National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007)

Director:

Jon Turteltaub

Writers (WGA):

Marianne Wibberley (screenplay) &
Cormac Wibberley (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

21 December 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

Treasure hunter Benjamin Franklin Gates looks to discover the truth behind the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, by uncovering the mystery within the 18 pages missing from assassin John Wilkes Booth's diary.

Plot Keywords:

Gate | Book | Diary | Gold | Conspiracy

Awards:

5 nominations

Cast

Nicolas Cage	...	Ben Gates
Justin Bartha	...	Riley Poole
Diane Kruger	...	Abigail Chase
Jon Voight	...	Patrick Gates
Helen Mirren	...	Emily Appleton
Ed Harris	...	Mitch Wilkinson
Harvey Keitel	...	Sadusky
Bruce Greenwood	...	The President
Ty Burrell	...	Connor
Michael Maize	...	Daniel
Timothy V. Murphy	...	Seth
Alicia Coppola	...	FBI Agent Spellman
Armando Riesco	...	FBI Agent Hendricks
Albert Hall	...	Dr. Nichols
Joel Gretsch	...	Thomas Gates

Also Known As:

National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets (South Africa: English title) (DVD box title) (USA) (DVD box title)
National Treasure 2 (Australia)

MPAA:

Rated PG for some violence and action.

Runtime:

124 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

South Korea:12 | Singapore:PG | Malaysia:U | Australia:PG | Taiwan:PG-12 | Philippines:G (MTRCB) | Finland:K-11 | Ireland:PG | Norway:11 | Sweden:11 | USA:PG (certificate #43985) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Argentina:Atp | Germany:12 | Brazil:10 | South Africa:10M | South Africa:10V | Peru:PT | New Zealand:PG | Netherlands:12 | Denmark:11 | Canada:G (Québec) | Hong Kong:IIA | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | France:U | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Buckingham Palace, Westminster, London, England, UK

Company:

Walt Disney Pictures

Trivia:

When showing the map of the grounds to the President, Ben tells him it belonged to a slave of Washington's named Charlotte. This is the same name as in the clue to the Templar treasure that Charles Carroll gave to Gates' ancestor (and which turned out to be the name of a ship). Presumably Mt. Vernon was one of many dead ends which Ben pursued in his search for Charlotte and the Templar treasure prior to the events of the first movie, which would explain why he knew about the hidden compartment and how it worked, or it might just be a sly reference to the first movie.

Goofs:

Factual errors: During the infiltration of Buckingham Palace, Gates states that The Queen was not in residence due to the absence of a flag flying there. In fact there is always a flag flying at the palace. Prior to the death of Diana the presence of the Queen was indicated by the flying of a flag, however at the time of Diana's death the palace wished to fly a flag at half mast as a mark of respect. Since then The Union flag is flown when the Queen is not in residence and the Royal Standard is flown when she is. This allows for a flag to be flown at half mast during a time of mourning.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Barkeep: He's in the other room.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Eigo de shabera-night: (2008-01-02)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Cocoanuts

The secret's out: the formula still works with "National Treasure" sequel

The follow up to the 2004 box office surprise "National Treasure" is everything you'd expect. Thank goodness. It should come as no surprise that the conspiracy-based code-cracking mystery adventure is still just as hot as it was in the "year of "The Da Vinci Code."" There is nothing new, nothing special or unexpected about "Book of Secrets" only Ed Harris replacing Sean Bean as the rival treasure seeker. That, and the addition of Helen Mirren as Nicholas Cage's mother to strengthen the film's female roles thanks to leading lady Diane Kruger's utter mediocrity.

The film has all the same history mystery you remember, the national (and now international) landmarks, the witty inserts from Justin Bartha's character Riley, and of course the preposterous plans for Benjamin Franklin Gates to get whatever he's after. In other words, if you're looking for something different, more clever, or intellectually stimulating, read the Da Vinci Code again and don't bother with this film. If you want more quirky, ridiculous, treasure-seeking fun that picks up right where the last left off, this is your ticket. ~Steven C

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