"The Mask of Zorro" is still the best swashbuckler of the last 30 years.

The swashbuckler is practically a dead genre now having seen its zenith back in the 30's & 40s. Whatever entries into it that have come of late were so empty no one even remembers them. Perhaps the most recognizable film of this generation to represent it was 2003's "Curse of the Black Pearl" which absolutely is a lot of fun but does lose focus towards the middle with one to many endings. That movie is the best of its series, but I think nothing has come close at all to matching the cinematic purity & lucid thrills of 1998's "Mask of Zorro". It's a film that I firmly believe is the best swashbuckler of the last 30 years.

First of all, the casting is perfect. Anthony Hopkins as the original Zorro turned mentor, Banderas that takes his place later on, Zeta-Jones as the love interest, Stuart Wilson as the corrupt politician & Matt Letscher as his enforcer. They don't only look the part they inhabit the part as well (in all the times I've watched the film I've never even noticed whatever British accent any of them have because they sell their roles so well). I can't imagine anyone else but Banderas playing the titular character. He inhabits Zorro with a fierce zeal for vengeance. It's great seeing Banderas on screen evolution as a grubby filthy outlaw, to a fencing student, & finally the dashingly handsome hero of the film all the while having some outstanding chemistry with Zeta Jones as Elena. Some of the films best moments aren't even action sequences, it's when they meet each other. Much in the same way where the 1989 Batman movie has Bruce Wayne encounter the Joker in various incarnations, this film too does the same with them. In a really funny scene they meet outside then inside a church when he tells her her parents deserved being disrespected. They meet each other at a ball and have a sensuous dance scene that steals the show & later on they duel in the stables where he manages to tear of her clothes with his sword. It's a very sexy scene & reportedly the actors themselves were aroused when they filmed it. Their chemistry was really palpable in that movie.

The film also has great practical effects & stunts. Buildings explode, chase sequences involve multiple horses, in a memorable scene a horse goes "apeshit" in some barracks, Zorro somehow makes Indy's whip look tame by comparison with his use of it, it all looks so believable because it really happened. Stuntman really put themselves in danger to make it look so good. My favorite action scene is when Zorro is making his escape & you see him ride two stallions simultaneously while jumping over obstacles. I loved how it It finds time for humor when he rides a horse backwards to punch a guy in the face while wearing a delightful grin. The fencing choreography in particular is also really fun. The movie's multiple sword fights employ great acrobatics & believability straddling the line of being cinematic enough to be enthralling but not so over the top as to be ridiculous. To paraphrase what Roger Ebert said about this film, it puts story before action, yet its action is good nonetheless.

Finally what really makes the film whole is Jame Horner's incredible score. Having done "Titanic" the year before, he outdid himself in this film with a wholly original & exotic sound. His implementation of Spanish guitar & flamenco beats are amazing & accompany the action so well especially in the aforementioned chase scene with Zorro riding duel horses. Probably due to the thematic nature of the films setting and maybe due to how different it is from traditional film scores, I haven't heard that type of music used in a film since.

Overall this is such a great movie that's directed with the same charm & wit that Martin Cambell used in "Goldeneye" & would later go on to use in "Casino Royale". If they ever bring back this classic character in the future I hope its with the same graceful storytelling & cohesive action as this.

Submitted August 18, 2019 at 06:22PM by GenericReditUserName https://ift.tt/33LGLR5