Nicolas Cage, Diane Kruger, and Justin Bartha star in this 2004 blockbuster that races from conspiracy theory to conspiracy theory in a delirious hunt for hidden American history. Directed by Jon Turteltaub and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, the film follows treasure hunter Benjamin Franklin Gates (Cage) as he attempts to steal the Declaration of Independence to protect it from ruthless mercenaries.

The screenplay by Cormac and Marianne Wibberley layers clue upon clue — invisible ink, Masonic symbols, a cipher on the back of the Declaration — creating a puzzle box so over-engineered it becomes its own kind of spectacle. Yet the film's self-awareness saves it; Cage plays Gates with straight-faced conviction, while Bartha provides comic relief as tech sidekick Riley Poole.

Critics dismissed it as delightfully dumb, but audiences embraced its playground logic. The film grossed $347 million worldwide, spawning a sequel and a Disney+ series. Its enduring appeal lies in treating American history as a high-stakes escape room, where the Founding Fathers left breadcrumbs for anyone clever enough to follow.