National Treasure (2004) Movie Script
(thunderstorm)
(floorboard creaks)
Grandpa!
You're not supposed to be up here,
looking at that.
I just wanted to know.
Well, you're old enough, I suppose.
You should know the story.
OK, here we go.
It was 1832.
On a night much like this.
Yah!
Charles Carroll was the last surviving
signer of the Declaration of Independence.
He was also a member
of a secret society known as the Masons.
And he knew he was dying.
He woke up his stable boy
in the middle of the night
and ordered him to take him to
the White House to see Andrew Jackson.
Because it was urgent
that he speak to the president.
Did he talk to him?
No. He never got the chance.
The president wasn't there that night.
But Charles Carroll had a secret.
So he took into his confidence
the one person he could,
my grandfather's grandfather,
Thomas Gates.
What was the secret?
A treasure.
A treasure beyond all imagining.
A treasure that had been
fought over for centuries
by tyrants. Pharaohs.
Emperors. Warlords.
And every time it changed hands
it grew larger.
And then suddenly...
it vanished.
It didn't reappear
for more than a thousand years.
When knights from the First Crusade
discovered secret vaults
beneath the Temple of Solomon.
You see. The knights who found the vaults
believed that the treasure
was too great for any one man -
not even a king.
They brought the treasure back to Europe
and took the name "the Knights Templar."
Over the next century
they smuggled it out of Europe
and they formed a new brotherhood
called the Freemasons.
In honor of
the builders of the great temple.
War followed.
By the time of the American Revolution
the treasure had been hidden again.
By then the Masons included
George Washington.
Benjamin Franklin. Paul Revere.
They knew they had to make sure
the treasure would never fall
into the hands of the British.
So they devised a series of clues
and maps to its location.
Over time the clues were lost or forgotten,
until only one remained -
and that was the secret that Charles Carroll
entrusted to young Thomas Gates.
Charlotte.
"The secret lies with Charlotte."
Who's Charlotte?
Oh... not even Mr. Carroll knew that.
Now look here, Ben.
The Freemasons
among our Founding Fathers left us clues.
Like these.
The unfinished pyramid.
The all-seeing eye.
Symbols of the Knights Templar,
guardians of the treasure.
- They're speaking to us through these.
- (man) You mean laughing at us.
You know what that dollar represents?
The entire Gates family fortune.
Six generations of fools...
chasing after fool's gold.
(Grandpa) It's not about the money,
Patrick. It's never been about the money.
Come on, son. Time to go.
You can... say your goodbyes.
Grandpa?
Hm?
Are we knights?
(chuckles)
Do you want to be?
All right. Um... kneel.
Benjamin Franklin Gates,
you take upon yourself the duty
of the Templars, the Freemasons
and the family Gates.
Do you so swear?
I so swear.
(man) I was thinking about
Henson and Peary,
crossing this kind of terrain with nothing
more than dog sleds and on foot.
- Can you imagine?
- It's extraordinary.
(beeping)
We getting closer?
Assuming Ben's theory's correct
and my tracking model's accurate,
we should be getting very close.
But don't go by me -
I broke a shoelace this morning.
- It's... it's a bad omen.
- Shall we turn around and go home?
Or we could pull over
and just throw him out here.
OK.
Riley, you're not missing that little
windowless cubicle we found you in?
No, no. Absolutely not.
(continuous beep)
Why are we stopping?
I thought we were looking for a ship.
- I don't see any ship.
- She's out there.
(beeping)
Look... this is a waste of time.
How could a ship wind up way out here?
Well, I'm no expert, but...
it could be that the hydrothermic properties
of this region
produce hurricane-force ice storms
that cause the ocean to freeze
and then melt and then refreeze,
resulting in a semisolid
migrating land mass
that would land a ship right around here.
(beeping continues)
(beeping quickens)
(continuous beeping)
(clank)
Hello, beautiful.
(man) Have Viktor
check the fuel in the generators.
Two years ago, if you hadn't shown up,
hadn't believed the treasure was real,
I don't know
if I ever would have found Charlotte.
You would have found it, I have no doubt.
That's why I didn't think it was
as crazy an investment as everyone said.
(Ben) I'm just relieved that I'm not as crazy
as everyone says. Or said my dad was.
- Or my granddad. Or my great-granddad.
- (chuckling)
OK!
Let's go!
- Let's go find some treasure.
- Yeah, bring us back something.
Urgh.
(terrified gasps)
Oh, God!
You handled that well.
This is it.
It's the cargo hold.
Do you think it's in the barrels?
Gunpowder.
Ooh! Ooh! OK...
Why would the captain
be guarding this barrel?
I found something!
What is it?
Do you guys know what this is?
Is it a billion-dollar pipe?
It's a meerschaum pipe.
Ah, that is beautiful.
