What Do The Critics Say?

"Cage has avoided sequels in the past but a big hit buys an actor some freedom, so he's back leading a cast that's even better: all of the originals, including Harvey Keitel as an FBI agent, plus Helen Mirren as Benjamin's mum and Ed Harris as the bad guy. As with all sequels, it's bigger and louder. It's probably funnier, too. 3 STARS." Paul Byrnes SYDNEY MORNING HERALD "When you can tell the cast is having fun, it's kind of hard not to yourself." Dezhda Mountz E! ONLINE "This American history-themed action thriller doesn't get many points for realism, but it makes up ground in so many other areas that you probably won't care." Peter Hartlaub SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE "Let's not kid anyone here. This franchise is all about dumb fun." Bill Goodykoontz ARIZONA REPUBLIC "an absurd story that invites you to sit back and go along for the ride." Daniel M Kimmel WORCESTER TELEGRAM & GAZETTE "A nice confidence and easy energy, three Oscar winners happily chewing every piece of scenery in sight, and one great action sequence with four characters trying to maintain the balance of a swaying platform." Nell Minow BELIEFNET

"This is a ceaselessly fun, gloriously nutty follow-up to the 2004 hit, "National Treasure". Along for the ride is Jon Voight, who reprises his role as Cage's dad, a character he honed by playing Angelina Jolie's dad in Tomb Raider. Unfortunately for him, going on this adventure means hooking up again with Cage's mother, played by Helen Mirren, a respected academic whom he hasn't seen in decades. As unlikely as it sounds, and as unintended as it no doubt was, the casting of these two veterans as estranged spouses is the highlight of the film. The film is, by its own admission, a trashy, throwaway epic, but it's always refreshing to see a popcorn blockbuster that takes nothing seriously but its sworn duty to entertain. 3 1/2 STARS." Jim Schembri THE AGE "It's a treasure hunt, and frankly, Book of Secrets doesn't care if the hunt is improbable." Chris Hewitt St PAUL PIONEER PRESS "Director Jon Turtletaub's new film, with a screenplay by Marianne and Cormac Wibberly, and produced by Hollywood's golden man Jerry Bruckheimer puts Cage's character, Benjamin Franklin Gates, in the centre of a another treasure hunt. This is, in fact, one of those sequels that is more enjoyable than the first film. You know roughly what to expect this time around, and the movie has some nice interplay between the characters. With actors of this calibre on the set, they can't help but flesh out their flimsy roles and add some spice and humour to the proceedings. Helen Mirren in particular seems to have enjoyed swapping her royal palace for an inundated cave. And what's nice about "National Treasure: Book of Secrets" is that while it's a decent action flick, it always comes back to the silly mysteries at its centre. 3 1/2 STARS." Michael Clarke ABC NORTH "With the all-star cast of the first film (Nicolas Cage, Jon Voight, Diane Kruger, Harvey Keitel and Justin Bartha) even more beefed up with the addition of Oscar-winner Helen Mirren, regular nominee Ed Harris and Bruce Greenwood in supporting roles, the film, with Jon Turtletaub returning as director, rushes along as though it's made with rocket fuel. 3 STARS." Des Partridge THE COURIER MAIL

