“National Treasure: Book of Secrets” (Walt Disney Pictures)
A Plot Full of Holes
Nicolas Cage, Diane Kruger, Jon Voight, Justin Bartha and Harvey Keitel return for the sequel to “National Treasure.” This one is titled “National Treasure: Book of Secrets.” It has all the action of the first and all the humor too, but this time out the plot just can’t keep from leaking like a sieve. Thinking back on the movie after viewing it, you realize nothing made any sense at all.
Cage once again plays Ben Gates, a treasure hunter of the first degree. His sidekick is Riley Poole (Bartha) and his girlfriend is Abigail Chase (Kruger). As the film starts Ben and Abigail have broken up and Ben is living with his father, Patrick (Voight). At a college lecture Ben is interrupted by a man named Mitch Wilkinson (Ed Harris) who claims he has proof Ben’s great grandfather was involved in the plot to kill Abraham Lincoln.
Ben becomes obsessed with the idea of clearing the family name. Somehow this ties in with a search for a lost city of gold. Abigail joins in to help with the hunt as does Ben’s mother, Emily (Helen Mirren). Riley also tags along.
The “book of secrets” referred to in the title is a book maintained by the President of the United States. In this film the President is played by Bruce Greenwood. The “book of records” helps in the treasure hunt.
Cage is nebbishly charming as Ben, while Kruger is stunningly beautiful as Abigail. Bartha provides comic relief. Voight and Mirren give the movie some acting clout. Harris is the villain of the piece while Keitel has a few short moments as the head of the FBI.
The film is rated PG for some mild violence.
The movie gets a little sluggish in the middle but overall is fun and funny. It is only after everything is over that it dawns on you that nothing made any sense. The clues were just clues that didn’t lead anywhere, and the solving of the mystery was just an event that occurred, nothing set it up.
The first film was not one hundred per cent logical but it seemed to make more sense than this one. Still if you are just into it for the fun you will have a great old time. That is probably the way to enjoy the movie – don’t sweat the small stuff like logic and truth.
The movie is a lot like an “Indiana Jones” film with Cage filling in for Ford. He doesn’t have a bullwhip or a fedora but he does have that Cage grin. Plus Diane Kruger outshines any co-star Ford ever had as Indy.
I scored “National Treasure: Book of Secrets” a golden 5 out of 10.