Look at the intricacy of the scrollwork
on the stem.
- Is it a million-dollar pipe?
- No, it's a clue.
Let me see that.
No, don't break it!
We are one step closer to the treasure,
gentlemen.
Ben, I thought you said that
the treasure would be on the Charlotte.
No, "The secret lies with Charlotte."
I said it could be here.
It's Templar symbols.
"The legend writ."
"The stain effected."
"The key in Silence undetected."
"Fifty-five in iron pen."
"Mr. Matlack can't offend."
It's a riddle.
I need to think.
"The legend writ."
"The stain effected."
What legend?
There's the legend of the Templar treasure,
and the stain effects the legend.
How?
"The key in Silence undetected."
Wait.
The legend and the key...
Now there's something.
A map.
Maps have legends, maps have keys.
It's a map, an invisible map.
So now...
Wait a minute. What do you mean,
"invisible" - "an invisible map"?
"The stain effected"
could refer to a dye or a reagent
used to bring about a certain result.
Combined with
"The key in Silence undetected,"
the implication is that the effect is to make
what was undetectable detectable.
Unless...
"The key in Silence" could be...
Prison.
Albuquerque.
See, I can do it too.
Snorkel.
That's where the map is.
Like he said, "Fifty-five in iron pen."
"Iron pen" is a prison.
Or it could be, since the primary writing
medium of the time was iron gall ink,
the "pen" is... just a pen.
But then why not say a pen?
Why... why say "iron pen"?
'Cause it's a prison.
Wait a minute. "Iron pen" - the "iron"
does not describe the ink in the pen,
it describes what was penned.
It was "iron" -
it was firm, it was mineral...
No, no, no, that's stupid.
It was... It was firm,
it was adamant, it was resolved.
It was resolved.
"Mr. Matlack can't offend."
Timothy Matlack was the official scribe
of the Continental Congress.
Calligrapher, not writer. And to make sure
he could not offend the map,
it was put on the back of a resolution
that he transcribed,
a resolution that 55 men signed.
The Declaration of Independence.
Oh!
Come on, there's no invisible map on the
back of the Declaration of Independence.
That's clever, really.
A document of that importance
would ensure the map's survival.
And you said there were several Masons
signed it, yeah?
Yeah. Nine, for sure.
We'll have to arrange a way to examine it.
This is one of the most important
documents in history.
They're not just gonna let us waltz in there
and run chemical tests on it.
- Then what do you propose we do?
- I don't know!
We could borrow it.
Steal it?
- I don't think so.
- Ben...
the treasure of the Knights Templar
is the treasure of all treasures.
Oh, I didn't know that.
Really?
Look, Ben... I understand your bitterness.
I really do.
You've spent your entire life
searching for this treasure,
only to have
the respected historical community
treat you and your family
with mockery and contempt.
You should be able to rub this treasure
in their arrogant faces,
and I want you to have
the chance to do that.
How?
We all have our areas of expertise.
You don't think mine are limited
to writing checks, do you?
In another life...
I arranged a number of operations of...
questionable legality.
I'd take his word for it, if I were you.
So don't worry.
I'll make all the arrangements.
No.
I'd really need your help here.
Ian... I'm not gonna let you steal
the Declaration of Independence.
OK.
From this point on
all you're going to be is a hindrance.
Hey!
What are you gonna do?
Are you gonna shoot me, Shaw?
Well, you can't shoot me.
There's more to the riddle.
Information you don't have. I do.
I'm the only one who can figure it out,
and you know that.
He's bluffing.
We played poker together, Ian.
You know I can't bluff.
Tell me what I need to know, Ben,
or I'll shoot your friend.
Hey!
Quiet, Riley!
Your job's finished here.
Look where you're standing.
All that gunpowder.
You shoot me,
I drop this, we all go up.
Ben...
What happens when the flare burns down?
Tell me what I need to know, Ben.
You need to know...
if Shaw can catch.
Nice try, though.
Get out, Shaw!
Fool!
Riley, get over here!
- What is this?
- Smuggler's hold. Get in!
Move! Get out of here!
- What?
- Move! Get out!
Follow me.
Let's go, let's go!
She's gonna blow!
Get down.
OK, let's go.
Before someone sees the smoke.
(Riley coughing and spluttering)
There's an Inuit village
about nine miles east of here.
- It's popular with bush pilots.
- All right.
(Riley pants exhaustedly)
- Then what are we gonna do?
- Start making our way back home.
No, I meant about Ian. He's gonna steal
the Declaration of Independence, Ben.
We stop him.
(Riley) Is it really so hard to believe
that someone's gonna try to steal
the Declaration of Independence?
(Ben) The FBI gets 10,000 tips a week.
They're not gonna worry about
something they're sure is safe.
But anyone that can do anything
is gonna think we're crazy.
