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National Treasure: Directed by Jon Turteltaub. With Nicolas Cage, Diane Kruger, Justin Bartha, Sean Bean. A historian races to find the legendary Templar Treasure before a team of mercenaries.
- (359K)
- Action, Adventure, Mystery
- Jon Turteltaub
- 2004-11-19
Aug 18, 2023 · Ben hands over the Declaration, and in exchange for telling the FBI about the treasure, he gets clemency for everyone in his party, credit for the entire Gates family and Riley (sorry, Abigail ...
- Natasha Lavender
Synopsis. Benjamin Franklin Gates (Nicolas Cage) is a historian and amateur Cryptologist, and the youngest descendant of a long line of treasure hunters. Though Ben's father, Patrick Henry Gates, tries to discourage Ben from following in the family line, as he had spent over 20 years looking for the national treasure, attracting ridicule on the ...
Dec 19, 2016 · Fiction: 180 years of searching. When Ben and Riley stand "three feet away" from the Declaration of Independence, Ben claims that his family has been searching for the treasure for 180 years, but it's actually closer to 170 years (or 172, to be precise).
- Overview
- Plot
- Cast
- Reception
- Home video releases
National Treasure is a 2004 adventure film from the Walt Disney Studios. It is the first film in the National Treasure Franchise. Nicolas Cage plays Benjamin Franklin Gates, a historian and amateur cryptologist searching for a lost treasure, once protected by the Knights Templar and hidden by the Freemasons during the early years of the United Stat...
The Legend of the Treasure
"You're not supposed to be here, looking at that." "I just wanted to know." ―John Adams Gates and Young Benjamin Franklin Gates At a stormy night in 1974, young Benjamin Franklin Gates is exploring in his grandfather's attic in Washington, D.C. Ben climbs up on a chair and finds an old book hidden up in the ceiling. As Ben climbs down, suddenly his grandfather is standing in front of him. His grandfather confronts him about being in the attic, and Ben says he wants to "know to know the story." Grandfather says he guesses Ben is old enough to hear it. Ben and Grandfather sit down, and Grandfather begins to tell the story. In 1832, Charles Carroll, was hurriedly being driven to the White House by his stable boy, Thomas Gates, to see President Andrew Jackson. Charles needed to tell Jackson an important secret. However, Jackson wasn't there that night. So Charles told the only person he could, his stable boy, Thomas, who was Ben's ancestor. The secret was a treasure, a treasure beyond all imagining. The story of the treasure starts at Egypt, where men are raiding and fighting over a pyramid that housed some of the treasure. The story then jumps ahead about 1,000 years to when knights from the First Crusade discovered secrets vaults underneath Solomon's Temple that held the treasure. The knights brought the treasure back to Europe and took the names "Knights Templar." Over the next century, the Knights smuggled the treasure out of Europe bit-by-bit. They formed a new brotherhood called the Freemasons. By the time of the American Revolution, the treasure had been hidden again. George Washington and others didn't want the treasure to fall into the hands of the British, so they made clues and maps that lead to the treasure's location. Over time, the clue had been either lost or forgotten, except one. That was the secret that Charles Carroll entrusted to Thomas Gates. It was a piece of paper, with the words "The Secret lies with Charlotte." But not even Mr. Carroll knew who Charlotte was. As the grandfather finishes his story, he pulls out a dollar bill and shows Ben clues on the bill. Grandfather says that the clues are speaking to them. "Six generation of fools, searching after fool's gold" ―Patrick Henry Gates scoffs at his father's story Suddenly, Ben's father and Grandfather's son, Patrick Henry Gates, appears and scoffs at the story, saying that the dollar bill represents the Gates family fortune. They get into a fight; Grandfather saying it's not about the money. Patrick says to Ben that it is time to go. After Patrick leaves, Ben wants to know if they are knights. Grandfather chuckles, and then asks if Ben would like to become one. Ben says yes, so Grandfather has him kneel and take a vow: "Benjamin Franklin Gates, you take upon yourself the duty of the Templars, the Freemasons, and the family Gates. Do you so swear?" "I so swear!" ―John Adams Gates knighting Benjamin Franklin Gates
The Charlotte
"It's extraordinary." ―Ian Howe on how magnificent the Arctic is. Many years have passed, and much older Ben is driving a vehicle through the snow and ice of Canadian Arctic with two other people in the vehicle, Ian Howe, and Riley Poole. Behind the first vehicle is a second, being driven by Shaw, and has two more people, Viktor Shippen and Powell. Ben, Ian, and Riley discuss whether they are getting close to whatever they are looking for. Then they start to tease Riley, asking him if he "misses the windowless cubicle" they found him in. Suddenly, Riley's computer begins to beep, telling them they are very close to the mysterious object they are looking for. The two vehicles pull up and stop and everyone gets out. They start using magnet devices and scan the ground, until Ben's device makes beeping noises. Ben begins to dig furiously in the snow, until he uncovers a metal plaque that reads Charlotte. A few hours later and the whole ship is uncovered. Ben, Ian, Riley, and Shaw go unto the body of the ship, searching for the treasure. Riley begins looking at the crew's hammocks and discovers a body, frozen in it's hammock. Riley panics, but is soon calmed down. They begin searching again. They find the cargo hold, and pry the doors open. Ian and Ben are excited, thinking the long search has ended. But when they get into the hold, they realize all that is there is barrels. They investigate, and find nothing but gunpowder. But then Ben discovers that captain, frozen to death, but protecting a certain barrel. He opens the barrel and finds only more