance could have easily thrown everything out of whack. Thankfully, it doesn’t. The story in The Mask of Zorro remains one of my all-time favorites.
A lot of what makes this film work comes down to several elements, specifically writing. It’s a very well-written film, but the writing would mean very little if the acting wasn’t as good. Thankfully, we have a top-tier cast that’s more than up for the challenge in this film. Antonio Banderas steals the show as Alejandro, who later becomes Zorro. Over the course of the film, we see the character go from a scruffy bandit to a skilled swordsman. Antonio brings a lot of charisma and vulnerability to a role that could have easily gone over the top. Anthony Hopkins is incredibly elegant and well-spoken as the aging Diego de la Vega. He goes from being Zorro to being a kind of trainer to show Alejandro the ropes of being a swordsman, and by extension, Zorro. Catherine Zeta-Jones as Elena, Diego’s daughter, is not only beautiful, but she can also hold her own with the boys. She’s incredibly lovely as Elena. Stuart Wilson and Matt Letscher play the villains, Rafael Montero and Captain Love respectively. Unlike a lot of villains in movies like this, these guys are not over-the-top cartoon caricatures. They feel like real people with real motivations. Wilson’s Montero is a schemer and fairly ruthless, but he does have an element of humanity that makes a bit more relatable. Captain Love is a straight-up scum-bag, though. This character is more of a mercenary and he’s willing to go to any lengths to achieve his goals. None of this would matter if the chemistry between the actors wasn’t there, and it really is. Antonio’s character’s relationship with de la Vega and Elena are some of the strongest in the movie. Antonio’s chemistry with Ms. Jones is very apparent in the dance scene as well as the sword fight they have together. You can tell that the sparks are flying and it’s absolutely wonderful. Like-wise, Alejandro’s relationship with Captain love is as antagonistic as de la Vega’s is with Montero. In some ways, it’s kind of a mirror. But the way these characters are handled throughout the film is amazing and it works very, very well.
The Mask of Zorro is a film that has everything for everybody. You want drama? Check. Romance? Check. Comedy and action? Definitely check. While some of these elements are reminiscent of something like say, The Princess Bride, Zorro does things its own way. Zorro is a character that is almost 100 years old, so bringing him into a modern film-making world presents a bit of a challenge, especially in the action department. The sword-fights in this film are some of the finest that I’ve seen, thanks to the efforts of legendary stunt sword-master, Bob Anderson. Bob Anderson has worked as a sword-master and stuntman in films like The Empire Strikes Back as well as the Highlander TV series. He was the go-to guy for sword fights in movies up until his death in 2012. Because of Mr. Anderson’s work, the sword fights in Zorro have a distinctive feel as opposed to other kinds of action films that involve fencing. Most of the actors in the film have had to go through some pretty rigorous training to make sure their fight scenes are feel authentic. This also goes for the stunts. This movie has some of the most amazing stunt work. Most of it is also done practically and mostly without the use of wires. There’s also very little in the way of CGI, with the exception of some background shots, but even then, CGI is kept to a very bare minimum. Honestly, I couldn’t even tell that there was CGI in the movie, if there was any. Some of the set-pieces are absolutely astonishing. The final battle at the mine is one of the most entertaining and intense sequences I’ve ever seen. Some of the action sequences are peppered with humor. One such scene involves Alejandro trying to steal a black horse from a group of soldiers. It’s not only exciting, but it’s incredibly funny with some pretty silly gags, such as Alejandro getting out from under a pile of soldiers, while they’re still trying to kill him. It’s just wild.
The set and period piece designs are absolutely incredibly. I love the design of Zorro’s outfit. Also, the outfits for the dons and the soldiers obviously have to be period-specific, considering when this film takes place. It just feels like you’re peering through a window into early-to-mid-1800’s California. Are there any negatives about the film that I should bring up? Honestly, I didn’t really notice anything that took me out of the film. In fact, there’s really nothing that the film gets wrong, and that’s rare for a film of this size and scale. Everything works like clock-work. From the acting and romantic angles to the action sequences, everything about this film is outstanding. Special mention has to be made for the score by the late James Horner. The music in The Mask of Zorro is among my favorite soundtracks. The Mask of Zorro is about as perfect a film as you can get, in my opinion. It has everything for everyone. You can use it for a date movie or you can take your family to see it. It’s that good. I suppose that if there was anything negative about the film is that the sequel, The Legend of Zorro, kind of sucks. Apparently, there’s a new film in the works, but details are pretty sketchy at this point, and I don’t want to assume or speculate on it. Aside from all that, is The Mask of Zorro worth checking out, even 20 years later? Oh, yeah. It holds up incredibly well and I see it becoming a true classic over the next couple of decades. It’s that good.
My Final Recommendation: This is an absolute must-own. I can say that without any kind of snark. 10/10.