Hammerman Ikon

Hammerman Ikon Film Guide

National Treasure
2004
***
Director: Jon Turteltaub
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Diane Kruger, Justin Bartha, Sean Bean, Jon Voight, Christopher Plummer, Harvey Keitel

For centuries, the Gates family has believed that the Founding Fathers hid a massive treasure from the Brits, and the clues turn out to be hidden in famous landmarks. Following the enormous success of The Da Vinci Code, this family movie aspires to be another smart and educational historical mystery. However, as this is a Jerry Bruckheimer production, he has very little confidence in his story, so what we get is an entertaining but silly and formulaic adventure with clichéd characters (wisecracking sidekick, British villain) and gratuitous chase scenes. Followed by National Treasure: Book of Secrets.