The Mask Of Zorro A Film Review By Michael Redman Copyright 1998 By Michael Redman
** (Out of ****)
The old adage "You can't go home again" is often especially true of one's early childhood havens. Things tend to be smaller, less fascinating and not quite as profound as memory would indicate.
Perhaps Zorro is one of those youthful memories best left alone. Out of the several versions of the swashbuckling hero, Disney's Guy Williams was mine. Hours were happily spent in front of the television watching the hero of old California make his enemies look like fools. The current film pales in the _recollection_ of those shows, although probably not compared to the actual programs themselves.
Based loosely on Johnston McCulley's 1919 magazine serialization which was brought to the screen a year later, this movie features two Zorros. We are introduced to the first, Don Diego De La Vega (Anthony Hopkins), in 1812 during his last adventure. The evil governor Don Rafael Montero is ready to execute innocent men to draw out his arch-foe. Zorro rides in, saves the men, fights off an army, poses dramatically a number of times and escapes.
But all is not well. Montero discovers his secret identity and invades De La Vega's home. During the battle, Zorro is captured and his beloved wife killed. The governor then takes De La Vega's young daughter Elena to raise as his own.
Skip ahead twenty years. Montero returns from Spain with the grown Elena (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and a plan to buy California from Mexico. Upon hearing of this, De La Vega, languishing in a squalid prison, escapes. In a tavern he runs into bandit Alejandro Murrieta (Antonio Banderas) who had befriended him as a child.
Murrieta is seeking revenge against Captain Harrison Love (Matt Letscher) for causing the death of his brother. Love is Montero's partner in his depraved plan. The older Zorro takes on this young outlaw and trains him to be the new masked avenger.
And then they fight the bad guys.
The film is a return to a simpler lighter adventure reminiscent of "Raiders Of The Lost Ark". There's no dark brooding Bruce Wayne. It's all played for action and laughs. The problem is that the action is listless and the laughs, forced.
The sword fighting is mostly filmed in medium shots resulting in a flat experience. The scenes are formulaic and repetitive. Each fight looks like the last. Zorro runs to the left and finds a group of soldiers. He runs to the right and finds a group of soldiers. He runs back to the middle and fights them all at once. Fifteen minutes later he does it again.
The comedy is played broadly and over and over. The young Zorro's problems with his horse are slightly humorous the first time. The second and third are less so.
Hopkins is the highlight of the film. His aging mentor is witty and appealing. Banderas fares less well, but does what he can with the limited role. Zeta-Jones certainly has a screen presence. Her sword fight with Banderas which doubles as foreplay is a joy at least until it goes on too long.
Other viewers might find the recent Zorro dazzling. Me, I think I'll stick with my memories.
[This appeared in the 8/6/98 "Bloomington Voice", Bloomington, Indiana. Michael Redman can be contacted at redman@bvoice.com] -- mailto:redman@bvoice.com This week's film review at http://www.bvoice.com/ Film reviews archive at http://us.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Michael%20Redman
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