the legend of zorro

The Zorro brand of hot-blooded derring-do returns with The Legend of Zorro, starring Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones in the roles that brought them stardom with The Mask of Zorro. Now married for ten years and parents to young rascal Joaquim (charming Adrian Alonso, perhaps being set up for a future Son of Zorro), dashing swordsman Alejandro (Banderas, a Spaniard playing a Mexican) and sultry spitfire Elena De La Vega (Zeta-Jones, a Welshwoman playing a Spaniard) abruptly divorce, sending Alejandro on a drunken binge--which only gets worse when he learns Elena is being wooed by the mysterious Armand (Rufus Sewell, a Brit playing a Frenchman). Little does Alejandro know that Elena has ulterior motives, and that a worldwide conspiracy and a secret weapon will soon threaten the integrity of the U.S. The Legend of Zorro has way too much plot, leaving room for only two genuinely preposterous donnybrooks and a handful of lackluster brawls. Banderas and Zeta-Jones flash a bit of their considerable charisma, but by and large they (and the movie as a whole) are on autopilot. Not awful, but lacking any real spark. --Bret Fetzer