National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007)
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A treasure hunter and his friends must race against a black market dealer to uncover a legendary city of gold and clear a historical mystery.
The story
Following the American Civil War, a secret message was hidden in a diary, leading to the discovery of a map to Cíbola, a legendary city of gold. In the present day, treasure hunter Ben Gates and his friend Riley Poole discover a lost page of this diary. They must navigate a series of historical puzzles and locations, including Paris and London, to find the truth. However, they are being pursued by a black market dealer, Mitch Wilkinson, who also seeks the treasure. Ben and his team must work together to solve the mystery of the map and uncover the secrets hidden within the nation's history.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In the 1860s, a cryptographer named Thomas Gates identifies a treasure map to Cíbola, a legendary city of gold, but is forced to flee as his pursuers seize a piece of the map. In the present, treasure hunter Ben Gates finds the missing page and realizes it leads to a secret hidden within the United States' history. Alongside his friend Riley and his ex-girlfriend Abigail, Ben follows a trail of clues through Paris and London, eventually uncovering a secret plank in the Resolute desk. The quest leads them to the Library of Congress and eventually to Mount Rushmore. There, they discover that the city of Cíbola is hidden beneath the mountain. During a final confrontation, the group is trapped in a cavern and must decide who will stay behind to hold a door open against a flood. Mitch sacrifices himself to allow the others to escape. Ben successfully clears Thomas Gates' name and finds the treasure, while his friends reconcile their personal relationships.
- First release year
- 2007
- Runtime (minutes)
- 124
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Jon Turteltaub
- Writers
- Cormac Wibberley · screenplay; Marianne Wibberley · screenplay; Gregory Poirier · story; Cormac Wibberley · story; Marianne Wibberley · story; Ted Elliott · story; Terry Rossio · story
- Cast and characters
- Nicolas Cage · Benjamin Franklin "Ben" Gates; Justin Bartha · Riley Poole; Diane Kruger · Dr. Abigail Chase; Jon Voight · Patrick Henry Gates; Helen Mirren · Dr. Emily Appleton-Gates; Ed Harris · Mitchell "Mitch" Wilkinson; Harvey Keitel · FBI Special Agent Peter Sadusky; Bruce Greenwood · President of the United States; Ty Burrell · Connor
- Genres
- action; adventure
- Themes
- history; mystery; adventure
- Tone and mood
- adventurous; mysterious
- Setting
- Various locations including Paris, London, and American landmarks like Mount Rushmore and Mount Vernon in 2007.
- Premise and plot tags
- treasure hunt; historical mystery; conspiracy
- Franchise connections
- National Treasure
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics but was a commercial success, becoming the ninth-highest-grossing film of 2007.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 35% · scale: percentage · review count: 128; Metacritic · score: 48 · scale: 100 · review count: 26
- Awards and nominations
- Razzie Award · Worst Actor · 2008 · nomination; Razzie Award · Worst Supporting Actor · 2008 · nomination; MTV Movie Awards · Best Movie · 2008 · nomination
- Production trivia
- A third film was in development at the time of the article.; The film was retitled National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets for home media releases.; The film's official website was changed to reflect the new title.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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