|
Zorro - the black-clad, bemasked legend who excelled at slicing
the letter zed into just about every baddie in old California
- was a childhood hero.
Always fighting injustice, standing up to corrupt bullies
and then giving them a good old pasting if they crossed him,
Zorro was a swashbuckler's swashbuckler.
Despite this, picking up the latest remake of the Zorro
legend was not an automatic action. Who can say why, but it
was a big mistake, because the Mask of Zorro is probably one
of the best swordfighting/action/derring-do movies produced
in a very long time.
Spanning more than 20 years, The Mask of Zorro follows the
life-long battle between Zorro, aka good guy Don Diego de
la Vega (Anthony Hopkins) and Spanish nasty Don Rafaelo Montero
(Stuart Wilson), who kills Diego's wife, kidnaps his baby
daughter, burns his house down and imprisons him.
Antonio Banderas is excellent as a poor boy-turned-bandit-turned-avenger,
easily switching between action hero and comic.
He is, however, almost overshadowed by Hopkins, who is completely
believable as an ageing swordsman whose patience is tested
to the full by his young protégé.
Hopkins' performance is masterfully understated and, when
needed, he throws in a delightful dry comedic touch.
The third main character is Zorro's daughter Elene, played
by Catherine Zeta-Jones, who is a powerful blend of independence,
beauty and passion. She really impresses in this movie.
Despite being liberally splashed with comedy, the Mask of
Zorro is still an action-packed adventure that will have you
swinging from the chandelier lights waving a poker (or ruler,
if you're still at school) towards imaginary enemies.
Conclusion: Movie: 90% DVD Extras:
80%
Continued:
DVD details at a glance >
|