Anyone crazy enough to believe us
isn't gonna want to help.
We don't need someone crazy. But one
step short of crazy, what do you get?
Obsessed.
Passionate.
Excuse me.
- Dr. Chase can see you now, Mr. Brown.
- Thank you.
(softly) Mr. Brown?
The family name doesn't get a lot
of respect in the academic community.
Huh. Being kept down by the man.
A very cute man.
Thank you.
- Good afternoon, gentlemen.
- Hi.
- Abigail Chase.
- Paul Brown.
- Nice to meet you.
- Bill.
Nice to meet you, Bill.
- How may I help you?
- Your accent. Pennsylvania Dutch?
- Saxony German.
- Oh!
- You're not American?
- Oh, I am an American.
I just wasn't born here.
Please don't touch that!
Sorry. A neat collection.
George Washington's campaign buttons.
You're missing the 1789 inaugural, though.
- I found one once.
- That's very fortunate for you.
Now, you told my assistant
that this was an urgent matter.
Ah. Yes, ma'am.
Well, I'm gonna get straight to the point.
Someone's gonna steal
the Declaration of Independence.
It's true.
I think I'd better put you gentlemen
in touch with the FBI.
- We've been to the FBI.
- And?
They assured us that the Declaration
cannot possibly be stolen.
- They're right.
- My friend and I are less certain.
However, if we were given the privilege
of examining the document...
we would be able to tell you for certain
if it were actually in any danger.
What do you think you're gonna find?
We believe that there's an...
encryption on the back.
- An encryption, like a code?
- Yes, ma'am.
Of what?
Uh... a cartograph.
- A map.
- Yes, ma'am.
A map of what?
The location of... (nervously clears throat)
...of hidden items
of historic and intrinsic value.
- A treasure map?
- That's where we lost the FBI.
You're treasure-hunters, aren't you?
We're more like treasure-protectors.
Mr. Brown, I have personally seen the back
of the Declaration of Independence,
and I promise you, the only thing there
is a notation that reads,
"Original Declaration of Independence,
dated...
"Four of July, 1776." Yes, ma'am.
But no map.
(exasperated sigh)
It's invisible.
Oh! Right.
And that's where we lost
the Department of Homeland Security.
What led you to assume
there's this invisible map?
We found an engraving
on the stem of a 200-year-old pipe.
Owned by Freemasons.
- May I see the pipe?
- Uh, we don't have it.
- Did Big Foot take it?
- It was nice meeting you.
Nice to meet you, too.
And, you know,
that really is a nice collection.
Must have taken you a long time
to hunt down all that history.
If it's any consolation,
you had me convinced.
It's not.
I was thinking, what if we go public,
plaster the story all over the Internet?
It's not like
we have our reputations to worry about.
Although I don't think
that's exactly gonna scare Ian away.
and I'm three feet away.
Of all the ideas
that became the United States,
there's a line here
that's at the heart of all the others.
"But when a long train of abuses
and usurpations,
pursuing invariably the same object,
evinces a design to reduce them
under absolute despotism,
it is their right, it is their duty
to throw off such government
and provide new guards
for their future security."
People don't talk that way anymore.
Beautiful, huh?
- No idea what you said.
- It means, if there's something wrong,
those who have the ability to take action
have the responsibility to take action.
I'm gonna steal it.
(scoffs) What?
I'm gonna steal
the Declaration of Independence.
Uh... Ben?
(Riley) This is... huge.
It's prison huge.
You are gonna go to prison,
you know that?
Yeah, probably.
So that would bother most people.
Ian's gonna try and steal it. And if he
succeeds, he'll destroy the Declaration.
The fact is, the only way to protect
the Declaration is to steal it.
It's upside down.
I don't think there's a choice.
Ben, for God's sakes,
it's like stealing a national monument. OK?
It's like stealing him.
It can't be done. Not shouldn't be done.
It can't be done.
Let me prove it to you.
OK, Ben, pay attention.
I've brought you to the Library of Congress.
Why? Because it's the biggest library
in the world.
Over 20 million books.
And they're all saying
the same exact thing:
Listen to Riley.
What we have here, my friend,
is an entire layout of the archives.
Short of builders' blueprints.
You've got construction orders,
phone lines,
water and sewage -
it's all here.
Now, when the Declaration
is on display, OK,
it is surrounded by guards
and video monitors
and a little family from Iowa and little kids
on their eighth-grade field trip.
And beneath an inch of bulletproof glass
is an army of sensors and heat monitors
that will go off if someone gets too close
with a high fever.
Now, when it's not on display,
it is lowered into a four-foot-thick
concrete, steel-plated vault...
that happens to be equipped
with an electronic combination lock
and biometric access-denial systems.
You know, Thomas Edison tried and failed
nearly 2,000 times
to develop the carbonized cotton-thread
filament for the incandescent light bulb.
