|
|
|
|
|
|
|
National Treasure review
2005.01.02 — Entertainment | Movies | Movie Reviews | by Andrew Cole
American treasure seeker and beautiful German scholar explore a crypt... sound familiar? [official site] |
Nicholas Cage is Benjamin Franklin Gates in Jerry Bruckheimer's latest extended action sequence: National Treasure. It's a slam-bang roller coaster that never pauses until it's over. If you don't care about how bad guy Ian Howe (Sean Bean) always knows where to show up next to stop Gates, then it's a fine piece of cinema. But to this film lover, this movie feels like it started out being six hours long and was cut down to two to keep the pacing fast.
And fast it is. Cage hardly stops to take a breath before launching into the next action sequence. Director Jon Turteltaub takes us from Arctic exploration to frozen archeological dig to riddle solving to stealing the Declaration of Independence to deciphering its clues with a museum display to searching Independence Hall for the key to decipher more clues... phew! It's exhausting just trying to recall all the beats Turteltaub hits. I imagine conversations on set that might have gone something like this:
Bruckheimer: Can we figure out a way for Nick to decipher the ancient code while he's engaged in a running gun battle?
Turteltaub: Well, no, but don't worry. I can take care of it with two lines of dialog immediately afterwards.
It's filled with Bruckheimer touches, like trucks that don't slow down when they're going to hit pedestrians.... |
Turteltaub has had some mild successes in the past, but this is his first Jerry Bruckheimer blockbuster. It's filled with Bruckheimer cliches, like trucks that don't slow down when they're going to hit pedestrians (they just honk angrily) and a score that beats you with a stick.
The film was written by some hacks who regard coincidence as a fundamental tool of storytelling and whose idea of treasure is pretty much limited to "things made of gold." Not only does villain Bean blow up a priceless piece of archeology, but at times actually holds the Declaration of Independence in his hands and still wants to know where the "real" treasure is. How much do you think the Declaration of Independence is worth? A hundred million?
How much do you think the Declaration of Independence is worth? A hundred million? |
The plot turns on the idea that the founding fathers of America were Freemasons who hid a giant treasure for some reason. The reason is never explained, which is unfortunate since the newborn United States was so woefully broke that it could barely fight the British. A big treasure would have come in handy. Of course, maybe that was what the Freemasons were keeping the treasure safe from: being spent. But if they intended it to become the basis of America's first museums, why did they keep it so well hidden, and the location so secret, that they lost it in only 50 years? (...After they'd been guarding it for a thousand years!)
Cage has to find it not only for historical purposes but, of course, to keep it out of the hands of rival Bean. Only Bean would have no chance of finding it if he wasn't miraculously one step behind Cage every minute.
Why does he have to steal the Declaration of Independence the very next weekend? Don't these people grasp the concept of a montage? |
Turteltaub doesn't do the story any favors. Why does Cage have to solve a vague and arcane riddle in forty-five seconds while he's standing in the structure he has just dug out of the Arctic ice? Why does he have to steal the Declaration of Independence the very next weekend? Don't these people grasp the concept of a montage?
Cage and Bean do well in their roles, both being experienced in displaying humorless determination. In fact, they could have exchanged roles with no appreciable loss, altho it would have been fun to see Cage try to do a British accent. (Bruckheimerism #32: 90% of all villains are British).
[Justin Bartha's] witty asides are actually witty. Those accustomed to Schwarzenegger clunkers may be startled. |
Diane Kruger (AKA Heidkrueger) is competent (not to mention lovely to look at) as the national historian who helps Cage, altho her German accent has to be explained away (but not her very un-German name: "Abigail Chase"). Harvey Keitel takes a thankless bow as a federal agent in charge of retrieving the Declaration of Independence. The real treasure is Justin Bartha as Cage's sidekick. His witty asides are actually witty. Those accustomed to Schwarzenegger clunkers may be startled.
Overall, the movie is fast and fun, but completely lacking in suspense. There's never any time for tension to build up when our heroes are racing against time and rivals every waking moment; in fact, I don't think Cage's character ever sleeps at all once he goes after the Declaration. Cage even has to steal a moment during their capture to plant a hasty kiss on Kruger.
No time for romance, baby. This train is steamin' into act three.
f e e d b a c k
Respond to this page by your e-mail client. Please be sure to mention the title of the article.
