The result of this nifty turn is double the fun, double the suspense and double the tension - with Gates getting to do bad-guy things while maintaining his good-guy identity. He has to get there before Howe gets there. And so Gates has no choice but to try to steal the Declaration himself in order to protect it. A member of Gates' crew, Howe (Sean Bean), turns rogue and decides to steal the Declaration, despite Gates' objections. Instead it's about two men's competing efforts. The story could simply have been about one man's effort to steal the Declaration. In these early minutes, "National Treasure" introduces a shrewd narrative strategy that buoys the film nicely all the way to the finish. That is, the one in Washington that's covered in bulletproof glass and heavily guarded. We first meet him midadventure, with a crew on the North Pole, finding a wrecked ship and a last, crucial clue: The treasure map he seeks is on the back of the Declaration of Independence. Cage floats through the proceedings as Gates, the last of a long line of treasure hunters.
There's a relaxed air about it, despite the piling on of story, and a family-friendly feeling about it, despite the frequent threat of violence. In addition to being lively, "National Treasure" wins points for geniality. Call him lowbrow, but nobody falls asleep during a Bruckheimer movie, and that includes critics. So things keep happening, even if they shouldn't happen, each moment topping the next. Like the moguls of old, Bruckheimer ("Con Air," "The Rock") is a producer with a signature style, one characterized mainly by the assumption that the audience is very, very impatient. In short, it's a Jerry Bruckheimer movie, and the fact that just saying that means something.
And it has Diane Kruger, looking a lot more like Helen of Troy here than in "Troy." It also has Nicolas Cage, either in a toupee or I want to know what he's been rubbing on his head. It has no ambition, little sense and false sentiment, but it does have velocity, high spirits and scale. Critics will slam "National Treasure" for not being good, but audiences will probably like it for not being bad.
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