WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS!
Once in a while, you see a movie that you cannot help loving. For me, that movie has got to be "The Mask of Zorro". It has loads of action, and great performances by all five of the main actors. First, the three heroes: Anthony Hopkins delivers a truly excellent and moving performance, as usual. Just about anyone watching the movie can't help sympathizing with his character. Antonio Banderas is also quite good, and Catherine Zeta-Jones gets her acting career off to a great start with her portrayal of Elena. She and Antonio have very good chemistry together, which is particularly shown in the scene when they dance, and during their breathtaking swordfight. Now, for the two villains: The closest thing to a problem I have with this movie is that even though Stuart Wilson plays Don Montero quite well, there are a few scenes where he appears to be kind of soft for the main antagonist. His character in "Lethal Weapon 3" was a ruthless, heartless villain. If Stuart Wilson had made Montero more like that, this movie would be perfect. However, this small problem with one of the two villains is more than made up for with the other villain, Matt Letscher, as Captain Love, the sadistic, clearly insane cavalry officer with whom Antonio's character has a serious axe to grind. Letscher delivers every aspect of his character with as much casual cruelty as possible, and succeeds perfectly. I still get shivers down my spine when I hear the chilling yell that he utters as he jumps at Alejanduro in the film's climax, right before he meets his well-deserved end. Most of this movie is fun for the whole family, but the scene in which Captain Love speaks to Alejanduro in private at the hacienda is a gruesome exception to this. This scene was, I believe, mainly intended to show how completely bonkers the Captain really is, but it would be a good idea to take the younger children out of the room during this scene. Still, the movie has a moral to it: Never take your loved ones for granted, because you never know how much longer they'll be with you. "The Mask of Zorro" is a wonderful movie for just about anyone, and I recommend it to all of you who enjoy action, drama, or just like watching great movies.
Once in a while, you see a movie that you cannot help loving. For me, that movie has got to be "The Mask of Zorro". It has loads of action, and great performances by all five of the main actors. First, the three heroes: Anthony Hopkins delivers a truly excellent and moving performance, as usual. Just about anyone watching the movie can't help sympathizing with his character. Antonio Banderas is also quite good, and Catherine Zeta-Jones gets her acting career off to a great start with her portrayal of Elena. She and Antonio have very good chemistry together, which is particularly shown in the scene when they dance, and during their breathtaking swordfight. Now, for the two villains: The closest thing to a problem I have with this movie is that even though Stuart Wilson plays Don Montero quite well, there are a few scenes where he appears to be kind of soft for the main antagonist. His character in "Lethal Weapon 3" was a ruthless, heartless villain. If Stuart Wilson had made Montero more like that, this movie would be perfect. However, this small problem with one of the two villains is more than made up for with the other villain, Matt Letscher, as Captain Love, the sadistic, clearly insane cavalry officer with whom Antonio's character has a serious axe to grind. Letscher delivers every aspect of his character with as much casual cruelty as possible, and succeeds perfectly. I still get shivers down my spine when I hear the chilling yell that he utters as he jumps at Alejanduro in the film's climax, right before he meets his well-deserved end. Most of this movie is fun for the whole family, but the scene in which Captain Love speaks to Alejanduro in private at the hacienda is a gruesome exception to this. This scene was, I believe, mainly intended to show how completely bonkers the Captain really is, but it would be a good idea to take the younger children out of the room during this scene. Still, the movie has a moral to it: Never take your loved ones for granted, because you never know how much longer they'll be with you. "The Mask of Zorro" is a wonderful movie for just about anyone, and I recommend it to all of you who enjoy action, drama, or just like watching great movies.