gunpowder. But as Ben digs further, a large package emerges. Ben quickly uncovers the package. It is a box, and inside, a valuable and well-made meerschaum pipe. However, that is not the treasure. Ben immediately knows it is a clue, and he separates the pipe's stem. Ben cuts his finger with a knife, and rolls stem over the blood. Then he rolls the stem onto a piece of paper. There is another clue! "The legend writ. The stain affected. The key in Silence undetected Fifty-five in iron pen. Mr. Matlock can't offend." ―Benjamin Franklin Gates reading the clue Ben read the clue aloud (see above quote). He figures is out to be an invisible map. An invisible map on the back of the Declaration of Independence! Ian is amazed and says they'll have to examine it. Ben says that no one is going to let them just waltz in a look at the back of the Declaration of Independence. Ian then suggests stealing it. Ben refuses. Ian then says that Ben and Riley will now only be a hindrance. Suddenly, Shaw pulls out a gun and aims it at Ben. Ben states that if he is killed, all the other riddles won't be figured out. Ian says that if Ben doesn't tell them more clues, he will shoot Riley. All of a sudden, Ben reaches down and grabs a flare and lights it. He asks Ian to look where they are standing. Gunpowder. All over the floor. Ben says that if he is shot, the flare drops, and the ship explodes. Ian then asks what will happen when the flare burns down. Ben suddenly throws the flare toward the ground, but Ian intercepts in. But then Ian's coat sleeve catches fire and he drops the flare. The room goes up in flames, with the flames going toward the barrels of gunpowder. Shaw tries to fire some shots, but he misses. Ian and Shaw bolt from the room and lock Ben and Riley in the cargo hold. Ben finds a smugglers hold and they both get in. As they are crawling away from the hold, the gunpowder reaches the barrels. Everything explodes. Ian and his men stop the vehicles and look back. Ian looks sad, as if he didn't want Ben and Riley to die. But then they go on. Ben and Riley discover they are still alive. Ben and Riley get out of the ship and start walking an Inuit village nine miles east.
Meeting with Dr. Chase
"But anyone who can do anything is gonna think we're crazy. Anyone crazy enough to believe us isn't gonna want to help." "We don't need someone crazy. But one step short of crazy, what do you get? " "Obsessed?" "Passionate." ―Riley Poole and Benjamin Franklin Gates about who is going to believe the Declaration is going to be stolen. Ben and Riley are coming out of the J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building in Washington D.C. They tried to tell the FBI that someone would steal the Declaration of Independence, but no one listened. They then went to National Archives. They are waiting to see a Dr. Chase. While Ben, using the name "Paul Brown" and Riley, using the name "Bill", are sitting in the waiting room, Ben picks up a flier about an Anniversary Gala at the Archives. Soon, they are led in Dr. Chase's office. Dr. Abigail Chase, a woman. They are introduced and Ben begins to talk about a collection of George Washington Campaign Buttons that Abigail has in the room. She is missing one, he says. Abigail agrees and then asks to get down to business. "Well, I'm gonna get straight to the point: Someone's gonna steal the Declaration of Independence." ―Benjamin Franklin Gates Ben tells Abigail that someone will steal the Declaration. She, of course, doesn't believe him. Ben says that is they could examine the document, they could tell whether it would be stolen or not. Abigail asks what they would find. Ben replies that they think there is a map on the back. Abigail still doesn't believe them, but she asks for proof. However, the proof, the pipe, was taken by Ian, and Ben doesn't have it. Abigail says that the meeting is over and Ben and Riley leave. From her office, they go to see the Declaration. Finally, Ben makes up his mind that he is gonna steal the Declaration to protect it from Ian. Riley is distraught. All he can think about is going to prison. Ben tell him that he cannot let Ian steal the Declaration, because Ian would just destroy it. Riley tries reasoning that it can't be done and takes Ben to the Library of Congress.
•Nicolas Cage as Ben Gates
•Diane Kruger as Abigail Chase
•Justin Bartha as Riley Poole
•Sean Bean as Ian Howe
•Jon Voight as Patrick Gates
•Harvey Keitel as Sadusky
The film received a mixed reaction from critics, some of whom lauded it as a fun, straightforward family adventure, while others ridiculed its numerous implausibilities and unbelievable plot twists. Roger Ebert gave National Treasure two stars (out of four), calling it "so silly that the Monty Python version could use the same screenplay, line for line." Academic David Bordwell has expressed a liking for the film, placing it in the tradition of 1950s Disney children's adventure movies, and using it as the basis for an essay on scene transitions in classical Hollywood cinema.
The film currently holds a 44% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Collector's Edition DVD
A special collector's edition, two-disc DVD set of the movie was released on December 18, 2007.
Blu-ray Disc
Disney released Blu-ray Disc versions of National Treasure and its sequel, National Treasure: Book of Secrets, on May 20, 2008.
In the film, Benjamin Franklin Gates, a historian, along with computer expert Riley Poole and archivist Abigail Chase, search for a massive lost Freemason treasure, which includes a map hidden on the back of the United States Declaration of Independence. National Treasure was released worldwide on November 19, 2004. The film grossed $347 ...
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Riley later wrote a book called The Templar Treasure and Other Myths that are True about treasure hunting and myths. He is shocked when it is not a best seller and people keep confusing him for Ben. Finding the city of gold helped him become a best seller. Riley trying to sell his book. The IRS repossessed his Ferrari because of back taxes at ...
