The Mask of Zorro

"No one has seen his face... but everyone... knows this mark."

1998 2h 18m EN

👍

6.6

SOLID

🍅

86%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

6.8

IMDB

★6.6TMDB · 4,470🍅86%Rotten Tomatoes●62Metacritic★6.8IMDB · 209,066

ActionAdventure

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

It has been twenty years since Don Diego de la Vega fought Spanish oppression in Alta California as the legendary romantic hero, Zorro. Having escaped from prison he transforms troubled bandit Alejandro into his successor, in order to foil the plans of the tyrannical Don Rafael Montero who robbed him of his freedom, his wife and his precious daughter.

“No one has seen his face... but everyone... knows this mark.”

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Cast

Antonio Banderas
Alejandro Murrieta / Zorro
Anthony Hopkins
Don Diego de la Vega / Zorro
Catherine Zeta-Jones
Elena Montero / Elena Murrieta
Stuart Wilson
Don Rafael Montero
Matt Letscher
Capt. Harrison Love
L.Q. Jones
Three-Fingered Jack
Diego Sieres
Young Joaquín Murrieta
José María de Tavira
Young Alejandro Murrieta

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Martin Campbell
Writers: John Eskow, Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio
Languages: English, Spanish
Countries: United States of America, Germany

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Mid-budget at $95M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

28 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United States of America, Germany.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Zorro Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Martin Campbell, shot by Phil Meheux. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by James Horner. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Thom Noble shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Martin Campbell directs. Phil Meheux behind the camera. James Horner scores. Thom Noble cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America, Germany. Dialogue in English, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Mid-budget at $95M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
228 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.
4International production across 2 countries: United States of America, Germany.
5Part of the "Zorro Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
6Directed by Martin Campbell, shot by Phil Meheux. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by James Horner. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Thom Noble shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Antonio Banderas and Anthony Hopkins and Catherine Zeta-Jones carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "No one has seen his face... but everyone... knows this mark.".
11IMDB entry: tt0120746 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12Classified under 12 themes, including "california", "hero", "horseback riding", "spy".

The technical file

Cinematography: Phil Meheux
Original score: James Horner
Editing: Thom Noble
Production design: Cecilia Montiel
Costume design: Graciela Mazón
Makeup / hair: Paul LeBlanc
Sound: Kevin O'Connell
Stunt coordinator: Glenn Randall Jr.
Runtime: 138 min · 2h 18m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $95,000,000
Box office: $250,288,523
Return: 263% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: The Mask of Zorro (1998)
Rotten Tomatoes: 86% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 62/100
IMDB rating: 6.8/10 · 209,066 votes
MPAA: PG-13

Awards

Nominated for 2 Oscars. 9 wins & 18 nominations total

Jameson People's Choice Award for Best Actor

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Part of

Zorro Collection

Collection of films about the Mexican hero known as Zorro starring Antonio Banderas.

Also by

Martin Campbell

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2020-08-30
★ 8/10
High definition a necessity for this delightful homage to swashbucklers. Zorro senior tutors Zorro junior in the way of the blade, their combined goal? To enact revenge on Don Rafael Montero and Capt. Harrison Love respectively. Martin Campbell was an interesting and wise choice for this latest take on the swashbuckling heroics of the Latin Robin Hood. Campbell was the man in the director's chair for both of James Bond's reinvigoration's, firstly with "Golden Eye" in 1995, and then with "Casino Royale" in 2006. For here it's evident that The Mask Of Zorro has no delusions of grandeur in the pantheon of cinema, it wants (and is) to be an action film with pure fantastical flamboyance pouring from practically every frame. It honours the swashers of old by ensuring all genre boxes are ticked, yep, we got swords a plenty, yep, we got a dashing hero (x 2 actually), yep, we got a spiffing looking villain, and yes we got a heaving bosom led romance into the mix as well. While Campbell and his team of screenwriters gleefully ensure that humour is a very prominent thing, thus keeping the fantasy in the comic book realm from which Zorro's essence comes. The stunt work on show is top draw, none more so than during a horse chase sequence where this Zorro tips its hat to former glorious genre pieces (well done Tony Angelotti). Other notable technical aspects deserve a mention, the costumes from Graciela Mazón are desirable and now in this age of High Definition Cinema, good make up work really comes to the fore, so it be that that department did sterling work on this picture (check out Elena's gorgeous face). The cast are basically very strong, Antonio Banderas slips into the Zorro cape with charming ease, and though it's nice to see a Spanish actor playing the famous Spanish character, here in this adaptation the irony is that Zorro is Mexican! Anthony Hopkins is as elegant as ever as the elder, newly retired Zorro AKA: Don Diego de la Vega, and Catherine Zeta Jones is positively ravishing as Elena, while Stuart Wilson does a nice line in pompous villainy as Don Rafael Montero. Some minor complaints do dwell within the picture. Campbell has a lot to fit into a running time of two hours and twenty odd minutes, and this makes the wait for the rip roaring finale longer than one at first wished for. Though for sure let it be noted that the gold mine action bonanza at pics end is totally worth the wait. Weak in the cast is Matt Letscher as Captain Love, oddly looking like some Kiefer Sutherland tribute act, he lacks any real menace for what is a pretty well written role. James Horner's score lacks the necessary boom boom bang bang that someone like Alfred Newman would have provided, and a comedy horse strand pushes the boundaries of acceptable genre homages a little too far. But really why moan and groan at irks that don't alter the trajectory of The Mask Of Zorro's blade? It isn't trying to do anything other than whisk you along for a blade swashing ride, and that is something that it most assuredly succeeds in doing. 8/10
JPV8522023-03-13
★ 7/10
Solid swash-buckling action-adventure cast perfectly with Anthony Hopkins, Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones and finely directed by the great Martin Campbell. I don't remember much about its sequel, The Legend of Zorro, but kind of wished there would be one more to complete a trilogy (maybe titled Zorro's Last Ride?). In any case, was a fun ride and been a good decade plus the last time I watched. 3.75/5