| The Legend of Zorro | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Martin Campbell |
| Screenplay by | Roberto OrciAlex Kurtzman |
| Story by | Roberto OrciAlex KurtzmanTed ElliottTerry Rossio |
| Based on | Zorro byJohnston McCulley |
| Produced by | Walter F. ParkesLaurie MacDonaldLloyd Phillips |
| Starring | Antonio BanderasCatherine Zeta-JonesRufus SewellNick Chinlund |
| Cinematography | Phil Méheux |
| Edited by | Stuart Baird |
| Music by | James Horner |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Sony Pictures Releasing[1] |
Release date |
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Running time | 130 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Languages | English Spanish |
| Budget | $75 million |
| Box office | $142.4 million |
The Legend of Zorro is a 2005 AmericanWesternswashbuckler film directed byMartin Campbell, produced byWalter F. Parkes,Laurie MacDonald and Lloyd Phillips, with music byJames Horner, and written byRoberto Orci andAlex Kurtzman. It is the sequel to 1998'sThe Mask of Zorro;Antonio Banderas andCatherine Zeta-Jones reprise their roles as thetitular hero and his spouse, Elena, andRufus Sewell stars as the villain, Count Armand. The film takes place inSan Mateo County, California and was shot inSan Luis Potosí, Mexico, with second-unit photography inWellington,New Zealand.[2] The film was theatrically released on October 28, 2005, byColumbia Pictures (instead ofTriStar due to Columbia holding the sequel rights to TriStar's pre-1999 film library).
The Legend of Zorro earned $142.4 million on a $75 million budget.[3] It received poor reviews, with critics generally praising its acting, but criticizing the screenplay, special effects, tone and humor.
In 1850,California votes on whether to join theUnited States. Zorro, formerly Alejandro Murrieta, now known to the public as Don Alejandro De La Vega, foils a plot to steal the ballots. During the fight with a gunman named Jacob McGivens, he loses his mask, and twoPinkerton agents see his face. Alejandro's marriage with his wife, Elena, becomes strained after he refuses to stop being Zorro when the election ends. The couple fights, and Alejandro moves out. The following day, the Pinkertons confront Elena, who later divorces Alejandro.
Alejandro feels demoralized by the people's separation from Zorro. Father Felipe takes him to a party at French Count Armand's vineyard, where he learns Elena is dating Armand, an old friend from Spain. Drunk and angry, Alejandro leaves the party and sees an explosion near the vineyard, raising his suspicions about Armand. The next day, McGivens attacks Guillermo, Alejandro's farmer friend, to seize his land. Zorro saves Guillermo's wife and son, but Guillermo is killed.
While at Armand's mansion for a date, Elena surreptitiously investigates his secret study, discovering information about a plot involving explosives and a group calledOrbis Unum (One Globe in Latin). Zorro sneaks into the mansion and overhears Armand discussing his plan to build a railroad through Cortez's land with McGivens.
The next day, Alejandro's son, Joaquin, sneaks out of a class field trip and hides on McGivens's cart. McGivens's bandits catch Joaquin as they receive a cargo shipment in acove. Zorro saves Joaquin from the bandits and sees that the cargo consists of bars of soap, with the phraseOrbis Unum printed on the crates. Father Felipe tells Alejandro it is the symbol of the Knights ofAragon, asecret society Armand is a member of, which has secretly ruled Europe for millennia. The Knights have deemed the United States a threat and plan to destroy it.
The Pinkertons capture and imprison Alejandro. They reveal that they confronted Elena with knowledge of his identity as Zorro, and blackmailed her into divorcing Alejandro and seducing Armand to learn of the Knights' plans without Zorro's aid. They cannot search Armand's home because California is not yet a U.S. state. Joaquin frees Alejandro from captivity.
At Armand's mansion, Zorro finds Elena. They spy on Armand as he gives a speech to the Knights, revealing thesoap bars containglycerol to makenitroglycerin weapons. The vineyard is a cover for the production, which will be given to theConfederate army under Colonel R.S. Beauregard, to launch a sneak attack onWashington, D.C., and destroy the Union. Zorro and Elena reconcile while he prepares to destroy the train carrying the explosives. McGivens arrives at Felipe's church to look for Zorro. Unable to find him, he shoots Felipe and kidnaps Joaquin. Armand discovers Elena's deception and takes her hostage with Joaquin after killing the Pinkertons. Zorro is captured and unmasked in front of his son. Armand takes Joaquin and Elena away on the train and orders McGivens to kill Alejandro. Felipe, saved from the bullet by the cross he wears, rescues Alejandro, who kills McGivens.
Zorro catches up to the train, fights Armand, and Elena helps Joaquin escape. She fights Armand's butler, Ferroq, throws him from the train with nitro, and in front of a checkpoint where Colonel Beauregard and his men are waiting, killing them all. Joaquin rides Zorro's horse, Tornado, off the train and diverts it away from the signing ceremony. Zorro overpowers Armand, ties him to the engine, and escapes with Elena just before the train crashes, igniting the nitroglycerin and killing Armand.
