The Mask of Zorro . Newcity Chicago . 07-20-98

The Mask of Zorro

DIRECTED BY: Martin Campbell

REVIEWED: 07-20-98

It's not the eyeball-crunching, camera-swooping epic that original director Robert Rodriguez might have made, but "The Mask of Zorro" is still diverting cornball. The script is filled with monosyllabic zingers from the good guys and staccato orders from the hissworthy bad guys ("Bury the body. Bag the head."), and the cast is packed with incurable hams like Anthony Hopkins (Old Zorro), Antonio Banderas (Fortyish Zorro), Maury Chaykin and L. Q. Jones. Banderas rips around like a cartoon character and his goofy English has more of a wink to it than ever. Bond veteran Martin Campbell keeps things moving at a brisk clip, mixing slapstick (how do you say "Three Stooges" en español?) with clipped action ("Bond. Juan Bond."). The plot has something to do with nineteenth-century California not falling into the hands of the wrong bad guys, but any clamoring for the massed rabble of common people stays with the good heart of Zorro the matinee idol and not the anarchist ideals of Zorro the potential Zapatista. Banderas is charmingly clownish throughout, and co-star Catherine Zeta-Jones, in a foolish yet sexy scene, has her bodice ripped, shredded and vaporized by the swift swordsmanship of Banderas.

--Ray Pride

Full Length Reviews
The Mask of Zorro
The Mask of Zorro
The Mask of Zorro

Capsule Reviews
The Mask of Zorro
The Mask of Zorro

Other Films by Martin Campbell
Goldeneye

Film Vault Suggested Links
First Knight
The Horse Whisperer
Twister

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