(2005) Indiana Jones meets The Da Vinci Code in director Jon Turteltaub's Disney family entertainment, displaying deft touches of humor and the riches of coincidence.

In Washington, DC, in 1974, Grandpa John Adams Gates (Christopher Plummer) reveals to his young grandson Benjamin Franklin Gates the story of Charles Carroll, a Georgia Mason and last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence, giving his grandfather, Thomas Gates, in 1832 the remaining clue to a treasure beyond imagination, once belonging to the Knights Templar: "The secret lies with Charlotte." Two more clues appear on the back of a dollar bill (though the design occurred decades later): an unfinished pyramid and the all-seeing eye. Benjamin's father Patrick (Jon Voight) tries to discourage his son from joining "six generations of fools" in looking for the treasure.

Thirty years later Ben (Nicolas Cage) - with the help of his friend Riley Poole (Justin Bartha, who has some of the funniest lines); British investor and treasure hunter Ian Howe (Sean Bean), smart with nearly limitless resources; and Ian's accomplice Shaw - finds the USS Charlotte buried in the ice in the Arctic.

Inside the ship Ben discovers a meerschaum pipe containing a riddle involving Timothy Matlack (as secretary he penned the Declaration of Independence), an "iron pen," an invisible map with legend and key, and the 55 signers (nine of whom had been Freemasons) of the document - all adding up, Ben deciphers, to an encryption of cartography leading to "the treasure of all treasures," hidden on the back of (largely) Thomas Jefferson's brazen composition.

When Ian announces his intention to steal the Declaration of Independence but Ben strongly objects, Ian and Shaw turn on Ben and Riley, leaving the two Americans behind inside an exploding powder keg. Barely escaping, the intrepid pair get back to Washington, DC, where they attempt (employing false identities) to convince the FBI, Homeland Security, and finally the National Archives - where he introduces himself as Paul Brown (funnier if he'd said Dan Brown) to Abigail Chase (Diane Kruger), director of the National Archives - of a plot to purloin the famous parchment; but no one believes him.

Seeing his role as not unlike the revolutionaries who signed the Declaration of Independence - men who did what was wrong in the eyes of the British authorities to do what they knew was right for Americans - Ben decides that the only way to protect the priceless document from Ian is to swipe it himself. With Riley's help and expertise with computers and electronics ("Our evil plan is working"), Ben cleverly manages to be barely a step ahead of Ian.

During the celebratory Gala Festival dedicated to the signing of the Declaration, as Ben's about to sneak out from the gift shop with a souvenir, he's accosted by the salesgirl: "Are you trying to steal that?" A frantic chase after Chase, who's taken possession of the document, ensues, resulting in her refusal to relinquish responsibility for being in proximity with the document and a developing romance with Ben. In hot pursuit comes FBI agent Peter Sadusky (Harvey Keitel).

Needing temporary refuge, Ben (who's considerate, constantly asking his friends and others if they're all right throughout the daring exploits) brings his two companions with him to his father's house where Patrick (middle name Henry?), after twenty years of futilely searching for the treasure, expresses his opinion that "the treasure is a myth" only meant to keep the British busy looking for it.

Using lemon juice as a reagent and a hairdryer, an Ottendorf cipher appears. Following the riddle's clues, the treasure hunt takes them to the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia where the Silence Dogood letters (written by Ben Franklin) are on display. On the back of a $100 bill, the clock tower of Independence Hall is depicted showing 2:22; Riley points out that Daylight Savings Time was first suggested by Benjamin Franklin. An ocular device invented by Franklin allows for deeper insights.

On to New York City where Ben has an appointment on the flight deck of the USS Intrepid, a swim in the Hudson River, a trip to Wall Street and Broadway, and finally a visit to Trinity Church. So where's the Holy Grail in all of this?

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Copyright © 2008 Patrick Ivers. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.

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