Edison?
When asked about it,
he said, "I didn't fail,
I found out 2,000 ways
how not to make a light bulb."
But he only needed to find one way
to make it work.
The Preservation Room.
Enjoy. Go ahead.
Do you know
what the Preservation Room is for?
Delicious jams and jellies?
No. That's where they clean,
repair and maintain
all the documents
and the storage housings
when they're not on display or in the vault.
Now, when the case needs work they take
it out of the vault, directly across the hall
and into the Preservation Room.
The best time for us. Or Ian. To steal it
would be during the gala this weekend
when the guards are distracted
by the VIPs upstairs.
But we'll make our way to the Preservation
Room, where there's much less security.
Huh.
Well, if Ian...
Uh...
Preservation... Hm.
The gala, huh?
This might be possible.
It might.
Ah...
And we are in.
There you are.
(British accent) Hello.
The hallway.
That's what I want.
Game on.
I'll buy that.
Cool.
This just came for you.
I hope it's not from Stan.
"For the woman who has everything else...
Thanks for listening. Paul Brown."
(insistent beeping)
(rings)
Abigail Chase.
Hey, Mike.
- (man #1) Let's do this by the book.
- (man #2) Hallway is secure.
- (man #1) Keep the document level.
- (man #2) No problem.
(Abigail) What have you got?
(man) The heat sensor went off
in the Declaration frame.
(Abigail) Run full diagnostics.
Then I want them all changed out.
Our evil plan is working.
Ben, are you sure that we should?
(Ben) Riley.
- Can you hear me?
- Unfortunately. Yeah.
We're all set in here.
You want to go around to the front
and present your invitation.
You're gonna have to show ID.
Go ahead, man.
Howdy.
I need your invitation
and your ID, please.
(Riley) How do you look?
- Not bad.
- Mazel tov.
This is it.
For you.
- Oh, Mr. Brown.
- Dr. Chase.
- (Abigail) What are you doing here?
- Is that that hot girl?
- How does she look?
- I made a last-minute donation. A big one.
Well, on that subject,
thank you for your wonderful gift.
- Oh, you did get it? Good.
- Yes, thank you.
You know, I really couldn't accept
something like that normally, but...
I really want it.
- Well, you needed it.
- Come on. Romeo. Get outta there.
I have been wondering, though,
what the engraving indicated
- on the pipe that Big Foot took.
- (man) Hi.
- Here you go.
- Oh, Dr. Herbert, this is Mr. Brown.
- Hi.
- Hi there.
- (Riley) Who's the stiff?
- Here, why don't you let me take that?
- So you can take that off his hands.
- (Abigail) Thank you.
A toast, yeah?
To high treason.
That's what these men were committing
when they signed the Declaration.
Had we lost the war, they would have been
hanged, beheaded, drawn and quartered,
and - Oh! Oh, my personal favorite -
and had their entrails cut out and burned!
So, here's to the men
who did what was considered wrong
in order to do what they knew was right.
What they knew was right.
Well, good night.
- Good night.
- Good night.
(Ian) Yeah!
OK, go! Go!
This better work.
Clear!
- On.
- Door one. 30 seconds.
How does it look?
It's working.
It's working...
Unbelievable.
Second door. 90 seconds.
(beep)
(beep)
Well done, boys. Let's go.
- We're in the elevator.
- OK.
I'm gonna turn off
the surveillance cameras. Ready?
In five. Four.
Three... Now.
Ben Gates,
you are now the Invisible Man.
- I'm here.
- Give me the letters for her password.
What do you got for me?
Hit me with it.
A-E-F-G...
L-O-R-V-Y.
Anagrams being listed.
OK.
Top results: "A glove fry."
"A very golf."
"Fargo levy."
"Gravy floe. Valey frog."
Also "Ago fly rev."
Uh..."Grove fly a."
"Are fly gov."
"Era fly gov."
- "Elf gov ray."
- It's "Valley Forge."
"Valley For..."
I don't have that on my computer.
It's "Valley Forge" -
she pressed the E and L twice.
(Ben) We're in.
(Riley in British accent) Hello.
Ben, you're doing great.
Ben, pick it up.
You got about one...
We own video.
- I lost my feed.
- What?
I lost my feed, Ben.
I don't know where anyone is.
I have nothing.
Ben, I have no...
Ben, I have nothing.
Get out of there.
Get out of there now.
I'm taking the whole thing.
I'll get it out in the elevator.
What are you talking about?
Is it heavy?
Shaw. Door three, one minute.
Gates.
What was that?
Who's shooting?
- Damn.
- He's got the bloody map!
Are you still there? Ben?
I'm in the elevator.
- Ians here. There was, uh, shooting.
- I hate that guy.
Hey, Rebecca.
Do you have a Paul Brown on that list?
