Released Date: 9 Dec 2004

Synopsis (Courtesy from BVI):

Modern treasure hunters, led by an archaelogist who is the eighth descendant in a family all searching for the same thing: a massive war chest treasure reportedly hidden by George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin as funds for the Revolutionary War, use a secret code found in the Constitution (and a map that might have been drawn on the back of the Declaration of Independence) to find the treasure's location. From producer Jerry Bruckheimer.

Movie Review:

Many of us I'm sure are fascinated by treasure hunts, maps when we were young. Hoping to stumble on some godforsaken treasures and live liked a king ever since. Nicolas Cage played Ben Gates, for six generations, the Gates family have been chasing after the Knights Templar treasure. But liked any other treasure hunts, it's never easy. Clues after clues and still no one succeeds in tracing the treasure's whereabouts and as Ben's father (played by the ever reliable Jon Voight) said, the treasure might not even exists in the first place.

Now, Ben Gates has found the ultimate clue as to where the treasure are hidden but it's on the back of the heavily guarded Declaration of Independence.

Joining Ben on this hunt is tech wizard, Riley and the National Archives conservator, Abigail Chase (Diane Kruger who debut earlier in "Troy") who accidentally stumbled into Gates stealing the Declaration. What's a movie without the baddies? Hot on the heels of Ben is Ian Howe (Sean Bean from "Lord of the Rings") a ruthless entrepreneur who would do anything (from bombing the National Archives to attempting murder on Gates and gang) to lay his hands on the treasure.

As compared to previous Jerry Bruckheimer's productions, "National Treasure" is much tamer and pacing is pretty uneven at times. No doubt the clues are witty (which are numerous and highly rich in American history) but the duration might gained a bit of momentum if several bit parts are trimmed off.

Another obvious problem lies in the poor camera work during some of the action seqences. Shoddy, misplaced camera angles resulted in the "what's going on" syndrome commonly found in most Hollywood action movies.

"National Treasure" might not be in the league of "Indiana Jones". However, it works best as a contemporary, adventure movie. The high-tech heist in the beginning is repetitive but fun. The inclusion of popular American landmarks (National Archives, Library of Congress) and icons as clues is amazing. The chemistry between the actors is sizzling. Well, sometimes a strong script do have it's merits over mindless action pieces.

Movie Rating: B

Review by Cpt John Miller