Performances are solid all around, with Nicolas Cage being decidedly more low-key than usual while still giving his character some color. The few pieces where sets are relied upon are seamlessly integrated with the location footage. Cinematographer Caleb Deschanel was able to let the camera work take in all the sights, something that could not be done on a Hollywood film set. ![]() Much of the film was actually shot on location in both Washington and Philadelphia, and it shows. Production design is of the highest caliber. That the filmmakers chose to keep things as grounded as they do is something that should be commended, as it's undeniably easier to build a similar story in an alternate world with 100 percent fictional elements.īeing a Jerry Bruckheimer film, National Treasure offers the values that one now expects from this helmer of spectacle blockbusters. It's true that the story stretches credibility past the point of no return, but the only reason anyone would find this distracting is if while watching they consistently try to work out the plot in the real world, instead of staying in the film's depiction of it. It also has a fairly well-thought out storyline that's a refreshing departure from the usual cookie-cutter plots that are an excuse for gunfights and explosions. The feel here is unique, perhaps because few movies set in the present rely on American history as heavily as this one does. Of course, it doesn't live up to that series, but that is an unfair comparison. National Treasure brings back the type of classic treasure hunting and riddle-solving not seen since the Indiana Jones trilogy. Most of the new millennium's entries to the genre have been period pieces or stories that leaned more towards action-thriller. This film is a sort of return to form for the classic action-adventure genre. A chase begins with Ben and company trying to decipher the codes and clues given to them, and Ian and his company hot on their trail. The curator of the National Archives, Abigail Chase (Diane Kruger), catches them in the act and is forced to tag along in part to keep the Declaration safe but also to satisfy her own curiosity. When his former colleague Ian Howe (Sean Bean) plans to steal the document for his own purposes, Ben has no choice but to steal it himself, and he does so with the aid of his sarcastic, computer-savvy friend Riley Poole (Justin Bartha). Unfortunately, it happens to be on the back of the Declaration of Independence, complicating matters considerably. Benjamin (Nicolas Cage) is the only Gate of his generation still obsessed with this legend.įollowing clues, he finally discovers where the map leading to the treasure can be found. Members of the Gates family, descendants of Benjamin Franklin, have devoted their lives to unlocking the clues that point to this fabled treasure's location. National Treasure tells of a legend passed down from generation to generation concerning a treasure buried by the Masons, a group that includes some of the very men who founded the United States. Such a hit would make any studio think sequels, and on the eve of such a thing's theatrical release, Disney has seen fit to reissue the original on DVD in a 2-Disc Collector's Edition. It would gross a surprising $173 million domestically and $347 million worldwide. Undoubtedly the result both of a generous PG rating from the MPAA and the warm reception given the edgier Pirates, Treasure became another production that shook up the notion of a live-action Disney family film. National Treasure was set to join the Touchstone family until shortly before release when it was moved to Walt Disney Pictures. Pirates was far from the first film Bruckheimer did for the company movies like Con Air, Armageddon and Gone in Sixty Seconds were released through Disney's Touchstone Pictures. Stan Herbert), Hunter Gomez (Young Ben Gates), Jason Earles (Thomas Gates)īuy National Treasure on DVD from : 2-Disc Collector's Edition DVD Īfter 2003's Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl became an enormous success, Disney was understandably eager to make another adventure with producer Jerry Bruckheimer. ![]() ![]() Abigail Chase), Sean Bean (Ian Howe), Justin Bartha (Riley Poole), Mark Pellegrino (Agent Johnson), Christopher Plummer (John Adams Gates), David Dayan Fisher (Shaw), Stewart Finlay-McLennan (Powell), Oleg Taktarov (Shippen), Armando Riesco (Agent Hendricks), Annie Parisse (Agent Dawes), Erik King (Agent Colfax), Ron Canada (Guard Woodruff), Don McManus (Dr. Theatrical Release: Novem/ Running Time: 131 Minutes / Rating: PGĭirector: Jon Turteltaub / Writers: Jim Kouf (story & screenplay) Cormac Wibberley, Marianne Wibberley (screenplay) Oren Aviv, Charles Segars (story)Ĭast: Nicolas Cage (Benjamin Franklin Gates), Jon Voight (Patrick Henry Gates), Harvey Keitel (Agent Sadusky), Diane Kruger (Dr.
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