* * ½ (out of 4 stars)
This movie was actually a little better than I had anticipated. I had anticipated it being awful. I like that they weren't afraid to go totally over the top with the plot (though maybe they weren't aware that's what they were doing). Cage is barely trying here, but the role doesn't really require him to.
He plays Benjamin Franklin Gates, the last in a long line of treasure hunters. A family secret tells of a huge treasure that was hidden by the founding fathers after the Revolutionary War, and each member of the Gates family has tried, unsuccessfully, to find it.
Gates and his sidekick, Riley, follow clues to the treasure while being pursued by the FBI and another treasure hunter, Howe (Sean Bean), the main antagonist. Along the way Gates kidnaps a historian named Abigail (Diane Kruger), when she gets in the way while he's trying to steal The Declaration of Independence (to keep it from being stolen by Howe of course). As expected, Gates and Abigail fall in love. Harvey Keitel, who with this and other recent roles, seems to be doing his best to end his career on a mediocre note, plays the FBI agent on Gates' trail.
All in all, it was mildly entertaining 2 hours, though not really essential Cage. Also, it has a pretty lens-flare on the poster.
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| craziness:
(zero stars)
Nothing notable here. This is not the movie to watch if you're interested in seeing Cage flip out (and who isn't?). |
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| hair implausibility:
* * ½
This hair would certainly raise some eyebrows if it were on any other A-lister. It doesn't look like real hair, but compared to his other post-2000 styles, it's pretty normal. |
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| love interest implausibility:
* * *
Diane Kruger is 12 years younger than Cage. Gates kidnaps her, and hours later they are in love. They have zero chemistry. Still, he's not as creepy here as he is in some of his other more recent roles. |
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