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"NATIONAL TREASURE: BOOK OF SECRETS" (2007) (Nicolas Cage, Diane Kruger) (PG) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Mild Minor Extreme *Moderate Heavy Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Moderate None Moderate None Minor Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Mild Minor Mild Moderate Heavy QUICK TAKE: Action/Adventure: A modern day treasure hunter sets out to follow a series of cryptic clues to a lost city of gold, all to clear his great-grandfather's name after that man is posthumously indicted in the assassination of President Lincoln. PLOT: Benjamin Franklin Gates (NICOLAS CAGE) and his tech-savvy partner, Riley Poole (JUSTIN BARTHA), are somewhat famous for their exploits as modern day treasure hunters. Yet, Ben's name has been muddied by Mitch Wilkinson (ED HARRIS), a man who claims to have proof -- in the form of a missing page from John Wilkes Booth's diary that's been handed down through Mitch's family -- that Ben's great-grandfather was part of the conspiracy that led to President Lincoln's assassination. Ben and his father, Patrick (JON VOIGHT), are shocked by this news, as they've always believed their ancestor actually helped protect the Union by keeping a rumored lost city of gold secret from the Confederates. Accordingly, Ben wants to clear his family's name, and thus sets out to follow a series of cryptic clues that he believes will lead him to the truth and familial vindication. With his ex-girlfriend Abigail Chase (DIANE KRUGER) reluctantly joining the new expedition, just like Patrick's long-divorced, ex-wife, Emily Appleton (HELEN MIRREN), the search is on. Yet, they must not only contend with Mitch and his goons who are hot on their trail, but also FBI agent Peter Sadusky (HARVEY KEITEL), especially after Ben's plan include kidnapping The President of the United States (BRUCE GREENWOOD). WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? If they're fans of the original "National Treasure" film, they probably will. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG For some violence and action. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: NICOLAS CAGE plays a modern day treasure hunter who's so determined to clear his ancestor's and thus his own name of wrongdoing in the past, that he breaks various laws to follow a series of cryptic clues, including briefly kidnapping the President of the United States. He also risks life and limb while doing so. JUSTIN BARTHA plays his tech-savvy and somewhat less courageous partner who assists him in his quest. DIANE KRUGER plays Ben's ex-girlfriend, an American history archivist who reluctantly joins their quest. ED HARRIS plays a man who indicts Ben's great-grandfather in the assassination of President Lincoln, and threatens or has his goons threaten Ben and his team in his own quest to find a lost city of gold. JON VOIGHT plays Ben's father who's flustered when he's reunited with his domineering ex-wife. HELEN MIRREN plays that woman, a university professor who also reluctantly joins the quest and isn't happy to see her ex-husband. HARVEY KEITEL plays an FBI agent who offers Ben some help, but is then after him following Ben's kidnapping of the President. BRUCE GREENWOOD plays that Commander-in-Chief who shares some of Ben's passion and thus some of his insider information with him as well. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this PG-rated action/adventure film. A few religious words and some colorful phrases are uttered, while a woman shows varying amounts of cleavage, and briefly kisses a man to distract him from something he shouldn't be seeing. Violence includes several people being shot to death in the past (in a non-graphic fashion), while guns are fired at people in the present, and there's other brief striking and threatening of others. Some of that material, moments of potential peril, and the brief view of a skeleton and partially mummified body might be unsettling or suspenseful for young kids, but probably few if any others. Some of that behavior might be enticing to imitate, while various characters have varying degrees of bad attitudes. Some drinking and drinking related comments occur, while some tense family material (some of it played for comedy) is also present. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those concerned with bright flashes of light on the screen, there is some flicker from flames late in the film. A Disney cartoon short precedes the film (and may or may not play in your area or once this title is on DVD) and features the character Goofy as he tries to install a home theater system. Various bits of that include some imagined football contact in a game, Goofy running into the glass doors at an electronics superstore, him cutting a large hole in his wall to do the wiring behind the equipment, using the term "Oh, for Pete's sake," and more football contact, all played for comedy. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE We seen miscellaneous people drinking in a tavern in the past. Mitch has a drink in a bar where he meets Abigail who appears to have wine, while other people there also drink. As part of his subterfuge to make a scene in a public building, Ben puts a dab of liquor on his tongue and two on his neck, to make it appear that he has been drinking. When he runs into Abigail, he fakes an argument with her, and acts as if he is intoxicated, all to get guards there to detain him. When Patrick reminds Emily that she once enjoyed his treasure hunts, she says that was due to the excitement, adrenaline, and tequila. Mitch and another man have drinks. Miscellaneous people have drinks at a party, where Ben walks up carrying a bottle of champagne and two glasses, all as a ruse to fool Secret Service agents who are there. Emily mentions the "lousy tequila" again to Patrick about their past. BLOOD/GORE Looking for the culprits who set off a fire alarm, British security guards have their guns drawn as they kick open a bathroom stall only to find an innocent man seated there (we don't see any nudity or see or hear any bodily functions). We briefly see a skeleton down on the floor, and Mitch then finds a partially mummified body with an arrow or spear in it, from sometime long ago in the past. