by rick grant rickgrant01@comcast.net
C+ 124 min. Rated PG
Far fetched with a shameless commercial slant, this big budget franchise movie was written by committee and directed by Jon Turteltaub. The paint-by-numbers filmmaking is designed to follow a prescribed path with the obilgatory car chase scene in London, which is preposterous considering the traffic and narrow roads in that city. Call it Bing, Bang, Boom in-your-face schlock, carefully flavored for mass consumption. It’s pure escapism.
Nicolas Cage reprises his character Ben Gates, who is trying to discover the truth about the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, using the previously missing 18 pages from John Wilkes Booth’s diary. Gates’ sidekick, Riley Poole, played with comedic style by Justin Bartha, is welcome comic relief. National Archives conservator Abigail Chase is played by Diane Kruger and Patrick Gates is portrayed by Jon Voight. Helen Mirren slums in this film as Patrick’s ex-wife, an expert on the rarest ancient languages. This comes in handy during the hunt. Ed Harris plays Jeb Wilkinson–an interloper and rival in the adventure. Harvey Keitel turns up in the film as FBI Agent Sandusky.
The story implies that Ben Gates’ great-great grandfather is implicated as a key conspirator in Lincoln’s assassination. Ben loves the hunt, but in this case he is determined to prove his ancestor’s innocence. Ben’s team embarks on an international adventure to follow clues to find the truth, taking them to Paris to London and back to America. In the ensuing investigation, the team finds some surprising revelations that rewrite American history.
Turteltaub likes to use handheld close-up action shots, which tend to blur the context of the scene. However, the film has all the elements of a holiday blockbuster, which will be welcomed by the exhibitors who have seen disappointing box office sales so far. For many viewers, movies like this are guilty pleasures. How many times have I stayed up late watching Die Hard films? Too many to admit.
The script is surprisingly wordy, considering it’s a big loud action film. But when the action kicks in, it’s overpowering. Still, everyone loves a treasure hunt, and this brainiac crew of eccentric characters takes the audience on a fascinating adventure to find the President’s Book of Secrets, which has the answers to many questions.
Ben is on a mission to clear his family name but he has to talk to the President of The United States to find out if the book exists. So, he kidnaps the President. Ben becomes a wanted man with the CIA, NSA, and other government agencies on his tail. Nicolas Cage revels in these characters with his tongue-in-cheek acting and suave persona. His stylized delivery masks his cynical attitude at taking these roles for the fat paycheck. Still, like Bruce Willis, audiences love Cage’s larger than life characters. From Disney Pictures, with Jerry Bruckheimer co-producing along with producer/director Jon Turteltaub, the team shot as close to a guaranteed hit as any picture released in today’s fickle market.
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