National Treasure (2004)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Jon Turteltaub

Writers (WGA):

Jim Kouf (story) and
Oren Aviv (story) ...

Release Date:

19 November 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Thriller

Tagline:

The greatest adventure history has ever revealed.

Plot:

A treasure hunter is in hot pursuit of a mythical treasure that has been passed down for centuries, while his employer turned enemy is onto the same path that he's on.

Plot Keywords:

Treasure | Clue | FBI | Treasure Hunter | Benjamin Franklin

Awards:

1 win & 7 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Mon. July 6	9:00 PM	SCIFI
Tue. July 7	6:00 PM	SCIFI

Cast

Nicolas Cage	...	Ben Gates
Diane Kruger	...	Abigail Chase
Justin Bartha	...	Riley Poole
Sean Bean	...	Ian Howe
Jon Voight	...	Patrick Gates
Harvey Keitel	...	Sadusky
Christopher Plummer	...	John Adams Gates
David Dayan Fisher	...	Shaw
Stewart Finlay-McLennan	...	Powell
Oleg Taktarov	...	Shippen
Stephen A. Pope	...	Phil (as Stephen Pope)
Annie Parisse	...	Agent Dawes
Mark Pellegrino	...	Agent Johnson
Armando Riesco	...	Agent Hendricks
Erik King	...	Agent Colfax

Also Known As:

Sonomo (Philippines: English title) (review title)
La leyenda del tesoro perdido (Argentina) (Chile) (Peru) (Venezuela) [es]
Das Vermächtnis der Tempelritter (Austria) (Germany) [de]
Сокровище нации (Russia) [ru]
A Lenda do Tesouro Perdido (Brazil) [pt]
A nemzet aranya (Hungary) [hu]
Büyük hazine (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Benjamin Gates et le trésor des templiers (France) [fr]
Il mistero dei templari (Italy) [it]
La búsqueda (Spain) [es]
Nacionalno blago (Serbia) [sr]
National treasure - Kansallisaarre (Finland) [fi]
Rahvuslik aare (Estonia) [et]
Sta ihni tou hamenou thisavrou (Greece) [el]
Trésor national (Canada: French title) [fr]

MPAA:

Rated PG for action violence and some scary images.

Runtime:

131 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | SDDS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:L | Malaysia:U | Canada:G (Quebec) | Denmark:11 | Netherlands:12 | South Korea:12 | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | France:U | Taiwan:PG-12 | New Zealand:PG | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Brazil:Livre | Chile:TE | Finland:K-11 | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIA | Ireland:PG | Norway:11 | Peru:PT | Philippines:G | Singapore:PG | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Zurich) | UK:PG | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

DAR - Memorial Continental Hall.- 1776 D Street NW, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

Company:

Walt Disney Pictures

Trivia:

When Gates is purchasing a replica Declaration of Independence in the gift shop, on the counter next to the register is a stack of books for sale. The book is 'The Secret Architecture of our Nation's Capital' by David Ovason and is about the Masons and the building of Washington DC. Ovason also wrote "Secret Symbols of the Dollar Bill", and US currency is used as one of the clues in the film.

Goofs:

Plot holes: Ben Gates planned to steal the Declaration of Independence from the preservation room. They knew it would be there because Riley used a laser to trip the temperature sensors so they would move it. Ian was also planning to steal the document from the preservation room. He would not have known of Gates' plans so why would he break into the preservation room?

Quotes:

[first lines]
Young Ben Gates: Grandpa!
John Adams Gates: You're not supposed to be up here, looking at that.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Visions of Stanley Kubrick (2007) (V)

Soundtrack:

Forget It

A Surprisingly Stunning Gem.

A descendant (Nicolas Cage) of a family of fortune hunters looks for a treasure chest that was hidden by the Founding Fathers of the new United States after the Revolutionary War. After being double-crossed by European Sean Bean and his men while obtaining another clue in the Arctic, Cage and sidekick Justin Bertha (who nearly steals the show with his quick-witted one-liners) travel to D.C. to obtain the Declaration of Independence. It is believed that there is an invisible map on the back of that historic document. A daring cat and mouse game continues between Cage and Bean as the ultra-hot Diane Kruger (who made almost no impression in the disappointing "Troy") gets involved as well. Jon Voight (Cage's skeptical father) also gets thrown in the mix as the movie progresses and he does some of the best work of his career in an endearing and quietly comical role. A brilliant scavenger hunt for clues along the major cities of the East Coast will leave you on the edge of your seat. "National Treasure" is a fun trip to the movies. The setup (told by Cage's grandfather, Christopher Plummer) is a bit uneven and I was worried that this was going to be a disaster, but I am glad it was not. The characters are all smart and intelligent and the pace is fast and furious. Wonderful entertainment for the entire family. Surprisingly one of the finer pictures of 2004. 4 stars out of 5.