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE We see John Wilkes Booth walk up to the presidential box at Ford's Theatre, draw his pistol, and assassinate President Lincoln (in the past). In the past, a man aims a pistol under the table at Patrick's grandfather, trying to persuade him to finish decoding a message. That man then ends up shooting Gates in front of his young boy, and the shooter threatens to shoot him again but can't get himself to do it. He then leaves, but the boy sees his wounded father die in front of him. While it's technically also his home (although she's kicked him out), Ben has Riley help him break into Abigail's place to borrow an important pass that she owns. Mitch and his thugs have bad attitudes, particularly when they get violent with other people. Ben decides his only option at the moment is to kidnap the president of the United States in order to get some much needed information from him. FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence" may be unsettling or suspenseful to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material, but probably few others. Mitch and his thugs give chase after Ben, Riley, and Abigail in their car. One thug repeatedly shoots a handgun at them, blowing out their back window, and hitting the car several times as Ben tries to escape while crouched down and driving via the video screen on the dashboard. Mitch then grabs and pulls an innocent man from his vehicle, while his thug does the same to someone else and hits that person. That's followed by a car chase where various other cars and other items are hit by the fleeing and pursuing vehicles. The fleeing car also smashes into a bus, and must then avoid various large barrels that fall off the back of a truck and smash into various things. A big truck then chases after the fleeing car, causing bystanders to run out of the way, as the large truck runs over tables and motorcycles, smashes into cars, and tears street lamps off walls. As Ben, Riley, and Abigail look through an important book in the Library of Congress, we see police, FBI agents, and others racing there to arrest them. They manage to elude all of them and escape in Abigail's SUV, with Ben diving into the open hatch in the back just after Abigail knocks a suspicious security guard aside with her vehicle. They then race off the property, with rising security poles just clipping the back of her SUV and tearing off the bumper, while a pursuing police car smashes into those now fully risen poles. Mitch visits Emily and tells her to get rid of Patrick when he shows up, or else something bad will happen to Patrick (Mitch shows he's wearing a gun). Ben places his hand into an opening in a rocky formation and then screams in pain, but then admits he was just faking that to fool the others there for laughs. Ben and his crew, as well as Mitch, are nearly hit by various pieces of falling debris when they become locked inside a chamber/cave inside Mount Rushmore. As they walk along, the floor suddenly angles downward and Ben, Riley, Abigail, and Mitch slide down that and fall into a chamber down below, some of them hitting rather hard, but all are okay, with Ben managing to pull himself up after dangling off the edge. However, the platform they land on teeters precariously high atop a rickety column, meaning they all have to counterbalance each other to prevent the platform from tilting to such an angle that they end up falling off it. Spotting an old, hanging wooden ladder off to one side, they realize that is their only way off of this, but must coordinate their efforts to prevent any or all of them falling to their deaths below. Mitch wants to go first and thus complicates matters, but the rest agree to allow him to do that, and he briefly dangles from that wooden ladder as one of its rungs breaks. The others also manage to get off the platform, but not without their share of precarious moments, including Abigail dangling from the wooden ladder, Riley also dangling, and Ben being the last one off where he runs and leaps onto the ladder just as the platform below him falls apart and collapses. We briefly see a skeleton down on the floor, and Mitch then finds a partially mummified body with an arrow or spear in it, from sometime long ago in the past. Patrick tries to swing across a chasm on an old vine, but misses catching the other side and thus swings back toward Emily who grabs hold of him. Both then swing over and fall to the other side, where they land hard but otherwise safely. Water -- that had previously been shut off inside an ancient temple of sorts -- starts to break through the stone walls and begins flooding a large chamber, thus putting Ben, his crew, and Mitch's lives in danger. Ben agrees to be the one left behind in a flooding ancient chamber, so that the others can escape the rising floodwaters. He and Mitch then muscle open a stone door, but things go awry, people are swept around by the floodwaters, and one person then sacrifices himself to allow the others to live (but we don't see that person's fate). GUNS/WEAPONS Handguns/Pistol/Knife: Carried and/or used to threaten, wound or kill others. See "Violence" for details. We see miscellaneous soldiers carrying rifles at the end of the American Civil War. Secret Service agents carry automatic weapons. Mitch visits Emily and tells her to get rid of Patrick when he shows up, or else something bad will happen to Patrick (Mitch shows he's wearing a gun). Mitch finds a partially mummified body with an arrow or spear in it, from sometime long ago in the past. