The Legend of Zorro is first and foremost a fun movie. Blithely ignoring historical accuracy, it manages to entertain on the pure adrenaline of its action, which is strongly supported by the chemistry between Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones.
Ten years later than the events in The Mask of Zorro, we find that Don Alejandro de la Vega is still protecting the people of Southern California by donning the black mask and cape of Zorro. With the coming of statehood for their country as it joins the United States, his wife Elena hopes that at last he will be able to spend time with her and their ten-year-old son. However, for Zorro there is never a rest.
Evil comes along this time in the form of French Count Armand (Sewell), who not only has dastardly plans for the country, but also has his eye on Elena, whom he knew as a teenager. When Elena and Alejandro split up over the issue of his secret identity, Armand seems to waste little time in wooing her.
Meanwhile, the couple's son Joaquin, whose hero is Zorro, is disgusted with his father's milquetoast manner, and is unaware that his father and his hero are one and the same.
Zorro has been around in the movies for a very long time and it is a role that suits Banderas down to the ground. His accent and rugged good looks make him the perfect swashbuckler as he swordfights, does stunts on horseback, scales buildings and just generally behaves like what he is; one of the coolest characters in movie history.
The villain's plot is James Bondian in its scope and execution. Armand is a member of a Spectre-like organization and the movie even contains that classic Bond scene where a member of Armand's evil organization wants to quit and is killed by Armand instead. The story also involves Zorro sneaking into the villain's headquarters and, well, I don't want to give anything away, but let's just say that explosions play a big part in the movie's climax.
As in The Mask of Zorro, one of the best parts about this movie is the verbal sparring between Banderas and Zeta-Jones. They're so good that I wish there were more scenes of them together, but what scenes they do have together are some of the best in the movie.
Not that the movie's entirely perfect, but its strengths outweigh its weaknesses. One silly moment occurs late in the film when a speeding train is bearing down on a crowd gathered on the tracks to celebrate California's statehood. They can see the train from a long way away and since it's a train, all they have to do is walk maybe three feet to either side of the track and they'll be fine, but instead they mill about and scream, hoping to add tension to the scene. It's a small moment, but rather silly when you consider the suspense trying to be generated.
Full of action, this movie seems more like a summer blockbuster than an October release when we expect to see Oscar contenders and horror films. Its release date might be a surprise, but it's a pleasant one and considering the dismal year at the box office, it's the type of surprise that Hollywood would do well to spring more often.
