Fast, Furious - And Fun

Rating: 8/10 (21 October 2008)

The story - about a secret treasure whose location is revealed in invisible ink on the back of the Declaration of Independence - is kind of silly, the concept of actually being able to steal the Declaration of Independence stretches credibility, and the basic plot outlining the finding of clue after clue (Ben's father is convinced that there is no treasure - just one clue after another to confuse the British at the time of the Revolution) gets confusing at times. With the Knights Templar and the Freemasons somehow woven into the storyline there's also a hint of a conspiracy theory - although Ben insists that there is no conspiracy theory. Having said all that, this movie is fast paced, a lot of fun and - if one can suspend the disbelief that some of the above points encourage - actually quite suspenseful at times. In other words, it's a pretty good ride!
For whatever reason, I sat down to watch this with low expectations and I emerged as a fan - enough of a fan that I'll probably pick up the sequel. Nicholas Cage was very good as Ben Gates, obsessed with finding this treasure ever since his grandfather told him the story many years before. The rest of the cast was, in all honesty, less convincing (and Abigail, played by Diane Kruger, wasn't an entirely credible character, fell in far too quickly with Gates and was obviously there only to provide the requisite romance.) Still, if you like a good family-friendly action/suspense movie with a bit of humour thrown in, you'll probably see this as a winner. 8/10