Treasure turns out to be anything but

The fact that National Treasure was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer is fair warning to all. We know that ceaseless action is par-for-the-Bruckheimer course.

As a member of the Gates family, Benjamin Franklin Gates (Nicholas Cage) is privy to the fact (or legend?) that an enormous world treasure has been hidden by our Founding Fathers. A string of deeply cryptic clues is cultivated, but only Gates and company have the expertise to read between the lines.

Together with his buddy, Riley (Justin Bartha) and a newly acquired sexy, smart girlfriend (Diane Kruger), Gates sets out to solve a riddle secretly printed on the back of the Declaration of Independence.

It’s a tall tale, and using Washington, Philadelphia and Boston as backgrounds helps to lend credibility to the plot. Taken literally, National Treasure would appear revved up and watered down.

Give Cage some leeway and he and his pals will deliver a fun ride. The entire cast delivered only the bare minimum in their performances. John Turteltaub could have extracted a little more juice from the script and his actors.

Bartha as Riley is a self-depreciating and understated sidekick. Gates gets the girl when joined by Abigail Chase, a document expert from a surprisingly high level of the Library of Congress.

Gates’ father, played by Jon Voight, enters the great race as well. Harvey Keitel’s talent is squandered in the pallid character of Agent Sadusky.

Everyone loves a great mystery. This one is an entertaining puzzle, and gives viewers an opportunity to laugh out loud, sit on the edge of their seats, and take in some national monuments without standing in line.

National Treasure is a mainlined dose of diluted historical drama packaged for the Nintendo generation. It’s a good time, but the fun may be forgotten by the time you make it back to your car.