National Treasure

Rating: 10/10 (29 April 2005)

A vast treasure of infinite wealth that originates from several continents and spans several centuries --- is it or is it not a reality? It is sought after by two groups of people, each headed by a man with a deeply embedded passion to gain the treasure (two men and each has his own reason). The clues have been in plain view for centuries, but unless they are sought in order, they are easily passed over.
The clues are not arrows on a map, but historical items such as the Declaration of Independence, a carefully carved pipe, and a poem. The honored and respected founding fathers of America wrote the Declaration of Independence, worshiped God, and gave of their valuable time and lives to separate our country from the persecution of their country/s origin. I give this movie a thumbs up. It is well thought out, fun, beautifully photographed, historically informative, with great actors.
Jon Turtletaub (1964), Director, made this a fast paced film with several locations. He introduces the locations to be filmed with aerial views, some being famous national monuments, like the Washington Monument, the White House, and the Artic tundra. He shot the exterior of the Independence Hall on location in Pennsylvania, and then took his cameras to Buena Park, California to use the replica at Knott's Berry Farm. Turtletaub did some of the actual filming.
The movie suggests that there are clues on the back of the original copy of the Declaration of Independence that will lead to a treasure. It is a myth. Yet, the movie makes it so believable, that I was wondering if something couldn't really have been hidden. I'm sure there are some of us who would like to believe that a real treasure, such as the one they are suggesting, really exists.
Protagonist Ben Gates (Nicolas Cage), is a very smart, soft spoken, gentleman, who looks athletic and fit. When he makes up his mind to steal the document, you can see that he is decisive and determined. He is handsome and likes Abigail Chase (Diane Kruger). We can tell, because when he tells Chase he is going to steal the document, he isn't offended when she automatically laughs and tries to hide it when she realizes he is serious.
Antagonist Ian Howe (Sean Bean) is a millionaire who seeks the treasure to add to his collection. He is ruthless in his goal to obtain what he wants. It didn't take much --- Ben thought it was a bad, unethical move to steal the Declaration of Independence to get the clue off the back --- and Ian had one of his hired thugs {Powell (Stewart Finlay-Mc Lennan), Shippen (Oleg Taktarov), and Phil (Stephen A. Pope)}, try to shoot him. His tactics on how to get through to the document after hours, was to shoot their way in and use an electric gun to stun him, which was better than killing him.
A fun movie, clean language, light romance and humor, and good family values. There is nothing boring about it either. It reinforces the bonding between fathers and sons for generations. It also says that families can disagree and still get along. Patrick Gates (Jon Voight( helped his son even though he didn't have any faith in there being a treasure.