National Treasure Page #5

Synopsis: Benjamin Franklin Gates descends from a family of treasure-seekers who've all hunted for the same thing: a war chest hidden by the Founding Fathers after the Revolutionary War. Ben's close to discovering its whereabouts, as is his competition, but the FBI is also hip to the hunt.
Director(s): Jon Turteltaub
Production: Buena Vista
  1 win & 9 nominations.
 
IMDB:
6.9
Metacritic:
39
Rotten Tomatoes:
44%
PG
Year:
2004
131 min
$172,975,674
Website
9,981 Views


I look pregnant?

This better not be about

that dumb treasure.

Well, have a seat.

Make yourselves comfortable.

There's some pizza.

It's still warm, I think.

Dad...

I need the Silence Dogood letters.

Yeah, it's about the treasure.

And he dragged you two

into this nonsense?

- Literally.

- I volunteered.

Well, unvolunteer,

before you waste your life.

- Knock it off, Dad.

- Sure, sure, I know, I'm the family kook.

I have a job, a house, health insurance.

At least I had your mother, for however

brief a time. At least I had you.

What do you have? Him?

Look, if you just give us the letters,

we're gone.

You disappoint me, Ben.

Well, maybe that's the real Gates-family

legacy. Sons who disappoint their fathers.

Get out. Take your troubles with you.

I found the Charlotte.

The Charlotte?

- You mean she was a ship?

- Yeah, she was beautiful.

It was amazing, Dad.

And the treasure?

No, no. But we found another clue

that led us here.

Yeah, and that'll lead you

to another clue.

And that's all you'll ever find,

is another clue. Don't you get it, Ben?

I finally figured it out.

The legend says that the treasure

was buried to keep it from the British.

But what really happened

was the legend was invented,

to keep the British occupied

searching for buried treasure.

The treasure is a myth.

I refuse to believe that.

Well, you can believe what you want.

You're a grown person. What am I doing?

Do what you want, Ben.

Do what you want.

He's probably right. You don't even know

if there is another clue.

Well, I can think of a way where we could

find out. And we can find out right now.

Looks like animal skin.

- How old is it?

- At least 200 years.

- Really? You sure?

- Pretty darn.

Now if this thing's in invisible ink,

how do we look at it?

Throw it in the oven.

- (Abigail and Ben) No.

- Uh-uh.

Ferrous sulfate inks can only

be brought out with heat.

- Yes, but this...

- It's very old.

This is very old, and we can't

risk compromising the map.

You need a reagent.

Dad, it's really late.

Why don't you get some rest?

I'm fine.

Lemons.

- You can't do that.

- But it has to be done.

Then someone who is trained to handle

antique documents is gonna do it.

OK.

OK.

Now, uh, if there is a secret message,

it'll probably be marked by a symbol

in the upper right-hand corner.

That's right.

I am so getting fired for this.

I told you. You need heat.

(both exhale)

See?

- We need more juice.

- We need more heat.

That's not a map.

- Is it?

- More clues. What a surprise.

(Riley) Are those latitudes and longitudes?

That's why we need

the Silence Dogood letters.

- That's the key?

- Yeah. "The key in Silence undetected."

Dad, can we have the letters now?

Will somebody please explain to me

what these magic numbers are?

- It's an Ottendorf cipher.

- That's right.

Oh, OK.

- What's an Ottendorf cipher?

- They're just codes.

Each of these three numbers

corresponds to a word in a key.

Usually a random book

or a newspaper article.

(Ben) In this case,

the Silence Dogood letters.

So it's like the page number

of the key text,

the line on the page,

and the letter in that line.

So, Dad, where are the letters?

You know, it's just by sheer happenstance

that his grandfather...

- Dad.

...even found them.

They were in an antique desk

from the press room...

- Dad.

...of The New England Courant.

- That's a newspaper.

- Dad, where are the letters?

I don't have them, son.

- What?

- I don't have them.

(Ben clears throat)

Where are they?

I donated them to the Franklin Institute

in Philadelphia.

Time to go.

I still can't believe it. All this time

no one knew what was on the back.

- The back of what?

- Whoa!

No!

- Oh, my God. Oh, my God.

- I know.

Oh, my God. What have you done?

This is... this is the...

- I know!

- This is the Declaration of Independence.

Yes. And it's very delicate.

You stole it?

Dad, I can explain, but I don't have time.

It was necessary. And you saw the cipher.

And that will lead to another clue,

and that will lead to another clue!

There is no treasure.

I wasted 20 years of my life.

And now you've destroyed yours.

And you pulled me into all this.

Well, we can't have that.

(police radio)

(doorbell)

(Patrick) Come in!

I'm in here.

FBI, right?

You gonna untie me?

And you have no idea where he's going?

- Well, wouldn't I have told you if I did?

- Would you?

He tied me to a chair.

The garage is empty, but there's a Cadillac

De Ville registered to Patrick Gates.

And he stole my car.

Don't worry, Mr. Gates, we'll find your car.

And your son.

Your dad's got a sweet ride.

I think we should change clothes.

We look kind of conspicuous,

don't you think?

I'd love to go shopping, too,

but we have no money.

Here, I took this from his house.

He usually tucks a few hundred dollars

somewhere between those pages.

- Common Sense. How appropriate.

- When are we gonna get there?

I'm hungry. This car smells weird.

(faint ping)

(ping)

Excuse me.

Excuse me. Oops, sorry, sir. Excuse me.

That's OK.

(car horn)

S-S-A-N-D.

(Riley) OK. Huh.

You're sure this is right?

OK.

S-S-A...

No, N.

- That is an N.

- It doesn't look like an N.

You know what? Here. Last one. OK?

- One more dollar.

- Thank you.

Go get the last four letters.

Go get 'em, chief. Come on.

OK. "The vision to see the treasured past

comes as the timely shadow crosses

in front of the house of pass and..."

"Pass and..." what?

"Pass and..."

What's going on?

- I'm not sure.

- What's up?

(Abigail) So you show up at your father's

door and say you're in trouble

and the first thing he assumes

is I'm pregnant.

Is there a question in there?

I think there's an interesting story

in there.

Well, my father thinks I've been

a little too cavalier in my personal life.

- I see.

- Let me ask you something.

Have you ever told someone -

not a relative - "I love you?"

Yes.

More than one someone?

Yes.

Oh. Well, then my father would say

you've been a little too cavalier

in your personal life, too.

So you get your sense of absolute certainty

from him, do you?

Well, I'm sure I don't know

what you mean.

Well, you're certain the treasure is real,

despite what anyone else thinks.

No, but I hope it's real.

I mean, I've dreamt it's real

since my grandfather told me about it.

But I want to hold it.

I feel like I'm so close, I can taste it.

But I just... I just want to know it's not just

something in my head or in my heart.

People don't really talk that way, you know.

I know. But they think that way.

Hey.

- Did you get it? Riley?

- Oh, I got it.

"The vision to see

the treasured past comes

as the timely shadow crosses

in front of the house of Pass and Stow."

Now, "Pass and Stow," of course,

referring to...

- (both) The Liberty Bell.

- Why do you have to do that?

Well, John Pass and John Stow

cast the bell.

OK. Well, then, what does

the rest of this mean?

Rate this script:4.6 / 7 votes

Jim Kouf

Jim Kouf (born July 24, 1951) is an American screenwriter, director, and producer. He received the 1988 Edgar Award for Best Motion Picture Screenplay for his work on Stakeout (1987). more…

All Jim Kouf scripts | Jim Kouf Scripts

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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