Mask of Zorro, The

Swords and passions fly in this retelling of the classic tale of Zorro, the legendary masked hero. With characteristic flair, Anthony Hopkins is Don Diego De La Vega, also known as Zorro. Twenty years earlier, De La Vega was imprisoned after fighting to save Mexico against the Spanish, led by the evil Montero. After seeing his daughter kidnapped and his wife murdered, De La Vega escapes. Now, he must train a new Zorro to seek vengeance for the loss of his loved ones and to save California from Montero. He finds an unlikely successor in Murieta (Antonio Banderas), a drunken bandit, who ultimately rises to the challenge, especially after meeting De La Vega's beautiful daughter, Esperanza (Catherine Zeta-Jones). The flirtatious repartee between newcomer Zeta-Jones and handsome Banderas firmly established this action-packed romantic romp as a big hit for the studio, with a sequel released in 2005.