Remarkably good... the old Bruckheimer's back

Rating: 10/10 (19 November 2004)

After Don Simpson died I felt Jerry Bruckheimer lost the golden touch because of his ability to produce only near good (Gone in 60 Seconds) or positively atrocious (Pearl Harbor) films. While Pirates of the Caribbean showed glimpses of the magic that Bruckheimer hadn't shown since the 1980's, he definitely casts a spell in National Treasure. The action is plentiful, but not over-absorbing. Whereas some movies are driven only by the intriguing plot (Ocean's Eleven), National Treasure delivers some solid character interaction. The humor never seemed force, and "big" lines came out fluid. The pace fluctuated at times, but nothing seemed too hurried or too drawn out and despite a few glaring logical inconsistencies, everything fit together. Even the arbitrary romantic interlude seemed to go with the flow. All aspects of this film had their proper place and albeit some loose ends not being tied up on screen, the ending was very satisfying.
I think Nicolas Cage is a good actor despite some flaky performances (Raising Arizona, The Family Man). His performance in National Treasure was very genuine. Although I have always felt action movies bring out Bruckheimer's best, he does an admirable job adding in a little suspense and intrigue. Action, romance, and comedy, National Treasure truly has all the makings of a Bruckheimer classic. I'll admit that at times it felt like I was back in '86. I highly recommend this movie to anyone, suitable for all ages, although I'd leave the kids at home if you don't want to play "20 questions" in the theater. This movie was fantastic, other than the sound track - I'm not going to lie, it was subpar, or maybe I just think that a Bruckheimer movie isn't complete without a Harold Faltermeyer end tune... either way this is a terrific movie and although I didn't quite get the same feeling walking out of National Treasure as I did walking out of Top Gun, I think it's safe to say that Jerry Bruckheimer is still the master and definitely has a few more solid flicks in him.