PLOT: A crime caper starring Nicolas Cage, who leads friend and foe on a wild goose chase looking for clues to a fabulous treasure -- the U.S. Declaration of Independence is involved.
In the spirit of The Rock, Con Air and Gone In 60 Seconds, National Treasure is a high octane Jerry Bruckheimer thriller starring Nicolas Cage.
Producer Bruckheimer is known for making movies with a relentless pace, loud soundtracks, absurd plots and name actors who make things interesting with idiosyncratic behaviour. Cage is a Bruckheimer favourite: This is their fourth film.
The difference here is how clean, bloodless and family friendly the movie is. With the Disney label affixed, and skilled Disney-tested director Jon Turteltaub at the helm, the decision was made to turn it into an old-fashioned romp.
So, despite car chases, crashes, explosions, gun fights and perilous escapades on rooftops in Philadelphia or deep into catacombs hidden leagues beneath the streets of Manhattan, only one person dies. And that's by accident. And he's a bad guy.
Not incidentally, National Treasure has the look and feel of one of those classic Alfred Hitchcock thrillers starring James Stewart or Cary Grant, although the new movie is not nearly as good as films such as North By Northwest or Vertigo.
Cage, less quirky than usual but still eccentric, plays a treasure hunter with a pure motive. He is seeking to redeem his family -- his ancestors have been obsessed with the legendary Knights Templar Treasure, which is thought to contain everything from Alexander the Great's sword to heaps of Egyptian gold. But experts think he is a nutcase. Think Indiana Jones without a shred of credibility. Cage's performance makes him heroic.
Skilled and fearless as he is, Cage always brings depth to roles even when the plots are mechanical, as the one here is. The filmmakers -- with Turteltaub working from a script by Jim Kouf as rewritten by Cormac and Marianne Wibberley -- surround Cage with other strong characters and actors to play them.
Emerging German actress Diane Kruger (Troy) is noticeable as the curious if skeptical U.S. government official in charge of guarding the Declaration of Independence -- the key to finding the treasure map. She also provides a brief romantic spark.
Cage's sidekick is played by Justin Bartha, whose career should skyrocket after this movie hits the big time. Small in stature but big in sarcasm, Bartha shamelessly steals his scenes.
As the stock villain -- the rival who wants the treasure purely out of greed -- the filmmakers also make it interesting. Sean Bean (Boromir in The Lord Of The Rings) massages the role and turns it into something as complex as Cage's leading man. So the two become worthy antagonists. Two other key roles, both sharply performed, belong to veteran actors Jon Voight (as Cage's dad) and Harvey Keitel (as a detective).
The movie takes audiences on a rollicking ride through some American historical icons, from the National Archives to Independence Hall. But the flag-waving is not as obvious, nor as obnoxious, as in many contemporary Hollywood movies. That is one more reason to see it. National Treasure is great escapism.
(This film is rated PG)
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