I consider this film a real step down for Nicholas Cage after his performances in Adaptation (2002) and Matchstick Men (2003).  However, Cage does well in this movie, as does Jon Voight playing his father and Sean Bean doing the villain.  The problem is the hackneyed plot, another 'Indiana Jones' look-a-like adventure with an unbelievable treasure and a race to discovery against impossible odds.  It's virtually impossible for good acting to drag a stereotypical plot line up out of the doldrums.  Add to that a pretty blonde love interest for the protagonist with zero acting ability and you have all but killed the story.

            Cage plays Ben Gates, heir to mysterious clues about a treasure hidden by the Freemasons.  Sean Bean plays Ian, the greed driven adversary.  Bean is relentless and believable as Gates' foe, but Cage is too goodie-goodie to be real.  His sidekick, Riley, played by Justin Bartha, did well considering a limited acting career of two or three films and he had some good straight lines opposite Cage.  Diane Kruger as Dr. Chase, the looker, was as effective as a photograph, although her dance background and physical fitness came in handy when she had to do a lot of running. 

            The obscure clues through the whole adventure were kind of interesting; they were set up like a kid's treasure hunt.  However it was easy to tell that the actors had read the script in advance, because they figured out the impossible clues in seconds.  I guess that means that the 'twitch' generation doesn't have the patience for real sleuthing.  For mystery, I'm looking forward to the Da Vinci Code (2006) with Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou.

            Reviewed May 14, 2005                                       

MPAA: Rated PG for action violence and some scary images.