Entertaining, but not very original

Rating: 6/10 (18 January 2005)

This film is entertaining and fun to see, but the idea is far from original. Indiana Jones hunted for treasures in temples and caves, this one goes for treasure hidden in American Buildings. Acting is so-so.
But my main complaint is that I feel that the pace in the film is wrong. When they discover the boat, they find the pipe with a riddle. They solve the riddle in 5 seconds. I clearly feel that they wanted to do something dramatic with the location (his colleague becomes his enemy, they decide to steal the declaration of independence, the boat explodes). This part is really rushed and not convincing.
Second part of the film: stealing the declaration of independence. Mission Impossible style stealing the important document. The rhythm is good, and the best part of the film. Good suspense, good dramatic effect.
Third part: solving the riddles: acceptable, fun to see. History and fiction get mixed. But they are all solved way to easily. Those guys must be extremely intelligent... Acting, environment, violence, is feeling very natural.
Last part: finding the treasure: This part is really rushed. They wanted to end the film and it really feels like this. This part is only broken by a very dark, dramatic scene when the staircase falls in. The enemy is mislead way too easily the treasure finally found. This is really the worst part of the film. I also find the location off the treasure very unacceptable...