The governor signs the bill, making California the 31st U.S. state. Alejandro remarries Elena and apologizes to Joaquin for his secrecy, recognizing Zorro's identity should be a family secret. With Elena's support, Zorro rides off on Tornado to his next mission.
| The Legend of Zorro: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Film score by | ||||
| Released | October 25, 2005 | |||
| Recorded | 2004–2005 | |||
| Length | 75:34 | |||
| Label | Sony | |||
| James Horner chronology | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| SoundtrackNet |    |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Collecting the Ballots" | 3:27 |
| 2. | "Stolen Votes" | 6:31 |
| 3. | "To the Governor's... And Then Elena" | 4:05 |
| 4. | "This Is Who I Am" | 3:05 |
| 5. | "Classroom Justice" | 1:50 |
| 6. | "The Cortez Ranch" | 6:35 |
| 7. | "A Proposal with Pearls / Perilous Times" | 3:58 |
| 8. | "Joaquin's Capture and Zorro's Rescue" | 5:00 |
| 9. | "Jailbreak / Reunited" | 5:36 |
| 10. | "A Dinner of Pigeon / Setting the Explosives" | 5:04 |
| 11. | "Mad Dash / Zorro Unmasked" | 3:20 |
| 12. | "Just One Drop of Nitro" | 2:40 |
| 13. | "The Train" | 11:11 |
| 14. | "Statehood Proclaimed" | 5:00 |
| 15. | "My Family Is My Life..." | 8:14 |
The Legend of Zorro opened October 28, 2005 in 3,520 theaters in the United States and Canada and 6,140 screens in 50 other territories.[4] It opened at number two at the US box office with an opening weekend gross of $16.3 million and at number one in 34 international territories with a combined gross of $28.5 million (including $6 million in France), for a worldwide opening weekend gross of $44.8 million.[5][6]
The Legend of Zorro currently holds a rating of 47 out of 100 onMetacritic, based on 33 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[7] It holds a 27% "Rotten" score on review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes, based on 139 reviews with an average rating of 4.8/10. The site's critics consensus states: "Zorro can survive a lot of things, but it looks like he can't survive marriage".[8] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.[9]
Roger Ebert of theChicago Sun-Times gave the film a below-average review, awarding it one and a half out of four stars, commenting that "of all of the possible ideas about how to handle the Elena character, this movie has assembled the worst ones."[10]James Berardinelli ofReelViews gaveThe Legend of Zorro two out of four stars, saying that "the action is routine", "the chemistry between the two leads, which was one of the highlights ofThe Mask of Zorro, has evaporated during the intervening years", and that the movie "fails to recapture the pleasure offered byThe Mask of Zorro."[11]
Stephanie Zacharek ofSalon praised the film, calling it "entertaining, bold, and self-effacing at once", noting the civic and parental questions it raises.[12]Slate Magazine critic David Edelstein also praised the film, in particular the action scenes, villains, and chemistry between Banderas and Zeta-Jones.[13]Mick LaSalle of theSan Francisco Chronicle said the film was "watchable – not remotely enjoyable, but watchable."[14] Nathan Rabin ofThe Onion'sA.V. Club gave the film a lukewarm review, saying that "director Martin Campbell doles out action sequences stingily", and added that "The Legend of Zorro still feels like a half-hearted shrug of a sequel."[15] Brian Lowry ofVariety said thatThe Legend of Zorro is "considerably less charming thanThe Mask of Zorro", but added that the film "gets by mostly on dazzling stunt work and the pleasure of seeing its dashing and glamorous leads back in cape and gown."[16] Lisa Schwarzbaum ofEntertainment Weekly awarded the film a "B−" score. Schwarzbaum said that "too many scenes emphasize gross butchery over the elegance of the blade", but added that the film is "well-oiled" and praised the "fancy fight sequences".[17]
Stephen Hunter ofThe Washington Post reacted negatively, callingThe Legend of Zorro "a waste of talent, time, and money" and "stupid and boring".[18] Marc Savlov of theAustin Chronicle was also not impressed, remarking that "there are precious few things for a Zorro fan – or a film fan, for that matter – not to loathe aboutThe Legend of Zorro."[19][20] The film did reasonably well at the box office, grossing $142,400,065 internationally, but did not match the success of its predecessor.[21]
The film was released onDVD andVHS on January 31, 2006. It was later released onBlu-ray on December 11, 2007.[22] A4K UHD version was later released on August 22, 2023.[23]
In June 2019,Quentin Tarantino had pickedJerrod Carmichael to co-write a film adaptation based on his crossover comic book series,Django/Zorro which was a crossover withDjango Unchained.[24] Tarantino andJamie Foxx have both expressed interest in havingAntonio Banderas reprise his role as Zorro fromThe Mask of Zorro andThe Legend of Zorro in the film in addition to Foxx returning asDjango Freeman.[25] In a 2022 interview withGQ, Carmichael revealed that the film had been cancelled.[26]
