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)

MPAA:

Rated PG for action violence and some scary images.

Runtime:

131 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Colour:

Colour

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:

The cities that the major action takes place in (Washington D.C., Philadelphia, and New York City) are three of the nine capital cities the United States has had in its history.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Abigail and Riley notice two of Ian's thugs chasing them, Riley says, "Time to run", but his lips do not move.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

References Jaws (1975)

Soundtrack:

String Quartet in A Major Movement No. 3

Security risks

"National Treasure" is a thriller that was obviously targeted for young audiences. John Turtletaub, its director, has created a film that will resonate with those audiences because of the great ride and the adventure it depicts. On the other hand, heaven help us, should anyone feel inspired to emulate the hero of the film and attempts to do something similar, which in a way, doesn't say much about the security in guarding the real "natural treasures" of the country.

If we can believe Ben Gates can pull the caper, then there's no problem in enjoying this film, which offers an action packed couple of hours that could have been trimmed a little bit to make it even better.

Not being a Nicolas Cage fan, one was prepared for the worst, but this is one of the films in which Mr. Cage is at his mellowest intensity and it's easy to tolerate his antics. Diane Kreuger is a beautiful addition to the film that pays well. Justin Bartha does what he can being a computer nerd and pulling fantastic stuff to help his friend. Sean Bean, Christopher Plummer and Jon Voight, are seen in supporting roles.

This is a film that will play well with young minds and with adults that will allow for the silliness of the situation at hand.