Review Date: November 19, 2004
Country/Year: USA/2004
Director: Jon Turteltaub
Producers: Jerry Bruckheimer, Jon Turteltaub, Christina Steinberg
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Diane Kruger, Harvey Keitel, Justin Bartha, Sean Bean
Genre: Action/Adventure
Score: * out of 5

Plot: Benjamin Franklin Gates (Nicolas Cage) is the latest member of a family of eccentrics who are convinced they have been entrusted with the secret of some ultra-secret masonic treasure. Ben is determined to find the treasure despite the protests of his father who is in denial about the whole thing. As he races to find the mysterious treasure, he has to also elude the FBI and his adversary (the guy who played Boromir in LORD OF THE RINGS). Conveniently, he also picks up a hot French chick (Diane Kruger) who works for the National Treasury and gradually is won over to his side.

Review: Disney announced some time ago that they were going to be concentrating on family films that were a little grittier than they had made in the past. If NATIONAL TREASURE is the formula by which these new films will be made, count me out.

This movie seems to have all the ingredients: a like-able but eccentric leading man, a super-hot love interest, a couple of explosions and a lot of running and jumping. But the movie never really gels. We never learn enough about these characters to care about them or get a sense that they are in any real danger. The treasure itself isn’t even all that compelling. And the bad guys don’t really seem all that bad.

The structure of the movie is almost a carbon copy of THE DAVINCI CODE. The story takes place over a very brief time period and the characters must rush from one clue to the next. In both stories they are on the run from government officials who are conveniently being commanded by a gruff but sympathetic leader. Unfortunately, the grand conspiracy in NATIONAL TREASURE just isn’t INTERESTING. The Knights Templar in this movie aren’t covering up some deep dark secret… it’s just a bunch of gold. Also, the clues that lead from place to place are utterly ridiculous and never make you believe that any of this could actually be true.

Nicolas Cage is obviously as clueless about what is going on in the script as I was. In most of the scenes it seems as if he is sedated with some kind of mild tranquilizer. It’s almost as if he is aware that he really does not belong in this movie. Jon Voight and Harvey Keitel are similarly out of place. I was unaware that Keitel was even cast in this movie and when he appeared on screen I actually laughed. Diane Kruger is about as cute as they come, but there’s nothing for her to do here but run around and get turned on by U.S. history.

Usually movies produced by Jerry Bruckheimer at least have are big, slick and pretty to look at. This can’t be said for NATIONAL TREASURE which both looks and feels like a drawn-out mediocre episode of ALIAS. Director Jon Turtletaub doesn’t have a clue when it comes to directing action or using slow motion for dramatic impact.

Obviously Disney was going for a good, clean action movie for the whole family. The result is a movie that is about as bland as they come. The structure is there, but there’s no real peril, dread or sex appeal. You’d be better off staying home and re-watching RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK.

Review by Christopher Sharpe.