National Treasure is a Rare Find
Historical Tour is Action-Packed

In the midst of a sedate autumn, filled with interesting but not exciting films, Nicolas Cage has become an unlikely action hero. Using his arcane knowledge of United States history to seek an ancient treasure, Cage plays like Indiana Jones meets Uncle Sam in a story that fills a niche between fiction and folklore. The truth, however silly the premise may sound, is that National Treasure delivers the goods.

Benjamin Franklin Gates (Cage) is a modern treasure seeker, a solemn protector of a family secret handed down to him by his grandfather. The Gates family is the sole possessor of a bit of knowledge passed on by the country's forefathers about a treasure that the Knights Templar brought to America from England. Gates feels that it is his familial duty to follow the only surviving clue to try and discover the whereabouts of the missing wealth.

To Ben's surprise, however, the deciphering of one clue leads him to another -- along with the inescapable conclusion that the next piece of the puzzle is on the back of the Declaration of Independence. When his business partner, Ian Howe (Sean Bean), suggests that they should steal the historic document, Ben decides to stop him. When neither the FBI nor Homeland Security take his warning seriously, however, he decides that the only way to protect the Declaration is to steal it first.

With the assistance of his aide, Riley (Justin Bartha), he arranges a daring scenario to pilfer one of the most valuable historical documents in the country. Along the way, however, they attract the attention of the National Archivist, Abigail Chase (Diane Kruger), leading to more mayhem and an inevitable romantic interest.

Cage is surprisingly good as an action hero. My memory of him in films like Con Air and The Rock led me to believe that he could never pull off this kind of role. Thankfully, I was wrong. His affinity for quirky roles allows him to create a character that is both believable and extraordinary. As the scholarly outcast, Ben offers a bit of edginess, but it's with the understanding that he's only radical when compared to historians. He's actually a very tame character who is driven to action only because of the circumstances.

Appearing as the senior Gates is veteran actor Jon Voight. His crusty conservatism is a nice contrast to Ben's idealism. Whereas Ben believes everything his grandfather told him about the Knights Templar and Freemasons, Patrick (Voight) begs his son to abandon the worthless crusade. The added tension helps shape the otherwise two-dimensional characters. Also rounding out the cast is Harvey Keitel as an FBI agent chasing Gates. Keitel is always a pleasure to see.

Despite the action-oriented plot, the story has some intriguing pseudo-history behind it. But National Treasure does not claim to be a true story. Instead, it uses a number of historical monuments and documents as markers in an elaborate treasure hunt, where the code found at point A leads to point B. Fascinatingly, the chase never grows tedious.

Throughout the film are a number of small battles that are only part of the larger war. When the heroes find one dead end, another opportunity (often an unlikely one) arises. The result is a thrill ride that stops to think about its direction from time-to-time. While the heroes are pondering the next clue, the villains continue to hunt them, forcing the story to move forward at a wonderful speed.

For my money, National Treasure is a rare find. It's an intelligent adventure movie that combines a reasonably good conspiracy story with action worthy of a summer blockbuster. The only thing that may keep it from breaking the $200 million mark is the fact that it seems like a well-disguised history lesson. And that might turn off those who vehemently avoid the History Channel.

MY RATING: 8 out of 10.

RATED: PG
RUN TIME: 131 min.