ThatMOVIENut
A spoof of one of fiction's most beloved masked men, 'Gay Blade' is what it sounds like: Don Diego (George Hamilton) inherits the mantle of the black garbed champion of the people, only to be injured and now relies on his effeminate twin brother (also played by Hamilton), Bunny Wigglesworth, to thwart evil.Thankfully free of lame pop-culture references, this straight forward jab at the Zorro mythos still doesn't quite become a legend of its own. Despite a charismatic cast, with Hamilton displaying both comic as well as action chops in both lead roles, and some decent production values that create the appropriate feel of an old Hollywood Zorro picture, the film lacks many hearty belly laughs. Big slapstick setpieces deliver more titters than yucks, and the wordplay isn't especially snappy. Indeed, outside of mocking the theatrics of Zorro, the film has only one other joke in its repertoire: Bunny being gay. This element becomes hit or miss, with a gag about his flamboyant costuming possibly being that side's highlight.Add to that, the film is slow paced, and this mean whenever there's not a fight or a gag, the film does become a tad dreary as its actual plot is not especially compelling and is clearly more a platform for said fights and gags. It's essentially a boiled down version of the future 'Mask' and the prior 'Mark' films smooshed together.'Gay Blade' is by no means a terrible parody, with a consistent enough chuckle rate to never be boring, but it never exploits its swashbuckling antics like its distant nephew, 'Robin Hood: Men in Tights', would over a decade later.
man fourpnw
One commenter said if you like Austin Powers you will like this movie. I liked Autin Powers and was disappointed with this movie. The film works hard, maybe too hard for laughs. Maybe it was that all the villains in this movie were shouting as if the shouting in itself is suppose to be funny. I get where they were trying to go with this flick. A cross between Zorro and the Scarlet Pimpernel but it just doesn't work. Austin Powers if silly but intelligent, Zorro the Gay Blade lacks the savvy of Austin Powers, The Big Lebowski or Kingpin.I kept waiting for a laugh and while waiting found myself amazed that someone actually got paid for the script. My 15 year daughter also thought the movie was flat. My 17 year old who selected this flick on it's title, walked out after 20 minutes.It seems many people on IMDb liked this film, but for me it lacked the good timing or jokes of a good comedy.
Bill Becker
I just finished another of many viewings of this superb comedy. Everything is virtually perfect: the script; the actors and their performances; the cinematography; the various comedic zingers. Hamilton's dual role is a masterpiece of comedic acting, as is Liebman's over-the-top and subtle portrayals of the sexually repressed martinet Esteban. Hutton is more than gorgeous; she presents the ideal of liberated femininity and power. The actors are having a contagiously great time with this, and that alone is worth the viewing.I do not see a single wrong move in the film. Great farce is not easy to do, and this is an example that should be appreciated on its own terms and not measured against other genres.
Kristine
Zorro, the Gay Blade is a classic comedy with George Hamilton who can get even the grumpiest man laughing on the floor. He plays twins who were separated, on is a smooth Spanish womanizer who comes across his father's cape and becomes Zorro. But when a bad accident happens at a party causing him to break his leg, he must now ask his flamboyant brother to take on the role of a more colorful and happier Zorro. With some brilliant and zangy jokes, if you enjoyed Zorro, the Gay Blade, I'd highly recommend Love at First Bite. It has the same humor and the wonderfully talented George. He and the cast are just great together in this all time classic, Zorro, the Gay Blade.8/10
AD