Paul Brown?
Uh, no. Not here.
Have a good night.
Are you trying to steal that?
Oh, uh...
It's $35.
- For this?
- Yeah.
- That's a lot.
- Hey, I don't make the prices.
It's, um...
I have $32...
We take Visa.
This is Mike. Sublevel three.
I have an alert.
(sings) Where are you, Ben?
- Where are you?
- Stop talking.
Start the van.
Ben, the...
the mean Declaration lady's behind you.
Hey.
Oh, it's you. Hello.
Mr. Brown, what's going on?
What's that?
- It's a souvenir.
- Really?
Stop chatting and get in the van.
Code red. Code red.
We have a break-in.
Lock it down. Nobody leaves the building.
Get the FBI on the phone.
- Did you enjoy the party?
- Yeah.
(alarm)
- Oh, my God.
- Oh, my God! You did not?
- No...
- Security! Over here!
- Give me that!
- It's yours. Take it.
- Security!
- Uh-uh-uh.
- Over here! Security!
- Got you.
Go.
Viktor! Move!
- We can't just let her go!
- We can. Go!
- Security, over here!
- Wait. No, hold it.
Hold it!
- Wha?
- Oh, bad.
- What do you want?
- Give me the document.
Bad, bad, bad!
- Let me go!
- Just bring her!
No! No!
- That's...
- Go! Go!
(sirens approaching)
And just who might you be?
- Once we catch them what do we do?
- I'm working on it.
Right turn, right turn.
Why don't you just pass me that
document? Then we can all go home.
(horn blares)
Oh, no.
Skidding, skidding, skidding.
- Oh, no!
- Holy Lord!
- Help!
- No! If she falls, the document falls.
Get me next to her.
(horn blares)
- Thank you.
- No!
Got it. Go on.
Abigail!
- Come on. Jump.
- (screams)
- We lost them.
- That's all right. This... is what we need.
Well done, Gates. Well done.
- (Ben) Are you all right?
- No! Those lunatics...
- You're not hurt, are you?
- You are all lunatics!
- Are you hungry?
- What?!
Are you all right?
Still a little on edge from being shot at,
but I'll be OK. Thanks for asking.
Yeah, well, I'm not all right. Those men
have the Declaration of Independence!
- She lost it?!
- They don't have it.
See? OK?
Now could you please stop shouting?
- Give me that!
- You're still shouting. It's starting to annoy.
You'd do well, Dr. Chase,
to be a bit more civilized in this instance.
If this is the real one, what did they get?
A souvenir.
I thought it'd be a good idea to have
a duplicate. It turned out I was right.
I actually had to pay for the souvenir and
the real one, so you owe me $35, plus tax.
- Genius.
- Who were those men?
Just the guys we warned you
were gonna steal the Declaration.
And you didn't believe us.
We did the only thing we could do
to keep it safe.
Verdammt! Give me that!
You know something?
You're shouting again.
I'm pretty sure she was swearing, too.
Well, we probably deserve that.
(man) Ladies and gentlemen...
Ladies and gentlemen, my name is
Peter Sadusky. I'm the agent in charge.
I wanna reassure you,
you are not in danger in any way.
If we all cooperate, we'll get through this
with as little frustration as possible.
Thank you.
Get positive IDs. Search everyone,
including the security staff.
If they refuse,
detain them and get warrants.
- (clears throat)
- Agent Hendricks? You have something?
Um...
- This isn't a day for "Um..."
- We got a tip several days ago
that someone was going to steal
the Declaration of Independence.
Do we have a name on the tipster?
There was no file opened.
We didn't find the information credible.
How about now?
There is not a treasure map on the back
of the Declaration of Independence.
And there's no chance
anyone can steal this either.
I leveled with you 100 percent.
Everything I told you was the truth.
I want that document, Mr. Brown.
OK, my name's not Brown.
It's Gates.
I leveled with you 98 percent.
Wait a minute, did you just say "Gates"?
Gates?
You're that family with the conspiracy
theory about the Founding Fathers?
- It's not a conspiracy theory.
- Per se.
You know what? I take it back.
You're not liars. You're insane.
There's a copy of the Declaration
on display now?
- Yes, we decided to...
- Leave it there.
The guests know something happened,
but they don't know what.
They got him with a Taser at the service
entrance. He doesn't remember a thing.
Also, we found bullet casings.
Did we get a description
from the other guards?
- Which guards?
- The guards that were fired upon.
There weren't any other guards
on patrol down here.
So...
who was shooting,
who were they shooting at,
and why weren't they getting along?
You can't seriously intend
to run chemical tests
on the Declaration of Independence
in the back of a moving van.
We have a clean-room environment
all set up.
EDS suits, a particulate air filtration
system, the whole shebang.
- Really?
- We can't go back there.
What? Why not?
