Not Exactly Zorro, But Fun
In the late 90s, someone got the bright idea to revive the Zorro franchise with Antonio Banderas as the lead. It was a good idea, but the film made some puzzling choices.
To begin with, the film picks up midway through the Zorro saga, with the previous Zorro (played by Anthony Hopkins), training his successor (Banderas). Not entirely sure why the filmmakers chose to start in the middle like this, but I suspect it's related to the second puzzling choice - the casting of Anthony Hopkins. It seems as if they felt lucky to be able to interest an actor of the quality of Hopkins, so they were going to put him in this movie, come-hell-or-highwater - even if he seems no more Spanish than Sean Connery did in Highlander. Ironically, Sean Connery was the first choice for the role.
Actually, the story itself, isn't really part of the traditional Zorro cannon, it more resembles the Count of Monte Cristo transported to Colonial California, which is the third puzzling choice. But, over-the-top castanet music during sword fights aside, the film is entertaining, and definitely worth a look for anyone interested in the masked hero archetype.
