Director Jon Turtelaub and the usually entertaining Nicolas Cage make a good combination and a darn good movie. Cage plays Ben Gates, an archaeologist-historian on a present-day quest for an ancient treasure of the Knights Templar. This treasure has been kept secret for what seems forever by a long line of Freemasons dating back to the Declaration of Independence. According to generations of folklore, there is a clue on the back of the Declaration that will sustain the procession of clues leading to the treasure. Thus the Icon of all historical documents, the Declaration of Independence , must be borrowed/stolen. Now Gates must out race his former employer Ian Howe(Sean Bean)to the mythical treasure. Gates has the aid of one of his believers Riley Poole(Justin Bartha)and new convert Dr. Abigail Chase(Diane Kruger), who happens to be an employee of the Smithsonian Museum.
This contrived tale is infectious as Cage's determination to be a hero among mortal men. This caper is held together with shards of comedy and a healthy helping of adventure. Bean seems flawless as the crafty villain. Rounding out the cast are: Jon Voight, Harvey Keitel, Mark Pellegrino and Christopher Plummer. This poor man's Indiana Jones romp proves harmless fun for all ages.
This contrived tale is infectious as Cage's determination to be a hero among mortal men. This caper is held together with shards of comedy and a healthy helping of adventure. Bean seems flawless as the crafty villain. Rounding out the cast are: Jon Voight, Harvey Keitel, Mark Pellegrino and Christopher Plummer. This poor man's Indiana Jones romp proves harmless fun for all ages.