The Legend of Zorro

The Legend of Zorro is a 2005 American Western swashbuckler film directed by Martin Campbell, produced by Walter F. Parkes, Laurie MacDonald and Lloyd Phillips, with music by James Horner, and written by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. It is the sequel to 1998's The Mask of Zorro; Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones reprise their roles as the titular hero and his spouse, Elena, and Rufus Sewell stars as the villain, Count Armand. The film takes place in San Mateo County, California and was shot in San Luis Potosí, Mexico, with second-unit photography in Wellington, New Zealand. The film was theatrically released on October 28, 2005, by Columbia Pictures (instead of TriStar due to Columbia holding the sequel rights to TriStar's pre-1999 film library), and earned $142.4 million on a $65 million budget. Plot In 1850, California voted on whether to join the United States of America as a state. 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, he loses his mask, and two Pinkerton agents see his face. Alejandro's marriage with his wife Elena becomes strained after he refuses to stop being Zorro when the election is over. They have a fight and Alejandro moves out. The following day, the Pinkertons confront Elena. Soon after, she divorces Alejandro. The separation from Elena and the feeling the people no longer need Zorro take a toll on Alejandro. His childhood guardian, Father Felipe, takes him to a party at the vineyard of a French Count, Armand. Alejandro discovers Elena is dating Armand, an old friend from her time in Europe. After leaving the party, Alejandro witnesses a huge explosion near Armand's mansion and becomes suspicious of him. Gunman Jacob McGivens leads an attack on Cortez, a farmer who is Alejandro's friend, to seize his land. Zorro rescues Cortez's wife and son, but Cortez is killed. While Elena is at Armand's mansion for a date, she slips away and investigates his secret study, discovering information about a plot involving explosives and a group called Orbis Unum (One World in Latin). Zorro sneaks into the mansion and overhears Armand's discussion with McGivens about his plan to build a railroad through Cortez's land.