The Mask of Zorro

The Mask of Zorro is a 1998 American swashbuckler film based on the character of the masked vigilante Zorro created by Johnston McCulley. It was directed by Martin Campbell and stars Antonio Banderas, Anthony Hopkins, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Stuart Wilson. The film was released in the United States on July 17, 1998. The Legend of Zorro, a sequel also starring Banderas and Zeta-Jones and directed by Campbell, was released in 2005

Plot
After being imprisoned for 20 years, Zorro -- Don Diego de la Vega (Anthony Hopkins) -- receives word that his old enemy, Don Rafael Montero (Stuart Wilson), has returned. Don Diego escapes and returns to his old headquarters, where he trains aimless drunk Alejandro Murrieta (Antonio Banderas) to be his successor. Meanwhile, Montero -- who has secretly raised Diego's daughter, Elena (Catherine Zeta-Jones), as his own -- hatches a plot to rob California of its gold.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) It has much faithful to the character it is based on.
 * 2) The premise of Don Diego de la Vega escaping from prison to find his long-lost daughter and avenge the death of his wife at the hands of the corrupt governor, who is pursuing his own vendetta against the governor's right-hand man while falling in love with de la Vega's daughter is well-executive.
 * 3) Thanks to James Horner, the score is really epic and great that it sounds like Spain, including the song "I Want to Spend My Lifetime Loving You" by Tina Arena & Marc Anthony.
 * 4) Antonio Banderas's performance is amazing. The way that he seen using the sword for actions is really amusing.
 * 5) The intro fight scenes where Zorro uses the whip to pull the gun that shoots the old guy and saves them that getting choked is spectacular.
 * 6) Alejandro Murrieta (Zorro) is a great and likable protagonist, who has his brother Joaquin Murriet. Don Diego de la Vega (Zorro) is also a likable, who receives word that his old enemy and returns to his old headquarters, where he trains aimless drunk Alejandro Murrieta to be his successor.
 * 7) Lots of great quotes, like "You know there is a saying, a very old saying when the pupil is ready the master will appear." and "Never attack in anger."
 * 8) The ending is great, where Alejandro and Elena are married, and Alejandro tells stories to their infant son, Joaquin, whom he named after his brother, of his grandfather's heroic deeds and legacy as Zorro.
 * 9) The poster shows Zorro drawing his sword and slice with the word "Z" is well crafted.
 * 10) Plenty of amusing action sequences, like the swordfighting scenes,

Critical response
The Mask of Zorro received mostly favorable reviews. Based on 69 reviews aggregated by Rotten Tomatoes, 81% of the critics enjoyed The Mask of Zorro, giving it an average score of 7.1/10. The site's consensus states: "Banderas returns as an aging Zorro in this surprisingly nimble, entertaining swashbuckler.". Metacritic gave the film an average score of 63/100, based on 22 reviews. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A-" on an A+ to F scale.

Box office
The Mask of Zorro earned $94,095,523 within the US, and $156,193,000 internationally, coming to a worldwide total of $250,288,523, becoming a commercial success.

Trivia

 * Steven Spielberg declined to direct, as he was busy with Saving Private Ryan. He stayed on as an executive producer.
 * Not only was Joaquin Murrieta a historical figure, he is widely believed to be the inspiration for the original literary character Zorro.
 * Sir Sean Connery turned down the part of Don Diego de la Vega.
 * Joaquin Murrieta, Alejandro Murrieta's (Antonio Banderas') brother, and Three-fingered Jack were real-life bandits in Northern California at the time of the 1849 Gold Rush. Joaquin Murrieta was a Mexican, born in Sonora, who moved to California to find his fortune. But after being beaten and robbed by American gold miners, he swore that he would avenge his dishonor. He was the lead in a group of bandits in the California wilderness, killing anyone who stood in their way. His life was the stuff of legend, used by Mexicans as a source of patriotism, and by Americans as reason enough to hang anyone who spoke Spanish. Three-fingered Jack was actually a Mexican by the name of Manuel Garcia, who was Murrieta's sidekick. Murrieta was supposedly killed on July 18, 1853 by Captain Harry Love, who preserved Murrieta's head in a jar of alcohol, along with Three-fingered Jack's hand, as proof that the bandit was dead.