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: 'Now we're a bunch of crazies," "Hallo" (exaggerated "hello"), "Uh oh, God save the Queen," "Haven't the foggiest," "Oh, shut up," "Run along now, you impossible child" and "It's a little golden man." Some of the stunts and action might be enticing for some kids to try to imitate. As part of his subterfuge to make a scene in a public building, Ben puts a dab of liquor on his tongue and two on his neck, to make it appear that he has been drinking. When he runs into Abigail, he fakes an argument with her, and acts as if he is intoxicated, all to get guards there to detain him. During that, he slides backwards down a stairwell railing, and does something of a mock fake British accent in front of British security guards. Ben purposely drives through a red light so that they red light camera will take a picture of him and an important artifact for which he will later need photographic evidence. To distract a White House official who just so happens to be interested in her (they've been on at least one date), Abigail (who shows some cleavage and purposefully crawls on all fours in her skirt -- pretending to look for a lost earring) plants a big kiss on the man who then gets into that and continues to kiss her as Ben concludes the covert business at hand. Ben places his hand into an opening in a rocky formation and then screams in pain, but then admits he was just faking that to fool the others there for laughs. Patrick tries to swing across a chasm on an old vine, but misses catching the other side and thus swings back toward Emily who grabs hold of him. Both then swing over and fall to the other side, where they land hard but otherwise safely. JUMP SCENES None. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) A moderate amount of suspenseful, heavily dramatic, and adventurous music occurs in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 1 use each of "Christ" and "My God." SEX/NUDITY Abigail shows varying amounts of cleavage in various outfits during the film. To distract a White House official who just so happens to be interested in her (they've been on at least one date), Abigail (who shows some cleavage and purposefully crawls on all fours in her skirt -- pretending to look for a lost earring) plants a big kiss on the man who then gets into that and continues to kiss her as Ben concludes the covert business at hand. SMOKING We see at least one miscellaneous person holding a pipe in a tavern in the past. TENSE FAMILY SCENES In the past, a man aims a pistol under the table at Patrick's grandfather, trying to persuade him to finish decoding a message. That man then ends up shooting Gates in front of his young boy, and the shooter threatens to shoot him again but can't get himself to do it. He then leaves, but the boy sees his wounded father die in front of him. Patrick is reluctant to see Emily, his ex-wife, and we hear they have been divorced for 32 years. Once they are in each other's presence, they immediately take up where they left off, bickering about this and that. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT John Wilkes Booth and the assassination of President Lincoln. Treasure hunts. History. Conspiracy buffs. There's brief talk of black-market antiquities dealers. Ben justifying his kidnapping of the President by stating that everything he is, is due to his ancestors and the sacrifices they made (which is why he feels obligated to clear his great grandfather's name). VIOLENCE We see John Wilkes Booth walk up to the presidential box at Ford's Theatre, draw his pistol, and assassinate President Lincoln. We don't see the actual contact, but do see him jump down onto the stage where he hurts his leg. As he then goes to ride out of town, he knocks a person out of the way. In the past, a man aims a pistol under the table at Patrick's grandfather, trying to persuade him to finish decoding a message. That man then ends up shooting Gates in front of his young boy, and the shooter threatens to shoot him again but can't get himself to do it. He then leaves, but the boy sees his wounded father die in front of him. One of Mitch's thugs hits Patrick over the head, knocking him out, so that they can clone the information on his cell phone and thus eavesdrop on his conversations. Looking for the culprits who set off a fire alarm, British security guards have their guns drawn as they kick open a bathroom stall only to find an innocent man seated there (we don't see any nudity or see or hear any bodily functions). Mitch and his thugs give chase after Ben, Riley, and Abigail in their car. One thug repeatedly shoots a handgun at them, blowing out their back window, and hitting the car several times as Ben tries to escape while crouched down and driving via the video screen on the dashboard. Mitch then grabs and pulls an innocent man from his vehicle, while his thug does the same to someone else and hits that person. That's followed by a car chase where various other cars and other items are hit by the fleeing and pursuing vehicles. The fleeing car also smashes into a bus, and must then avoid various large barrels that fall off the back of a truck and smash into various things. A big truck then chases after the fleeing car, causing bystanders to run out of the way, as the large truck runs over tables and motorcycles, smashes into cars, and tears street lamps off walls. Abigail knocks a suspicious security guard aside with her vehicle. They then race off the property, with rising security poles just clipping the back of her SUV and tearing off the bumper, while a pursuing police car smashes into those now fully risen poles. One of Mitch's thugs holds a gun on Emily. Mitch punches Ben and Riley, before holding his knife on Abigail. Reviewed December 19, 2007 / Posted December 21, 2007