This is the guy. Dr. Herbert said
Dr. Chase introduced him as Mr. Brown.
Not on the guestlist.
Now, the gift-store clerk - she said
he seemed... Well, she said "flustered."
He tried to walk out with a copy
of the Declaration of Independence
without paying.
He paid with a Visa.
"Charge to Benjamin Gates."
A credit-card slip?
Dude, we're on the grid.
They'll have your records from forever.
They'll have my records from forever.
I know. I know. It's only a matter of minutes
before the FBI shows up at my front door.
What do we do?
- We need those letters.
- What letters?
(Ben) You know, get off the road,
take a right.
(Abigail) What letters?
You have the original Silence Dogood
letters? Did you steal those, too?
We have scans of the originals.
- Quiet, please.
- How'd you get scans?
Oh, I know the person
who has the originals. Now shush.
- Why do you need them?
- She really can't shut her mouth, can she?
I'll tell you what, look.
I will let you hold onto this
if you'll promise to shut up, please.
Thank you.
- Ben, you know what you have to do.
- I know what to do.
I'm just trying to think
of anything else we could do.
Well, not to be a, uh, nudge,
but you do realize how many people
we have after us.
We probably have
our own satellite by now.
It took you all of two seconds to decide
to steal the Declaration of Independence.
Yeah, but I didn't think I was gonna
personally have to tell my dad about it.
Hey, not cool! Not cool!
Let me go!
OK. You're let go. Go, shoo.
I'm not going. Not without the Declaration.
You're not going with the Declaration.
Yes, I am. I'm not letting it
out of my sight, so I'm going.
Wait. You're not going with us
with the Declaration.
- Yes, I am.
- No, you're not.
Look, if you wanted to leave me behind,
you shouldn't have told me
where you were going.
(groans)
(police radios)
Clear.
What the...
(Sadusky) Now we're getting somewhere.
(woman) They're digital scans of letters
to the editor of The New England Courant.
Written 1722.
They're all from the same person.
"Your humble servant, Silence Dogood."
Gentlemen...
why is this word capitalized?
Because it's important?
Because it's a name.
OK, I got it.
When Ben Franklin was only 15 years old
he secretly wrote 14 letters
to his brother's newspaper
pretending to be a middle-aged widow
named Silence Dogood.
These letters were written
by Benjamin Franklin.
(Riley) Looks OK.
- Park a couple of blocks away.
- Well, how long do you think we got?
I'm gonna give them a couple of hours
at least. I hope.
What do we do about her?
I've got some duct tape in the back.
(Ben) No, that won't be necessary.
She won't be any trouble.
- Promise you won't be any trouble.
- I promise.
See? She's curious.
Here's what I got on Gates. A degree
in American History from Georgetown,
a degree in Mechanical Engineering
at MIT,
Navy ROTC and Naval Diving
and Salvage Training Center.
Hm.
What in the world did this guy
want to be when he grew up?
We keep our focus on Gates.
Run him to ground.
Compile a family-and-friends list.
Closest relative first.
I want to find out who this guy is.
(doorbell)
Dad.
Where's the party?
Uh, well, uh...
I'm in a little trouble.
- Is she pregnant?
- (Ben) Well, if she is,
are you gonna leave the woman carrying
your grandchild standing out in the cold?
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?
Wait..."The vision to see the treasured
past" must refer to a way to read the map.
Well, I thought the cipher was the map.
No, the cipher was a way
to find the way to read the map.
And the way to read the map can be found
where the "timely shadow" crosses
in front of the Liberty Bell.
Crosses in front of the "house"
of the Liberty Bell. Independence Hall.
Right, so "timely shadow" -
it's a specific time.
- Right.
- Uh, what time?
What time? What time?
Wait a minute, wait.
You're gonna love this.
Excuse me, can I see one of those
hundred-dollar bills I paid you with?
No.
Oh. Well, uh, here,
I have this diver's watch.
It's called a Submariner. I dive with it.
It's actually quite valuable.
- You can use it as collateral.
- Whatever.
Thank you.
On the back of a hundred-dollar bill
is an etching of Independence Hall
- based on a painting done in...
- Hello.
Thank you.
...in the 1780s, who...
The artist was actually a friend
of Benjamin Franklin's. It's wonderful.
- (clerk) Fascinating.
- Hold this.
OK.
I'm not going anywhere.
Now, I think that if we look
at this clock tower...
...we may find the specific time.
- (Abigail) What do you see?
- 2:22.
- What time is it now?
- Almost three.
- We missed it.
- No, we didn't.
We didn't miss it because... uh...
You don't know this? I-I know something
about history that you don't know.
I'd be very excited to learn about it, Riley.
Well, hold on one second, let me just...
let me just take in this moment.
This is... this is cool.
Is this how you feel all the time? Because,
you know... Except for now, of course.
