July 16–23, 1998

movie shorts

The Mask of Zorro

Could it be? An action movie that's actually fun? Brimming with sass and swordplay, this dashing spinoff of a cinematic classic has the sense of adventure that's uniformly missing from the car chase/explosion/gun battle crap that is to the multiplex what popcorn butter is to arteries. This time out, there are not one but two Zorros. Anthony Hopkins plays the older, more or less retired version and Antonio Banderas his headstrong pupil. Banderas seems to have nailed down his star persona: suave, but not as suave as he thinks; sexy but vulnerable; roguish but gentlemanly. Catherine Zeta-Jones has a great turn as well, as Banderas' love interest and Hopkins' kidnapped daughter, raised since infancy by his mortal enemy. Plus, she gets to swordfight Banderas, which is a lot sexier than the usual saxophone solo/acoustic guitar/yellow light business. Director Martin Campbell, who with Goldeneye succeeded in taking all the charm out of the James Bond series, must have been saving it up for this one, although he could still use a more aggressive editor or four. At times, Campbell's direction is mock-classic, a conglomeration of clichés from old movies he hasn't watched enough, and the script-by-committee (four credited this time) is plagued by the occasional clunker. But there's no denying the film's rousing spirit, and even if that magic is manufactured, sometimes fake can be just as good.

—Sam Adams