NATIONAL TREASURE - RETROSPECTIVE

Starring national treasure himself, Nicolas Cage, and released back in 2004, the film National Treasure is a surprising delight. Directed by Jon Turteltaub, yes, THE Jon Turteltaub who would go on to direct National Treasure 2, the film follows Cage as Benjamin Cage…er, Gates, as he searches for the Templar Treasure that has been forgotten by history.  Also starring Diane Kruger, Justin Bartha, Harvey Keitel, Jon Voight and Ned flippin’ Stark as the villain who, in perhaps the film’s boldest stroke, DOESN'T die.

We first meet Ben Gates as he is told the legend of the treasure by his grandfather, played by the voice of Viggo the Carpathian. Here we also meet Ben’s father, played by Voight, who has lost his way and is trying to live a normal, treasure-free life.  Not content with the grand accomplishment of growing up to be Nicolas Cage, Ben Gates recruits British Person Ian Howe, (Stark) and comic relief Riley (Bartha) to search for the first clue that leads to Gate’s dismayed discovery that in order to find the treasure, he’ll have to pull off a literal historic heist.

Now I admit, the whole idea of a treasure map being hidden on the back of the Declaration of Independence is, in a word, shit-stupid.  However, I would argue that there is absolutely nothing wrong with that if it’s in the right hands, which, somehow, this film is.  Being British, Ian has no qualms with the idea of stealing the document leaving Gates with the notion that HE must steal it to protect it. It’s very hard not to make this movie not sound too ridiculous when describing the plot.

Suffice to say, Gates quickly ropes in archivist Abigail Chase (Kruger) and his father who we discover still has that treasure seeking spark.  Hot on Gates’s heels is FBI agent Sadusky (Keitel) and the movie is in full swing in a three-way chase to uncover the lost treasure.  Again, the plot is a fun disaster but is pretty well thought out, all things considered.  The heist in question is actually very well done, pitting Ian and his crew against Gates and Riley. It’s here that Abigail gets caught in the middle by trying to confront Gates and being captured by Ian.  Gates pulls off her rescue, and evades Ian, but due to a small misstep earlier in the caper is flagged by the FBI.  I won’t spoil how, but the scene is a good example of how each action leads to the next.  The script does pull this off nicely, cohesively guiding our heroes from one well-crafted action sequence to the next.

Chase is the better word.  Since the audience already has to suspend disbelief pretty darn far, the film wisely keeps Ben Gates a nerd, and never turns him into a one-liner spouting action hero.  Rightly, too, is Turteltaub’s decision to let Cage be Cage, but not allow Cage be CAGE.  Nicolas Cage is terrific in this, completely selling Gates’ eccentric passion and delight for all things history, while also displaying Gates’ personal stake in finding the treasure.  I cannot overstate how important it is that Cage pulls off making Ben Gates an easy character to root for.  The whole cast is good, actually, including newcomers Keitel and Voight.  Everyone seems in on the lighthearted tone of this silly movie which goes a long way in selling it.

While she needs rescuing early on, Abigail Chase is more than just "lady character" here, and instead is an invaluable member of Cage's rag-tag team.  Bartha also manages to make Riley not terribly annoying, with a few decent quips here and there.  Complete with the always reliable Sean Bean, Harvey Keitel and Jon Voight, the movie has a great ensemble cast making their way through a more than competent script that really elevates this above the absurd plot. 

There honestly isn’t too much to complain about.  If you’re looking for a light, fun adventure to escape in, you could do worse.  It’s breezy and fast paced with not a lot of fat. Clever, well-balanced and fun, complete with three dimensional characters.  Sometimes that’s enough.