Nicholas Cage, in his role of Benjamin Gates, is back to hunting down the treasure of even vaster proportions, this time fueled by the desire to absolve his sullied family name in being a conspirator to the killing of America's favorite president, Abraham Lincoln.
The film opens with a post-Civil War peaceful, sedate evening in 1865 becoming one of the landmarks-- tainty as it may be-- in the history, what with Lincoln being shot in head in a theatre. In another place, a highly skilled cryptologist cum puzzle solver is asked to solve a coded message, who manages to smell a rat in the whole thing. The cryptologist, manages to solve the puzzle but throws the paper in fire instead of parting with solution, as he knows its about a treasure that Confederates want to get hold of. He is shot before his son, but not before he tells his son "The debt that all men pay."
Cut to circa 2007. Benjamin Gates is addressing a conference on Civilian Heroes, along with his father. Mitch Wilkinson (Ed Harris) produces the half-burned page that bears a name, Thomas Gates, the great-great grandfather of Ben, and accuses Gates' great-great grandfather of hatching the plot to kill the President. Ben's father is extremely hurt at this family name being tarnished with such accusation, which everyone seems to have started believing. The only option before Ben to prove his great-great Grandfather not guilty, is to actually track down the Gold treasure -- the treasure that he has to find using only a half-burnt piece of paper and the last words that his great-great grandfather spoke to his son. Thus, begins a treasure chase -- assisted by his friend, girlfriend and now-estranged Dad and Mom-- that goes across countries from Eiffel Tower in Paris to Buckingham Palace in Britain to the Oval Office in Washington DC to the Library of Congress to Mount Rushmore. Ben craftily wades his way through all the trouble and of course finds the treasure, to eventually clear his family name. But not before, he survives near death on many occasions.
The movie delivers what it promises. The action is not superlative, but sufficiently fast-paced and adrenalin-pumping to keep you on the edge of your seat. Cage carries the movie on his shoulders, and is able supported by his co-actors. But still, take out Cage, and I might just not go to the movie. Such is Cage's panache, his effortless dialogue delivery, he makes the movie
an absolute must watch. How many actors in the world can deliver the following lines with as flawless an ease as Cage on being asked how is he doing -- "Well, My girlfriend has kicked me out. I am staying with my father. And, my family lineage has been accused of being conspirators to Lincoln's murder." No one, but king Cage only. Subtle as well as profound, humor runs throughout the film. There is even a lesson for Americans trying to drive in Britain!
The film is full of smart-ass tricks as well as nail-biting sequences (watch the sequence where four people are perched atop a dobble-dabble rectangular block, and everyone, including the bad guy, Mitch Wilkinson, must co-ordinate with each other in balancing the stone, lest all of them are hurled down the dark abyss - an absolutely gripping sequence.) Cage also manages to kidnap USA's president (with full support from the President), and obtain the address of an arcane book of secrets handed down from one president to another, and which stores the darkest of secrets of American history.
This one is not to be missed at any cost. No profanities, just good clean entertainment, which will set your pulse racing. Still pandering to your weekend relaxation watching TV? Go, get a life - Watch National Treasure: Book of Secrets.
