Review of:National Treasure (2004)
Director: Jon Turteltaub
Rating:PG for action violence and some scary images.
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Diane Kruger, Harvey Keitel, Justin Bartha, Sean Bean
Do you ever remember when you were a kid, and someone would tell you a great story about a treasure of some kind? It might have filled you with
a sense of wonderment, and if the story teller was any good you might run out to your own backyard and start digging. While viewing the film "National Treasure" those same old feelings came back.
The lead character in the film is suspiciously named after one of the founding fathers of our constitution, Benjamin Franklin Gates (Nicolas
Cage). Unlike most families, his has had the distinct honor of being labeled crazy for the last five generations. And now the name of Gates in historical circles is like so much dirt.
Young Benjamin has been indoctrinated into his families legacy‚ much to the chagrin of his father. His own imagination has been spurred on by the tale of the fabled treasure by his grandfather. The conflict arises in the family because the curse of trying to search for this great treasure has jumped over his own father, or has it? Filled with knowledge that a Gates was the only person told the secret of the National Treasure, Benjamin goes out on his own to prove that the legend is more fact than fiction.
And what an adventure it is! Benjamin must follow the faint trail left by his forefathers those many years ago‚ and find clues that only a serious historian could find. He must do this while trying to outsmart the FBI (Harvey Keitel)‚ and stay out of sight of his competition (Sean Bean).
Although the film does have an element of unbelievability at times (Who in their right mind would try to steal the constitution?), it is engaging and believable most of the time. I really enjoyed the chemistry between Benjamin and his sidekick. There constant banter back and forth made the film into more of a buddy flick when the two were onscreen.
Now if you put this film up alongside such classics as Raiders of the Lost Ark‚ you would quickly see that this is strickly popcorn times‚ while the other has more depth to it. That doesn’t mean the film isn’t good‚ and for a couple of hours of suspended imagination‚ it is enjoyable.
