National Treasure

National Treasure follows Ben Gates, an archaeologist and treasure hunter from a family that has spent generations chasing a fortune said to have been hidden by America's founding fathers during the Revolutionary War. The search turns on a hidden clue connected to the Declaration of Independence, a document that both Gates and his rival Ian Howe want in their hands. Gates sets out with his friend Riley Poole and Abigail Chase, a curator at the National Archives, while the FBI pursues him.

The film was directed by Jon Turteltaub, working from a screenplay by Jim Kouf and Cormac and Marianne Wibberley. It was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and Turteltaub. Nicolas Cage plays Ben Gates, with Diane Kruger as Abigail Chase, Justin Bartha as Riley Poole, Sean Bean as Ian Howe, Jon Voight as Ben's father Patrick, and Harvey Keitel as Sadusky. The film came between Turteltaub's The Kid and National Treasure: Book of Secrets, and was one of eleven features he directed between 1992 and 2018.

Made for about 100 million dollars, the film took in roughly 348 million worldwide, a strong return that made a sequel viable. Audience response has been favorable rather than enthusiastic. On IMDb it holds 6.9/10 from around 376,000 votes, while on TMDB it stands at 6.7/10 from a much smaller pool of about 7,000. A critics' rating of 5.6/10 from 176 reviews places it below the viewer scores, with critics less positive than the audience.