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"The Mask of Zorro" packs adventure, comedy and romance into an intriguing two-hour tale of revenge set in Mexico-owned California during the 1800s.
The film opens with an action-packed sequence, in which Zorro No. 1, Don Diego de la Vega (Anthony Hopkins), foils a public execution plan ordered by Don Rafael Montero (Stuart Wilson), the then-governor of Alta, California.
Montero has staged this execution prior to a scheduled departure for Spain to escape General Santa Ana's foreseen invasion of the region.
After humiliating Montero and his soldiers, Diego returns home - only to find Montero and his soldiers awaiting him. The scene is a tragic one for Diego - resulting in the murder of his wife, the kidnapping of his infant daughter Elena and his imprisonment.
Montero flees to Spain with Elena for 20 years; Diego remains imprisoned for 20 years.
Upon Montero's return to California with Elena, Diego finds a way to escape prison. He is driven by his will to avenge the wrongdoing of Montero and to win back his natural daughter.
Soon after his escape, Diego encounters an ally from his past in an outdoor tavern. This ally is an arrogant, crude outlaw named Alejandro Murieta (Antonio Banderas) who, along with his now-deceased brother, helped Diego during his last day of vigor at the public execution. Murieta reveals that his brother has recently been killed by an ally of Montero named Captain Harrison Love (Matt Letscher). Fueled by rage and desire for revenge, Diego and Murieta team up to beat their enemies. Hence, Zorro No. 2 is groomed. Zorro No. 1 teaches Zorro No. 2 how to be a Zorro.
From here, conflict remains strong; however, tension-mounting seems stagnated at times due to the constant comic buffoonery relieving this story of its entire point - revenge.
Another criticism of the film is that, other than a few original action tricks a la Jackie Chan-styled humor, some of the sword fights become a chore to watch.
A final evident snag in this film lies in its plausibility of character development.
While the acting is clearly clever by cast members, the scripted character development strays from a realistic progression. For one, Murieta, Zorro No. 2, transforms too suddenly under Diego's tutelage from an barbaric outlaw into a charismatic gentleman. In turn, Diego, Zorro No. 1, never transforms at all, not even after a 20-year residency in a filthy, black dungeon full of lunatics.
He emerges from prison virtually unaffected, though one might have expected him to emerge from that nasty place with all sorts of behavioral disorders, even dementia, like his fellow borders.
On the flip side, the historical development and idiosyncratic details of the setting seem very plausible.
Additionally, the production as a whole provides an enjoyable current of entertainment particularly strong in the area of artistic performance by the cast members.
One stand-out performance is given by newcomer Catherine Zeta-Jones, who delivers a compelling and seductive performance as Elena. Zeta-Jones and Banderas team up wonderfully to supply romantic steam to captivate viewers with heated passion, enticing energy and humor. Chemistry between these two stars is magnetic.
For that matter, chemistry is an integral part of this story. Hopkins and Banderas also click wonderfully as actors, as do the actors Wilson and Letscher, the two lead villains.
"The Mask of Zorro" might have better been named "The Masks of the Two Zorros" or "Zorro No.1 and Zorro No.2" or perhaps "Revenge Meets Buffoonery."
Still, overall, this film by any other name would still remain the same: a light-hearted remake of a legendary California hero - or two.