The Inside Story Academy Award ® winner Nicolas Cage ("Leaving Las Vegas"), Academy Award ® winner Jon Voight ("Coming Home"), Cannes Film Festival Chopard Trophy winner Diane Kruger, Justin Bartha and two time Academy Award ® nominee Harvey Keitel ("The Piano" & "Bugsy"), are back in another rollicking treasure hunting adventure. Joining them are: four time Academy Award ® nominee and Golden Globe winner Ed Harris ("The Truman Show"), Gemini Award winner Bruce Greenwood ("Road to Avonlea") and, Academy Award ®, BAFTA Award and Volpi Cup winner Helen Mirren ("The Queen"). While that list is very impressive there is plenty of talent in the production crew including Academy Award ® winning special effects coordinator John Frazier ("Spider-Man 2"), five time EMMY winner & 2007 Rembrandt Award winner Jerry Bruckheimer, three-time Oscar ® nominated Costume Designer Judianna Makovsky ("Pleasantville", "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone" & "Seabiscuit"), Oscar ® nominated visual effects supervisors Nathan McGuinness and Mitchell S Drain (" Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World") and, composer Trevor Rabin who has composed the music for ten Jerry Bruckheimer films. It’s always nice to know when hard work is appreciated, and audiences around the world were definitely sending a message to producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Jon Turteltaub when "National Treasure" grossed more than $US347 million worldwide upon its release in 2004. In fact, despite its fervent plunge into American history, the movie made almost exactly the same amount of money overseas as it did stateside. "I’m always surprised when an audience likes what we do," Bruckheimer admitted. "You know, we make these movies in a kind of vacuum, we have nobody telling us what’s right and wrong. It all comes from instinct and surrounding ourselves with talented people." And does he enjoy the genre? "I like adventure films that take you to other places and where you can learn things on the way, and that’s what "National Treasure" was. It was suspenseful, humorous, had engaging characters and, maybe best of all, used American history as a jumping-off point for a very entertaining film. Audiences love to be entertained, but they also love to learn something." Based upon the public’s enthusiastic response to the first film, it was clear audiences wanted more of the same. And Bruckheimer, as is his tradition, would give them not only more, but better. Once again, Bruckheimer partnered with director Jon Turteltaub. "What we want to stress in the "National Treasure" movies is that it’s fun and, in ways that sneak up on you, educational as well," notes Bruckheimer. "Jon is very smart about keeping action very suspenseful, yet having the humor undercut the suspense. He’s a master of walking that line." This time round, 'NT:BOS' takes the adventure outside of the U.S.A. "There are two main reasons why we have international locations in BOOK OF SECRETS," says Turteltaub. "The first is that it opens up the sequel to bigger and broader horizons. The second is that we wanted to see Ben Gates outside the United States and see how the histories of France and England connected with that of America." Screenwriters Cormac & Marianne Wibberley (credited as 'The Wibberleys) were enlisted to write the script. "We sat down with Ted and Terry and hashed the story out over a three week period of really heavy story meetings," Cormac recalls, "and after Jerry, Jon and Oren approved the idea, Marianne and I just jumped into the script from there. As with all Bruckheimer films, you have to start with the solid facts, and we incorporated a lot of those into the script." "There's a lot more based on historical fact in 'Book Of Secrets' than in the first film," notes executive producer Chad Oman ("Black Hawk Down" & "Pirates Of The Caribbean I, II & III"). "You can almost pick any subject from the movie, Google it, and you’ll find lots of information. There are a few things that we have fun with using artistic license. What we learned from the first film was that you can teach kids and grownups as well little bits of history that they didn’t know and spark an interest. And we wanted to take that further in the second movie." As in the first film, the task is all about solving and following the clues. "That’s the fun of it, that’s the journey, says Turteltaub. " And the audience wants to go on that journey with you. If it’s too simple, then there’s no fun in that." "What’s exciting about the 'National Treasure' movies is that you have to think to stay with it and follow the clues. I think that aspect really added to the success of the first film, and with the terrific cast, wonderful director, fabulous writers and the rest of our phenomenal troops on the second, we can expect not only more of the same, but even better and bigger," says "Top Gun" and "Days