Zorro recovers legendary masculinity

"The Legend of Zorro" is a film that understands its place in the hierarchy of cinema. There are films that make us think, films that make us laugh, films that move us or make us cry -- and then, there is Zorro; a film that uses campy and self reflexive clichés to tell a story in an entertaining fashion.\n"Zorro" is by no means a classic or even a good movie, but it successfully presents a compelling story of a man who is emasculated and forced to re-masculate himself in order to win back his family. Not necessarily a great lesson for the kids, but certainly an effective Hollywood strategy to propel a plot forward.\nZorro's emasculation begins when he is slapped in front of his son, Joaquin (Adrian Alonoso). Zorro is in his street clothes as Alejandro (Antonio Banderas) and is unable to defend his honor. Soon after, Alejandro watches Elena (Catherine Zeta-Jones), his ex-wife, prance around a vineyard with another man, only to be slapped by her in front of hundreds of guests. Alejandro then loses a game of extreme joust polo (not a joke) to the very count his ex-wife is now sleeping with, and, in the worst emasculation of all, Alejandro's horse steals his wine and drinks it (also not a joke).\nTo re-masculate himself, Alejandro proves to his son he is a fighter, proves to his wife he is a family man and finally reins in his wild and alcoholic horse. \nOne of the film's major failings is the way in which director (Martin Campbell) attempts to intertwine American history with the story of Zorro, the Mexican folklore, rogue hero. Early on in the film, Zorro's wife tells him to retire, saying: "For ten years, you have fought to give California its freedom." Zorro points out that, "California won't really be a state for another three months." This is the funniest scene in the film.\nThe climax of the film comes when the governor of California is about to sign California to statehood. A train comes rushing down the tracks, but Zorro's horse (now sober) is able to save the day by kicking the guide-rail lever just in time. The connection to this moment in time gives the film an interesting but wholly unbelievable historical context.\n The action sequences are well choreographed and, except for the initial fight scene (wherein Zorro saves a child from a gun-wielding maniac by tossing his hat in the man's face), are suspenseful.\nAs a DVD, "The Legend of Zorro" is worth a rental but not a purchase. For those interested in the magic behind the Hollywood gloss, there are two well-produced featurettes on stunts and visual effects. Bottom line, if you are looking for a laugh or two and enjoy high speed horse chases, this film is a must-see.