National Treasure

"In order to break the code, one man will have to break all the rules."

2004 2h 11m EN

👍

6.7

SOLID

★6.7TMDB · 7,101

AdventureActionMystery

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Modern treasure hunters, led by archaeologist Ben Gates, search for a chest of riches rumored to have been stashed away by George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin during the Revolutionary War. The chest's whereabouts may lie in secret clues embedded in the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, and Gates is in a race to find the gold before his enemies do.

“In order to break the code, one man will have to break all the rules.”

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Cast

Nicolas Cage
Ben Gates
Diane Kruger
Abigail Chase
Justin Bartha
Riley Poole
Sean Bean
Ian Howe
Jon Voight
Patrick Gates
Harvey Keitel
Sadusky
Christopher Plummer
John Adams Gates
David Dayan Fisher
Shaw

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jon Turteltaub
Writers: Jim Kouf, Marianne Wibberley, Cormac Wibberley
Languages: Latin, English, Spanish
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

$100M budget — tentpole studio territory.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 3.5× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 22 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Latin, English, Spanish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "National Treasure Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

266+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Jon Turteltaub, shot by Caleb Deschanel. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Trevor Rabin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jon Turteltaub directs. Caleb Deschanel behind the camera. Trevor Rabin scores. William Goldenberg cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in Latin, English, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1$100M budget — tentpole studio territory.
2Made its money back 3.5× over at the box office.
3Released 22 years ago.
4Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Latin, English, Spanish.
5Part of the "National Treasure Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
6266+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
7Directed by Jon Turteltaub, shot by Caleb Deschanel. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
8Original score by Trevor Rabin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
9Editor William Goldenberg shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
10Nicolas Cage and Diane Kruger and Justin Bartha carry the top of the cast.
11Marketing tagline: "In order to break the code, one man will have to break all the rules.".
12IMDB entry: tt0368891 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
13Classified under 37 themes, including "new york city", "treasure", "philadelphia, pennsylvania", "washington dc, usa".
14Released under 18 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Caleb Deschanel
Original score: Trevor Rabin
Editing: William Goldenberg
Production design: Norris Spencer
Costume design: Judianna Makovsky
Makeup / hair: Scott H. Eddo
VFX supervisor: Mitchell S. Drain
Sound: Kevin O'Connell
Stunt coordinator: George Marshall Ruge
Runtime: 131 min · 2h 11m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $100,000,000
Box office: $347,500,000
Return: 348% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: National Treasure (2004)

Part of

National Treasure Collection

The collection of theatrical action-adventure mystery films starring Nicolas Cage as Benjamin Gates, a treasure hunter who, with the help of his father, Patrick Henry Gates (Jon Voight), his girlfriend, Abigail Chase (Diane Kruger) and his loyal sidekick, Riley Poole (Justin Bartha), uncovers hidden troves and secrets from America's past.

Also by

Jon Turteltaub

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Gimly2020-06-19
★ 5/10
Maybe the real National Treasure was this movie we watched along the way. Okay so I didn't love National Treasure, but it 100% is what it's supposed to be. I never watched it as a kid, this was literally the first time I've ever seen more than about 5 minutes of it, so I don't have the nostalgia thing that a lot of people do, but I do think I'll watch it again. And, even though I didn't much like the sequel, I think I'd still definitely try out a 3rd National Treasure if it ever got made. Final rating:★★½ - Had a lot that appealed to me, didn’t quite work as a whole.
JPV8522021-05-03
★ 8/10
Seen this one many times over the years and still a lot of fun. Solid adventure-comedy with Nicolas Cage in his element with this sort of material. Diane Krueger's performance was a bit iffy at times but she had some okay scenes and never can go wrong with Sean Bean playing the villain, though the character is made out to be smart when all he does is some online searches and stealing from others. 3.75/5
Wuchak2022-02-01
★ 8/10
Modern "Raiders of the Lost Ark" in America If you can imagine a "Raiders of the Lost Ark"-type story taking place in modern America, you'd have a fairly good idea of what "National Treasure" is like. Nicolas Cage plays the Indiana Jones-type treasure hunter, Benjamin Franklin Gates, accompanied by his partner (Justin Bartha) and romantic interest (Diane Kruger), the latter a historical document scholar who gets dragged into the wild proceedings. THE PLOT: Gates feels he has no choice but to audaciously steal the Declaration of Independence to save it from his nemesis (Sean Bean). The document has an invisible clue on its flip side, which supposedly leads to a vast, coveted 'national treasure.' Can Gates successfully swipe the document, elude the Feds, and ultimately find the ancient fortune before his murderous, greedy rival? And can he simultaneously "get the babe" as well? "National Treasure" put a big grin on my face throughout its entire runtime. Like 1981's "Raiders of the Lost Ark," you're not supposed to dwell too deeply on the events because, if you do, the implausibilities will start to mount up. Nevertheless, even though this was made to be a fun, eminently entertaining ride, it still somehow stimulates ruminations and interest in American history. Not a bad byproduct, no? A handful of miscellaneous items: * Diane Kruger, who played 'the face that launched a thousand ships' in 2004's "Troy," is sharp and all-around pleasant on the eyes. * The score is modern with thrilling orchestrations intermingled with HEAVY progressive guitar riffs. It was composed by, believe it or not, Yes' guitarist/songwriter Trevor Rabin. Like "Conan the Barbarian," "Last of the Mohicans" and "Where Eagles Dare," this is a soundtrack worth owning; it's that superlative. * The protagonists are all likable; heck, even the head Fed, played by Harvey Keitel, is likable. * The chases are thrilling. * The film was shot on location in Washington D.C., Philadelphia and New York City. * Jon Voight plays Gate's father. * Like "Raiders" this is a family-friendly experience -- upbeat with no needless cussing, sex or gore. The movie leaves you with a good feeling. CLOSING THOUGHT: Despite the fact that Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper gave it 'thumbs down' -- Roeper even calling it 'Howling, howling BAD' -- "National Treasure" was a huge hit with audiences in 2004. This shows that critics like Roeper see WAY too many movies. They can't even lighten-up enough to enjoy a fun, thrilling, historically-stimulating popcorn flick. Implausible? Yes (at times, anyway). Bad? No. Make no mistake, "National Treasure" is an entertaining quasi-believable adventure film. It's got the mojo. The movie runs 2 hours, 11 minutes. GRADE: B+/A-