National Treasure
Ever become intrigued by the little things in life? As Benjamin Franklin Gates (Nicolas Cage) shows, it can also be an obsession. Passed down from generation to generation within the Gates family, Benjamin carries on the search for a secret treasure hidden by our founding fathers. The clues lie in our dollar bills, a pipe, and intricate riddles. Ultimately, a trip to the Charlotte, an old colonial ship, reveals that the map is on the back of the Declaration of Independence, a tricky proposition to steal since it is at the National Archives and protected by multiple layers of security. Gates had teamed up with Ian Howe (Sean Bean), but after he believed he got enough clues to get to the treasure, Ian abandoned him, leaving Gates to get to the treasure himself before Ian does. Gates brings along a tech whiz in Riley (Justin Bartha) and eventually the curator of the National Archives Abigail Chase (Diane Kruger) after he steals the Declaration of Independence. With Ian and the FBI on his tail, the clues lead Gates on a wild journey from Washington to New York with treasure being the ultimate destination.

CSI is an interesting show to watch, but the thing that irritates me is that most of its episodes hinge on the littlest clue available and once they have it, the investigators immediately know what exactly happened. A blue pogo ball??? YES, I know who did it! Mulitply this moment by 10 and you have National Treasure. Like most Bruckheimer productions, this film is filled with cheesy lines but Cage is willing to say them with all of his acting ability. If you're willing to overlook the relative ease that Gates solves all of the riddles and the most improbable of situations, National Treasure turns out to be a suspenseful adventure with its race around the world feel. All bets are off once you get to the ending where mindless action takes hold, everything in the cave begins to fall apart on cue, and the once cunning villain suddenly turns dumb. 2 stars