- Riley!
- All right.
What I know is that daylight savings
wasn't established until World War I.
If it's 3pm now, OK, that means
in 1776, it would be 2pm.
- Let's go.
- Riley, you're a genius.
Yeah.
Do you actually know who the first person
to suggest daylight savings was?
- (Ben) Benjamin Franklin.
- (Abigail) Benjamin Franklin.
Is this real?
Just tell me what you told my friend.
Just a bunch of letters.
I can't remember.
Can you remember which ones
you were gonna tell him next?
Yeah, here. S-T-O-W.
(man) Top results: Liberty Bell
and Independence Hall.
(guide) Imagine its impact
back in the 18th century.
It could have been seen for miles around,
which was exactly its purpose,
because it served as a beacon, as it were,
for people to collect and hear...
Good stuff.
(guide) It was in 1846,
on George Washington's birthday,
that the final expansion
of the crack occurred,
retiring the Liberty Bell permanently.
Eventually, it was moved from its place
in Independence Hall steeple
and given its own...
- Idiot.
- (Shaw) Who?
- Me.
- What?
It's not here. It's there.
Come on.
- What bell is this?
- It's the Centennial Bell.
It replaced the Liberty Bell in 1876.
(Abigail) There it is.
All right. I'm gonna go down there,
and you meet me in the signing room.
- OK? All right.
- OK.
All right, let's go.
Hey. What'd you score?
I found this.
Some kind of ocular device.
"The vision to see the treasured past."
Let me take this.
Aw, they're like early American
X-ray specs.
Benjamin Franklin invented
something like these.
Uh...
I think he invented these.
So, what do we do with them?
We look through it.
- (Abigail) Here, help me.
- Uh-huh.
- (Ben) Careful.
- (Abigail) You think?
Whoo...
- What?
- It's just that the last time this was here
it was being signed.
- Ben, there's another tour coming.
- Turn it over.
- Careful.
- Spectacles.
(gasps)
(gasps)
What do you see?
What is it? Is it a treasure map?
It says, "Heere at the wall,"
spelled with two E's.
Take a look.
(Abigail) Ah.
(gasps)
Wow.
Why can't they just say, "Go to this place,
and here's the treasure, spend it wisely?"
(Ben) Oh, no.
- Oh, no.
- Oh, no.
How'd they find us?
Well, Ian has nearly unlimited resources.
And he's smart.
(Abigail) I don't think we can get out
of here without being spotted.
Well, we don't want them to have
the Declaration, or the glasses.
But we especially don't want them
to have them both together.
- So what do we do?
- We separate the lock from the key.
- We're splitting up.
- Good idea.
Really?
I'll take this.
And those. You keep that. Meet me at the
car and call me if you have any problems.
Like if we get caught and killed?
Yeah. That would be a big problem.
Take care of her.
- I will.
- I will.
We're on him.
(Ian) There he is.
- Let's walk this way.
- Wait up.
- Shaw, look. There's the others.
- I got it.
Viktor, meet me at Fifth and Chestnut. Fifth
and Chestnut. They're heading your way.
(car horn)
- (Shaw) Look out! Look out!
- Riley!
- (Shaw) There they are! Move!
- Move!
- Time to run.
- Keep up, Viktor! Move. Come on.
In here.
- Come on.
- Follow me.
That way.
If you're not a steak,
you don't belong here.
(whispers) I'm just trying to hide
from my ex-husband.
- Who, baldy?
- Yes.
Honey, stay as long as you like.
Oh, thank you. Thank you.
You want something?
- Do you want something?
- Shut up.
I see why you left him.
Go around. Go around.
Gates!
Ow!
Aw, come on!
- (yelps)
- Shh-shh-shh.
- Where were you?
- Hiding.
Come on. Let's go, let's go.
Ian. Ian, I've got 'em.
They're heading toward City Hall.
- OK, I'm on my way.
- Out of the way!
Ow!
(car horn)
Whoa!
They're headed for the breezeway
on the north side.
I'll be right there.
Hey, Gates!
Enough, man! Give me the document.
All right, Phil.
Watch out! Get out of my way!
(cyclist) Watch it!
(horn)
(shouting)
Leave them! Let 'em go.
We've got it.
- (woman) FBI. Have you seen this guy?
- (man) No.
Nope, I haven't seen him.
Ted. Philadelphia police
found Gates's car.
It's close.
We got surveillance there now.
Let's go. Tell the boss
we got the car.
(cell phone rings)
- What?
- (Riley) We lost it.
- What?
- We lost the Declaration. Ian took it.
Yeah, uh, OK. You all right?
You both all right?
Yeah, yeah, we're all right.
- Ben, I'm sorry.
- We'll be fine.
Meet me at the car.
Suspect has arrived.
Hello, Mr. Gates.
