National Treasure (2004)

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 | Declaration Of Independence | Treasure Hunter

Awards:

1 win & 7 nominations

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)

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:

While Gates is attempting to decipher the first clue on board the Charlotte, after Shaw suggests "Prison," Riley says, "Albuquerque. See, I can do it too. Snorkel." This is a reference to the 1998 'Weird Al' Yankovic song, "Albuquerque," which talks about a man's journey to Albuquerque with his lucky snorkel.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Ian runs away from the Charlotte, he and his accomplice get into the right snow vehicle. When the truck stops after the view inside the Charlotte, you will see both vehicles stop, even though one has been taken.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "American Dad!: Black Mystery Month (#2.13)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Give It Up

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.