Le Masque de Zorro

THE MASK OF ZORRO ****1/2 Stunning, visually rich, and highly acclaimed motion picture that retells the story of the Masked Swordsman (Anthony Hopkins) serving the people of California by saving them from the devious plans and conspiracies the Spanish empire and trained forces carry out. Hopkins trains a new Zorro (properly portrayed by Antonio Benderas) to take his place and save California from a tasteless fate. What subsequently takes place is nothing short of first-rate entertainment. The film has delightful humour and well choreographed sword-on-sword sequences. The musical score by James Horner provides additional supportive elements to capture all of the film's diverse moments. Excellent direction by Martin Campbell. A must-see.

The best thing about this movie is the casting.How ingenius,eh? Antonio Banderas as Zorro,eh?And Stuart Wilson as the central villain.This guy is one of the most unrecognised talents around.As a snidy British baddie,he could easily give your average Dennis Hopper a run for his money.Catherine Zeta Jones is also marvellous as the love interest. The action scenes and stunts are fantastic.Real hollywood at it's best.Martin Campbell keeps an efficent and steady pace to proceedings as director. If there's a problem here,it's that it's probably a tad overlong.But luckily,this unwantern time is'nt filled with unnecessary scenes but scenes as visually exciting as the last. It's also marvellous that it's a PG,because such past fare,like Bad Boys,is loud,action packed,exciting and brilliant,it's also rather flatulent and rude.This is just superb action entertainment which can be enjoyed by the whole family.

This is a truly wonderful movie. In my opinion it belongs with the Classics.

What is a classic anyway? Something with timeless quality. And this movie has it.

Just saw this movie again for the 3rd or 4th time since it came out. I remembered almost every scene and still sat to watch it again. To see the great photography, to hear the inspirational music, to admire and have fun with the excellent performances of all actors, leading and supporting.

This movie has it all. It revives one of the more influential characters of all time, with the most appropriate way. You get a dramatic, even tragic, plot, and simultaneously a fun script. Emotion and comedy at the same time. Great visuals and scenery and also good action.

In my opinion this a highly underrated movie (6.7 for 2013 doesn't give it justice at all) and it belongs among the best. For the friend who gave a low rating a note: Not all the dramas have to be edgy and dark.

Overall: Highly recommended

Entertaining and dashing, The Mask Of Zorro is a superb action film. Antonio Banderas gives the greatest performance of his career as Zorro. A thrilling action packed film, The Mask Of Zorro is a superbly crafted action film that is entertaining and thrilling throughout. The film is never boring and delivers terrific action. The acting is terrific as well, and the cast alongside Banderas is great. Anthony Hopkins stars as the original Zorro who takes an apprentice under his wing to exact revenge on the man who imprisioned him and took away his daughter.I have to admit, I never really was a big fan of the Zorro character, but after seeing this film I was blown away. The best way to describe this film is an action packed period piece. The story is engaging enough to keep the viewer entertained and thrilled. I viewed this film quit a few times since its initial release and it doesn't seem dated one bit. The film is just as good now as it was when first released. The Mask Of Zorro remains Antonio Banderas' best performance and he give his all on screen. He is the perfect choice to play Zorro. The film may be uneven, but it succeeds on many levels. A highly entertaining action packed adventure that hits the right notes. Even if it has imperfections, there are more high points than low points. An entertaining film that actually makes Zorro an interesting action hero again.

I will not deny that I am not particularly into swashbucklers that much, but I will be prepared to say that the Mask of Zorro is splendid entertainment. Antonio Banderas gives a very spirited performance as Alejandro, and the well-choreographed sword fights, beautiful score and witty screenplay allow Banderas to do what he does best. Anthony Hopkins is perfect as Don Diego, giving his character a sense of bitterness, sensitivity and vulnerability that make all his performances so endearing. In fact, this, Silence of the Lambs and The Elephant Man just go to show what a great actor Hopkins is; the only film he disappoints in is in Chaplin, where he played the rather unnecessary role of the fictional autobiographer. Catherine Zeta Jones is lovely beyond words as Elena, and Stuart Wilson plays his his-sable villain almost to perfection, but Matt Letscher as Captain Love isn't quite as threatening as he should be. The cinematography is very handsome, capturing perfectly the beautiful sets and costumes. The only other criticism I have of the movie, is its length, it's quite excessive. But I will say the explosive finale and spirited performances more than compensate, making it a very well-done and entertaining film. I wasn't as impressed with the sequel, the swordplay was more like slapstick and the plot was less involving and a little bloated. 8/10 for Mask of Zorro though. Bethany Cox