Decent high concept movie

Rating: 8/10 (21 June 2005)

Jerry Bruckheimer and his 'high concept' movies never push any cinematic boundaries and don't exactly give your brain a workout, but they can be respected in their own right as they often provide two hours of entertainment, and that's what you get for your money with this film; National Treasure. The film stars Nicholas Cage as a treasure hunter who goes on the trail of some rumoured treasure that has been hidden in the United States of America for centuries. To find the treasure, he must decipher a series of clues, each one leading to another clue, which in turn leads to another. This theory of the buried treasure has been in Cage's family for decades and our hero hopes to be the one to finally find it! As you might expect, the movie isn't entirely serious but, to my surprise at least, it does attempt some form of intelligence. The film plays out like something of a history lesson, and the central theme of both the British and the Americans hunting for the treasure echoes the war of independence. That, coupled with a tour of the USA's landmarks, makes this one very pro-American movie!
The way that the plot plays out is very silly, and the backbone of this silliness comes from the idea of the characters stealing the declaration of independence. The idea of this is stupid, but the way that it transpires is even more so. However, it would appear that the film knows that it's ridiculous, and so it just has fun with itself. Unlike many films of this type, the jokes entwined in the plot are actually funny, and certain moments in the movie will no doubt make you laugh out loud. The action is generally well staged, with a car chase taking the central stage where that is concerned. Nicholas Cage has proved his ability to lead a film on numerous occasions, and he shows us why he's a good choice again in this film. While his performance in the movie isn't great, you've got to remember that he hasn't been given great material to work with; and he does make the best of what he's got. The rest of the cast is rather forgettable, with the exception of a nice little turn from Harvey Kietel. On the whole, National Treasure won't be making cinema history; but as no brains, big budget action movies go - this isn't a bad one.