Of Thunder" producer Bruckheimer. That meant getting the oriiginal cast back including Nicolas Cage, who by the way, has never appeared in a sequel before. So what brought him back for 'NT:BOS'? "We had a very good time working on the first one," Cage confirmed. "Martin Sheen once said to me that all that really matters is whether or not you like the people you’re working with and do you like the place in which you’re working. I tend to agree with that." Cage says he has something in common with his character Ben Gates. "Like Ben, I genuinely do like being around historical places, places where events have transpired, that have relevance and weight. It’s almost like you feel you can time-travel and absorb vibrations of the past." "Nic is one of our most brilliant actors," says Bruckheimer, "an Academy Award ® winner who can do anything. He can break your heart or make you laugh, depending on his role." Turteltaub, who has been a good friend of Cage's since they met in high school recalls, "Socially, we were kind of on opposite ends of the tracks. I was kind of the comfortable, funny kid who liked to be in musicals. Nic was a tough, smart, brooding, suspicious guy who had this air of rebel about him. We ended up teasing each other mercilessly in a really warm way." Cage notes, "working together on '‘National Treasure', Jon and I have become closer friends than we were in high school. By now there’s a genuine bond, and I look forward to working with him more and more." Diane Kruger returns to reprise her role as Abigail Chase. German-born Kruger admits she was surprised "how successful 'National Treasure' was in Europe and the rest of the world because of its American theme, but I guess treasure hunting goes a long way. I was excited by the idea that the second film opened up to locations in London and Paris, because everyone in the world can feel even more involved in the story." So how are the happy couple going? "At the end of the first film, we left Ben and Abigail off falling in love and becoming a couple, and this one starts with them breaking up," she said. Justin Bartha, who plays Riley Poole thinks the success of 'National Treasure' comes from its characters. "I think people really gravitated to ‘National Treasure’ once they met the characters, who are personable and compelling. In the first film, Ben and Riley were kind of forced to work together and didn’t get along all the time. Yet, there was an odd chemistry between the two of them. Riley isn’t good at things that Ben is good at, and Ben isn’t good at things that Riley is good at. The central theme of 'Book Of Secrets' is family, and these two guys really need each other." There are two new additions to the lead cast. Helen Mirren and Ed Harris. The filmmakers had their fingers (and toes) crossed when they decided to pursue Dame Helen Mirren, one of the world’s most celebrated and distinguished performers for the role of Emily Appleton. "We had been thinking about approaching Helen for quite a while, just based on her incredible work," notes executive producer Mike Stenson ("Gone in Sixty Seconds" & "Remember the Titans"). "We had wanted to work with Helen for a long time, but wanted to make sure that when we got our only shot, we had a fully realized part for her." "I loved the first 'National Treasure'. I thought it was smart, very entertaining, and led people into history in a very lively way, and that’s always a good thing. Personally, I love historical documentaries because they always push me back into history, and I thought this was a very fun way of doing that," Mirren says. Academy Award® nominee Ed Harris joins the cast for the role of Mitch Wilkinson. He already had previous professional associations with several of the film’s key filmmakers and actors. "I watched the first film with my wife and daughter and had a really good time," says the actor. "I had known Jon Turteltaub from the Sundance Film Festival, having both served as advisors in the festival’s Film Lab, and I liked him a lot. I’ve always been a fan of Nic’s and worked with him on "The Rock", which of course was produced by Jerry. And Diane Kruger and I worked together on "Copying Beethoven" a couple of years ago in Hungary. It seemed like a fun job and an interesting character." And what part does his character play in "NT:BOS'? "Mitch is a kind of black-market antiquities dealer who has some experience as a mercenary," says Harriss. "He’s a pretty tough guy who knows how to take care of himself. During the Civil War, Mitch’s family, the Wilkinsons, were staunch Confederates who got involved with the missing pages of the Booth diary." Playing the U.S President for the second time (he played John F Kennedy in "Thirteen Days") is noted actor Bruce Greenwood. "In this movie, it’s not just the mystery that’s being solved. It’s also those tidbits of real information about the story of America." Synopsis

