Well done, great fun: a mystery laced with history.

Rating: Null/10 (17 November 2004)

GOOGLE will be seeing LOTS of hits from this one, from "Freemasons" and 'Knights Templar' to "Pass and Stow." And it's wicked clever how Benjamin Franklin plays such a central role in this film, from Nic Cage's character's name (Benjamin Franklin "Ben" Gates) to inventions, code, letters under pen names, daylight savings time, and more. It is all done so cleverly that many people will wonder how much is fact and how much is fiction, before it reaches its full Indiana Jones level of frantic.
Our obsessed protagonist, Ben, has spent his entire life pursuing a Holy Grail of American Colonial mythology that is complete with Knights Templar instead of the Knights of the Round Table. His Grandfather so anointed him as a child, and this boy's been taking it seriously for decades. His father, portrayed by Jon Voight, is the disillusioned realist Ben is determined he will never become. Ben follows clues as a bloodhound follows scent, oblivious to anything that would take him off task, and with the funding of the ever-creepy Sean Bean as unscrupulous treasure hunter Ian Howe, he digs up the pivotal piece of proof that his quest is more than a myth. The hunt then moves into fast forward, with clues tumbling like dominoes. A presumption that there is an 'invisible' treasure map on the back of the original Declaration of Independence is just the FIRST step to the ensuing mayhem.
The audience loved this movie, and my only objections were slight: why are so many doors unlocked, allowing our heroes such easy access to everything from fiber optic cables and conduits to historical landmarks?
Beyond that, I had a rollicking good time at this flick, enjoying Nicolas Cage at his oddly quirky best, admiring Jon Voight's robust willingness to be a lumpy and crotchety old character actor, finding the buddy-sidekick role of Riley Poole played by Justin Bartha a delight that's just right in tone and texture, all the while being caught up in the how-will-they-get-out-of-this-mess excitement of each moment.
The casting of Diane Kruger as female foil Abigail Chase seemed a bit too young for her character's power position in the historical archives, but she pulled it off with spunk and spine, which got me past her peculiar accent. There's a very clever bit with a gift from Ben to Abigail. In fact there are many, many clever bits and pieces that stay with you long after the movie is over. It was wise, too, for Ben to address Abigail's dialect, which defused some of its distraction. I have to assume Ms. Kruger talks like this in real life, as it was too extraneous to have been added as a layer of her character.
What I actually loved about this movie were the definitively American locations -- from the Lincoln Memorial to Independence Hall, from the overviews of Washington D.C. to great long shots of the Washington Monument.
The Liberty Bell, the Declaration of Independence, the historical trivia peppered throughout -- it was all just delicious in the sumptuous buffet of this movie. How refreshing to see a few true USA locations NOT being faked in Canada, Mexico or elsewhere!
Getting back to the Indiana Jones comparison, down to Indie's prickly relationship with his father, this is a Red-White-and-Blue version set in modern day Mom-and-apple-pie-America. And it all works, ably woven together under Jon Turtletaub's slick direction, and branded with the Jerry Bruckheimer sizzle of humor, romance, irreverence laced with underlying respect, and pace, pace, pace. What fun! And best of all, you can take the kids, take the folks, take the sweetheart, and -- although hearts will race and nails will be bitten -- no one will be embarrassed or scandalized or assaulted by gratuitous anything. Bravo!