National Treasure
National Treasure is a movie about finding a treasure hidden by the early Masons. This movie stars Nicholas Cage as the main character: Benjamin Franklin Gates. The Gates’ family was known for finding a clue from the last survivor of the Revolutionary War. Before he died he told his relative Thomas Gates the clue, “the secret lies with Charlotte.” When Benjamin grew up he traveled to Antarctica in search of Charlotte. He found Charlotte and it turned out it was a ship. On the ship was a pipe that had a clue inscribed upon it. Ben reads the riddle and comes to the conclusion that there is a map on the back of the Declaration of Independence. Suddenly, two of his co-workers turned against him to steal it for themselves and find the treasure. Ben, and his friend Riley, plot to steal the Declaration to protect it from his former co-workers. They attended a party where the Declaration was kept in an attempt to steal it. They used fingerprint technology to get fingerprints to unlock the door to the cleaning room where the Declaration was kept at that time. Ben was stealing it when his ex-co-workers showed up from the duct system. There was a small shootout but both parties survived the encounter. Ben hid in a souvenir shop when the cashier noticed him trying to steal a fake Declaration of Independence. He pays with a credit card, and just as the FBI notices that the Declaration is missing, they lock down the entire place and check surveillance cameras for evidence. They discovered who stole it and went to track him down. Ben steals his dad's car and goes to Philadelphia to find a set of letters written by Benjamin Franklin. Riley pays a kid to crack a code in the letters that lead them to a brick in Independence Hall. They find a pair of glasses that give them the ability to read the map. Ben is captured by the FBI and made a deal to capture the rest of his coworkers. But, Ben escaped the FBI and made a deal with his coworkers because they were holding his dad hostage. Next, his father, Riley, and Ian explore a cave entrance in a church. They use the pipe as a key and unlock a door that leads to the treasure. The FBI needed to arrest someone for the theft of the Declaration and arrested Ian and his men. Ben donated most of the treasure to charity. Ben turned down 10% of the treasure. Riley received 1% of the treasure. Overall, the movie is great but some of the history is based on conspiracy theories and roomers. -Jake Wingfield