After his astonishing discovery of the riches of the Templar Knights, Ben Gates has become the world’s most famous treasure hunter; although he prefers the term 'treasure protector'. Ben and his father, university professor Patrick Gates are shaken by the discovery of one of the long lost pages from the diary of Lincoln assassin John Wilkes Booth, found on the assassins body when he was killed; however, several pages had been torn from the diary and have never been found: until now. Surprisingly, the information on this page seems to implicate their ancestor: great, great, grandfather Thomas Gates, as a co-conspirator in the assassination of President Lincoln. Ben, Patrick, Abigail and Riley join forces to meticulously unravel clues which threaten to turn history, and their lives, completely upside down. Ben is forced to call in a secret weapon, linguistics professor Emily Appleton.

The Verdict "Savvy cinemagoers will well remember the critics carying on when "National Treasure" was released. Well guess what? Yep, they're up to their old tricks again. They've got the blinkers on. The got it wrong last time and let me tell you, they've got it wrong again with "National Treasure Book Of Secrets". Jerry Bruckheimer is no fool. He knows a successful formula and thats why his films and by the way, his TV shows are so well received by viewers. He knows you want value for your money. He knows you want to be entertained. So, if you got a big kick out of "National Treasure", rocket into your nearest cinema complex for a second dose with "National Treasure Book Of Secrets". It's more of the same but, dare I contadict myself, it's different. Recommended for those who want to have fun. 3 1/2 STARS." Cast & Crew Bytes "NATIONAL TREASURE BOOK OF SECRETS" stars .......
Academy Award ® winner Nicolas Cage ["Adaptation", "Lord of War", "World Trade Centre" and "Ghost Rider"]; Ed Harris ["Enemy At The Gates", "A Beautiful Mind", "The Hours" and "A History of Violence"]; Justin Bartha ["National Treasure", "Trust the Man" and "Failure To Launch"]; Diane Kruger ["Troy", "Wicker Park" and "Joyeux Noël"]; Academy Award ® winner Jon Voight ["Holes", "The Manchurian Candidate" and "Transformers"]; Harvey Keitel ["Red Dragon", "Be Cool" and "The Shadow Dancer"]; Bruce Greenwood ["Capote", "Eight Below" and "Deja Vu"] and Academy Award ® winner Helen Mirren ["Last Orders", "Gosford Park", "Calendar Girls", "The Clearing" and "The Queen"] as Emily Appleton.
"NATIONAL TREASURE BOOK OF SECRETS" was .......
directed by Jon Turteltaub ["Cool Runnings", "While You Were Sleeping" and "National Treasure"]; screenplay by Marianne & Cormack Wibberley ["Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle", "Bad Boys II" and "The Shaggy Dog"]; set decoration by Fainche MacCarthy ["Star", "Alpha Dog" and "Nothing Is Private"]; costume design by Judianna Makovsky ["Six Degrees of Separation", "Seabiscuit" and "Mr Brooks"]; production design by Dominic Watkins ["Bad Boys II", "The Bourne Supremacy" and "United 93"]; directors of photography Amir Mokri ["The Joy Luck Club", "The Salton Sea" and "Lord of War"] and John Schwartzman ["Armageddon", "Seabiscuit" and "Meet the Fockers"]; original music by Trevor Rabin ["The 6th Day", "The Banger Sisters", "Bad Boys II" and "The Guardian"]. Who's Who?

Nicolas Cage Ed Harris Justin Bartha Diane Kruger Jon Voight Helen Mirren Harvey Keitel Bruce Greenwood Ty Burrell Michael Maize Timothy V. Murphy Alicia Coppola Albert Hall Joel Gretsch Christian Camargo Brent Briscoe Billy Unger s Michael Manuel Brad Rowe

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Ben Gates Mitch Wilkinson Riley Poole Abigail Chase Patrick Gates Emily Sadusky The President Connor Daniel Seth FBI Agent Spellman Dr Nichols Thomas Gates John Wilkes Booth Michael O'Laughlen Charles Gates Agent Craig Agent Hopper

Run Time 124 minutes Rated PG [AUST] Copyright ©2007 - © Disney Enterprises Inc & Jerry Bruckheimer Inc - All Rights Reserved ©2007 All Rights Reserved - Protected by Australian & International Copyright. Trademark Laws Apply.