Good action, illogical plot

Rating: 6/10 (12 June 2005)

National Treasure won't surprise you, but thanks to a rather appealing performance by Nicholas Cage and some choice location shooting, you forget that the plot is nonsensical and illogical, and all is well with the world.
The appropriately named Benjamin Franklin Gates (Cage) comes from a long line of wacky theorists who believe that the Founding Fathers of the United States buried a ton of treasure somewhere, and that a clue to its whereabouts is on the back of the fabled Declaration of Independence. So, with his trusty sidekick Riley (Justin Bartha) and a reluctant expert, Abigail (Diane Kruger), he sets out to steal the treasured document and discover the cache of loot for which he and his own forefathers have been searching for decades.
Cage makes like Indiana Jones here, and while he's no Harrison Ford (even a younger Harrison Ford), he's a spot better than you might expect. He's never quite believable as an action hero in this movie, but he seems authentic as a man of letters, a clever conniver, a sly sleuth. Good thing, because he's pretty much the entire show here, save for the awesome footage of Genuine American Historical Monuments. Anytime you can sneak in recognizable landmarks, your film will stand apart from the others in the genre; it'll be more memorable. Check out a minor Hitchcock film, Saboteur, and you'll see excellent use of the Statue of Liberty.
The movie is apparently based quite loosely on the Dan Brown novel The DaVinci Code. I haven't read the book yet, mostly because I'm too cheap to go buy it and it's always, always out on loan from my library. But I've heard from very reputable sources that National Treasure is basically a ripoff of the DaVinci Code story, albeit supercharged as an action thriller extravaganza. I bet the book didn't things blowing up all the time, but that's what you have to expect from a Jerry Bruckheimer film. I'd advise you to read the book instead, for I hear it's clever and entertaining; the movie gets it only half right.
,Although the logical train Gates follows from clue to clue seems somewhat implausible at times, don't let that distract you from a fun time. Don't let the clichés of a hot-but-smart female sidekick; a smooth, superrich Eurotrash villain; and a wisecracking computer-whiz male sidekick deter you, either. But wait, don't shut your brain off entirely. You want to see how many of the clues you'll understand before Gates does. In fact, make a drinking game of it. Every time he says, "I'm working on it!" or looks exasperated, do a shot. I guarantee you'll be snockered in no time.
One other minor debit is that there really isn't much chemistry between Cage and Kruger. I mean, every hero has to have The Girl, and they just don't seem to click. Maybe they didn't like each other. Maybe Cage tried to put the moves on Kruger and she slapped him silly. Whatever the reason, they just don't seem too into each other, as they're supposed to be.
In all, it's not too bad, and probably best seen on a big screen, the better to see Stuff Get Blown Up.