Dec 27, 2007 01:30 AM
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“A man has only one life time. But history can remember you forever”
Get ready to hunt for the latest treasure: The City of Gold. Nicholas Cage is back as Benjamin Franklin Gates and his two sidekicks, Abigail(Diane Kruger) and Riley(Jonathan Bartha). Along with his Dad, played again by Jon Voight and his Mom, Helen Mirren this sequel is a good number two but not quite as thrilling as the first movie.
The story revolves around the infamous assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln's killer, John Wilkes Booth, kept a diary, which was found the night Booth was killed, with 18 pages missing. Concealed in those pages is the key to something much, much bigger; a conspiracy that crosses the globe, and a discovery that the world isn't ready to believe.
The great grandson of John Wilkes Booth, Mitch Wilkinson, played by Ed Harris has the piece of the missing diary along with a code. A portion of one of the pages he possesses has been passed down from generation to generation. He is certain that the clues will lead not only to the treasure but also redeem the Wilkes family and change history. So the game is on to see who can find the treasure first. If you have seen the first movie, you will already know that it is Benjamin that will unlock the secrets to the hidden treasure. The action comes in when he has to outrun and outthink Wilkinson.
The thrill ride takes us from Paris to London to Washington DC where Ben must kidnap the President. The President is the key, or rather his book of secrets, to finding a piece of the puzzle which will lead to the City of Gold.
I thought this was a good attempt at a sequel and I enjoyed the two+ hours, but have to say that some of the movie was predictable and cliché. The secrets and some of the action made up for the slow pace at the beginning of the movie. Nicholas Cage was good at the reprisal of his role but his hair left something to be desired. There is no doubt that he and Tom Hanks(The Da Vinci Code) had the same hairstylist.
My favorite part of the film and most interesting was that of the President’s Kidnapping. It was fun and the President was a great asset to the story, unlike in real life. I was not as impressed with the final part when they all find the City of Gold. It was a bit anticlimactic. For those of you who may be thinking that I have spoiled the plot, not to worry, there are plenty of interesting points and I am sure that it will come as a surprise to no one that the heroes of the story actually find a treasure. And again, remember, there are no real surprises here. The story is that predictable!
