Good, brainless fun

Rating: 6/10 (27 January 2008)

As a boy, Benjamin Franklin Gates (Nicholas Cage) hears the story of a mysterious treasure hidden by the Founding Fathers from his grandpa (Christopher Plummer), and devotes his life to finding it. There are clues all over the world, which seem to lead to nothing but more clues, and his dad, Patrick (Jon Voight), urges him to give up. Benjamin and his techie sidekick Riley Poole (Justin Bartha) realize that the next clue is on the back of the Declaration of Independence, and end up stealing it. Enlisting the very reluctant help of Patrick and lovely scientist Abigail Chase (Diane Kruger), Ben seeks to find the treasure while being pursued by treacherous partner Ian (Sean Bean) and a cynical FBI Agent (Harvey Keitel).
"National Treasure" is a film which is enjoyable for reasons that can't be fully explained. On the face of it, I should find it an inescapably stupid film, which uses the fig leaf of history to cover up a shallow, crass, sub-Indiana Jones adventure film. And yet, I find myself amused by this movie, and it's definitely worth a look if you're not expecting anything profound.
Part of the appeal of these films is their very ridiculousness. The Freemasons and Illuminati have been the target of conspiracy-mongering and pop culture for years, but in this film we are treated to conspiracies and profundities undreamed of by even L. Fletcher Prouty. That the Founding Fathers would go to such immense trouble to hide such a HUGE treasure and then leave clues behind, scattered all over the world in extremely remote and unconnected places, only findable by Nicholas Cage is about as incredible as you can get. And yet, who cares? As second-rate pastiches of Indiana Jones, they could be a lot worse (especially considering that, as enjoyable as they are, the Indy films aren't particularly deep or plausible either). These movies aren't designed as anything deep, but rather, as something that will keep you entertained and then disappear from your mind until your next viewing.
The direction by Jon Turtletaub is thoroughly competent, a back-handed complement if there ever was one. The use of locations is something short of ingenious. The screenplay provides some good dialogue even if the story is literally all over the place. The action scenes are very curious; they're G-rated scenes actually, and even with guns going off and punches being exchanged, no one actually gets killed by violence throughout the whole film. As such they lack any real power, and yet manage to be compelling in a strange way.
The acting in these films is besides the point. Everyone is having a fun time and create passably likable ciphers. Nicholas Cage is well-cast in the lead, while Diane Kruger and Justin Bartha contribute pleasant if slight characters in support. Sean Bean seems to be the only one giving a performance, while Jon Voight, Christopher Plummer, and Harvey Keitel are clearly along for the ride. But in a film like this, no one's expecting the Royal Shakespeare Company.
So, in short, "National Treasure" is a watchable, reasonably entertaining action/adventure film if you can put your brain on hold for its run time. Just sit back and enjoy the fun.
6/10