Solid Flick - Will Help Get My Kids Interested in American History

Rating: 8/10 (6 December 2004)

This film was put out by Disney, with Jerry Bruckheimer. I think it would have been an equally good match if A&E's History Channel had picked it up. Plot is fairly straight forward. There is less violence and extreme action than the trailers and the Bruckheimer reputation suggest. Story is basically a combination of the 3rd Indiana Jones movie "Holy Grail", with a little of the Goonies and Tomb Raider mixed in for good measure. Jon Voight has some of the best lines and is a delight as the "Senior Gates". Gage turns in a solid performance as well, as does Harvey Keitel. I think Mr. Keitel better watch it -- he may get stereo typed as the FBI Head if he is not careful (he had a very similar role in "The Red Dragon"). There were a few plot twists that were not exploited, but that is okay. It would have been funny, for instance, for the film to tie the family name "Gates" back to our Mr. Bill Gates of Microsoft. Great film to take the kids, especially school age children who are studying American History.