Two Cents is an original column akin to a book club for films. The Cinapse team will program films and contribute our best, most insightful, or most creative thoughts on each film using a maximum of 200 words each. Guest writers and fan comments are encouraged, as are suggestions for future entries to the column. Join us as we share our two cents on films we love, films we are curious about, and films we believe merit some discussion.
The Pick
One of Hollywood’s favorite pastimes for the past few decades has been pouring lots and lots of money into flashy updates of classic pulp heroes, or new characters explicitly drawn from the example of classic pulp heroes.
Alas, it never quite seems to work out.
The Phantom. The Shadow. The Rocketeer. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. The Spirit. John Carter. And of course, the kill-shot that may have finally finished this trend for good, The Lone Ranger.
Surely everyone involved in these enterprises has nothing but the best and most noble of intentions. And pretty much every one of the films listed above has some degree of cult following (maybe not The Spirit) attuned to the specific frequency the filmmakers sought.
But the movies never quite work right, and the audiences never show up.
Well. Except for one time.
1998’s The Mask of Zorro was a long-gestating project that went through a number of hands. At one point producer Steven Spielberg was going to direct himself, before opting instead to hire young up-and-comer Robert Rodriguez. Rodriguez cast his Desperado leading man, Antonio Banderas, to be the new Zorro, only to depart himself when producers would not agree to his budget requests (the final cost ended up being over twice what Rodriguez asked for). Instead, directorial duties were handed by Martin Campbell on the heels of his reviving the dormant James Bond franchise with Goldeneye (and right before he would revive the dormant James Bond franchise with Casino Royale).
The Mask of Zorro opens at the end of the career of the classic Zorro, as heroic nobleman Don Diego de la Vega (Sir Anthony Hopkins) has decided to end his nightly Batmanning and devote himself entirely to his wife and child. But his life is destroyed when the vengeful Don Rafael Montero (Stuart “Dr. Hatcher, nooooo.” Wilson) murders his wife and steals his daughter. Twenty years later, de la Vega escapes imprisonment and decides a new Zorro is needed to save his now-grown daughter Elena (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and free California from tyranny. His choice: Banderas’ Alejandro, a good-hearted, bumbling bandit who cleans up awfully nice.
Together, de la Vega and Alejandro must work together to save Elena and protect California from Montero’s evil schemes, and avenge the death of Alejandro’s brother at the hands of the sadistic Captain Love (Matt Letscher).
Buckles are swashed, derrings are do’ed, with no less than Olympian swordmaster Bob Anderson (who worked on *checks notes* all of your favorite movies) making sure that the swordfights are some of the best that have ever been.
The Mask of Zorro was a massive hit when it was released, and remains a beloved high-water mark for fans of ’90s action cinema. While much of the cast and crew went on to long and accomplished careers, this particular formula was never quite replicated, not even when the whole gang got together again years later for The Legend of Zorro.
So strap on your best sword and make sure your hat is on tight. It’s time to put on The Mask of Zorro.
Next Week’s Pick:
Oh hey, we’re doin’ The Velocipastor.
Available on Amazon Prime and Free (ad-supported) on Vudu.
Would you like to be a guest in next week’s Two Cents column? Simply watch and send your under-200-word review to twocents(at)cinapse.co anytime before midnight on Thursday!
Our Guests
Austin Wilden:
The Mask of Zorro’s alchemical mixture of all the right elements in just the right places makes for one of the grandest feeling blockbusters I’ve ever watched. Set design, costumes, stunts, score and the performances of the assembled cast compliment each other in a way that makes the over two-hour runtime race by and leaves you longing for more.
It’s similar to the mix that made the other swashbuckler with a screenplay by Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio, Curse of the Black Pearl, work years later. Namely that it’s committed to not overcomplicating itself and focusing in on the central characters’ arcs above all else. The three main characters, Alejandro, Elena and de la Vega, all have easy to understand motives, relationships and connections with the antagonistic duo of Rafael Montero and Harrison Love. When the sword fighting, rope-swinging and horse-riding action kicks in, you understand what brought all the participants to that point and their goals. All that action and character work happens in a way that makes it look so effortless you wonder what happened to Martin Campbell by the time he was making Green Lantern.
Of course, the biggest highlight is the sword fight/flirt in the stable between Alejandro and Elena, where Banderas and Zeta-Jones’ chemistry burns hotter than the goldmine explosion that caps off the movie’s climax. (@WC_Wit)
Brendan Agnew (The Norman Nerd):
What do Batman Begins, Casino Royale, and The Force Awakens have in common?
They’re all damn good movies who’s big central “hooks” were done better, earlier, and all in a one movie, by The Mask of Zorro.
You’ve got the masked vigilante with the double life, an “origin” that reboots a beloved action/adventure hero with his recognizable gear *and* a continuation of a pop mythology icon that passes the sword to the next generation AND *ALSO* they do the “truck sequence from Raiders of the Lost Ark” of horse chases. This movie it’s so good — and makes being as good as it is look so easy — that it makes me embarrassed for other movies. Like, this was the same level of “everything coming together just right to make the platonic ideal of a swashbuckler” as the first Pirates of the Caribbean, except all those secret ingredients in Pirates feel accidental but confidently purposeful in Zorro.
And did I mention it’s a movie that takes the subtext of “sword fights are basically sex scenes” and decides that subtext is for fucking cowards?
Every one of the actors shows up to work but is also eager to play, the fight and chase scenes are impeccably shot and communicate clear narratives of action, James Horner’s score rips the entire roof off (the dude was coming off of both Braveheart and Titanic so he *knew* he was hot shit and came to show off), and things blow up so gotdamn awesome that the film uses lion and tiger roars in its explosion sound effects. Also, one time Zorro dual-wields swords to duel two guys simultaneously and it’s some of the raddest weapon shit outside martial arts cinema.
There’s still a few things that our current blockbusters could learn from The Mask of Zorro. Namely, more swords. (@BLCAgnew)
The Team
The Mask of Zorro does so much right that it’s hard to understand why so many other movies get it wrong. Why can’t all action movies have action this clean and well-choreographed? Why can’t all ensembles be this well-assembled and be having this much palpable fun? Why can’t all adventure movies have this clear a narrative structure, while also having the patience to take time to give each piece time enough to breathe?
Why can’t there be more GODDAMN swordfights in Hollywood blockbuster?
The Mask of Zorro is just one of those very special movies where all the elements aligned in just the right way. It’s no wonder that it has proven nigh-on impossible to replicate, even by different combinations of the same creative team. I do hope that someday someone gives Banderas the opportunity to pass the mantle to another Zorro in a big, splashy blockbuster, but we should never stop being grateful that the great Fox got one Hollywood outing this outstanding. (@TheTrueBrendanF)
“The hero’s mortal enemy steals his child to raise as his own” may be a familiar story beat (you’ve seen it elsewhere — The Count of Monte Cristo, Nickelodeon’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, to cite new and old examples), but that’s because it’s so compelling. The Mask of Zorro is a phenomenal work of action-adventure sword fights and setpieces, but this heartbreaking familial dynamic is what powers its passion.
With two generations of Zorros both loving the same woman — one as her father, the other as her suitor — the swordplay and heroics serve a purpose. Villains are vanquished, wrongs righted, and swashes buckled. So perfectly did the film capture its adventurous tone and boisterous, acrobatic action that other films of a similar vein — even its own sequel — struggle to prove its equal. (@Austin Vashaw)
Further reading:
Next week’s pick: The Velocipastor
Watch on Amazon Prime
Free (ad-supported) on Vudu