Mr. Gates, face your father's car and
put your hands behind your back, please.
- (agent) We got one in custody.
- Gates, you're a hard man to find.
Could you please be careful?
Riley, do you know
how to get in touch with Ian?
Excuse me?
That's some story.
Well, it's the same story I tried to tell you
guys before the Declaration was stolen.
- By you.
- No, by Ian. I stole it to stop him.
I did it alone.
Dr. Chase was not involved.
And Ian still ended up with
the Declaration of Independence.
Because of you.
So here's your options.
Door number one,
you go to prison for a very long time.
Door number two, we are going to get back
the Declaration of Independence,
you help us find it, and you still
go to prison for a very long time,
but you feel better inside.
Is there a door that doesn't lead to prison?
- Someone's got to go to prison, Ben.
- Yeah.
So what are these for?
It's a way to read the map.
Right.
Knights Templar.
Freemasons.
Invisible treasure map.
- So what'd it say?
- "Heere at the wall."
Nothing else.
It's just another clue.
(agent) It looks like Ian Howe
could be a false identity.
(Sadusky) Follow up with ATF and INS.
- There's more to it.
- (cell phone rings)
- Standard tap procedure.
- Let's check the signal, folks.
- Lock it in.
- Are we set?
- Checking source.
- Unknown number.
(cell phone rings)
Yes.
(Ian) Hello. Ben. How are you?
- Um, chained to a desk.
- Sorry to hear that.
I want you to meet me on the flight deck
of the USS Intrepid.
- You know where that is?
- New York.
Meet me there at ten o'clock
tomorrow morning.
And bring those glasses
you found at Independence Hall.
Yeah. I know about the glasses.
We can take a look at the Declaration,
and then you can be on your way.
And I'm supposed to believe that.
I told you from the start.
I only wanted to borrow it.
You can have it. And the glasses.
I'll even throw in the pipe
from the Charlotte.
I'll be there.
And tell the FBI agents
listening in on this call
if they want the Declaration back.
And not just a box of confetti.
Then you'll come alone.
- (Sadusky on radio) Take positions.
- Perimeter looks normal.
- (man) Can I get a status report?
- Crow's nest in position. Port side is quiet.
(man) Copy that.
- Gates is on the flight deck.
- Eyes on Gates.
- Do not lose sight of primary mark.
- Brian. You're clear with N YPD.
- I have a visual.
- Gates.
Stay with the program.
I hope your agents are all under four feet
tall and wearing little scarves.
Otherwise Ian's gonna know they're here.
As soon as he shows you the Declaration.
We'll move in.
Don't try anything.
Just let us handle it.
You know, Agent Sadusky,
something I've noticed about fishing:
It never works out so well for the bait.
Sir, we've got some traffic incoming.
Looks like a sightseeing helicopter.
Unit two,
get an eyeball on that chopper.
Agent Michaels, get FAA flight plans
and authorization records on that craft.
If that's not Mr. Howe,
I want to know who it is.
- I got him. He's coming from the north.
- Gates. Are you with me?
Well, I'm sure not against you,
if that's what you're asking.
(white noise)
(Gates drowned out by interference)
We've got some interference
on Gates's mike, sir.
This I know.
(Shaw) Hello, Ben.
Thomas Edison needed only one way
to make a light bulb.
Sound familiar?
- Keep sightlines clear.
- (Sadusky) What's the devil's going on?
There's a lot of commotion.
We can't see Gates.
Go to the starboard observation point
behind the F-16 and here's what you do.
(heavy interference)
Gates? Gates?
(over PA) Air Tour helicopter.
You are in controlled airspace.
Vacate immediately.
(Sadusky) Who's got Gates?
- All agents. Report in.
- (agent) I can't see anything.
- (Sadusky) Did Gates speak to anybody?
- Target is moving.
- He's heading towards the stern.
- I've got him. He's coming this way.
Anyone got a view of our friend Ian Howe?
Ian Howe is not at the stern, sir.
Then why is he heading there?
He's at the observation deck.
Sadusky.
I'm still not against you.
But I found door number three.
And I'm taking it.
- What's he talking about?
- Move in!
Move in! Move in on Gates!
Divers are a go.
- Snipers, go to action zebra.
- All teams, move in. Pursue at own risk.
- I repeat. Pursue at own risk.
- You first.
Holy mackerel. He set us up.
(Sadusky) Agent Dawes. Do you have
a visual? Can you see Gates in the water?
Sir, it's the Hudson. Nothing is visible.
Smart fish.
Hello, Ben. Welcome to New Jersey.
- What'd you do with Abigail and Riley?
- Hope these fit.
We had to guess your sizes.
I said, what'd you do
with Abigail and Riley?
He's the only one who could've
told you that line about Edison.
Did you bring the glasses?
I don't know.
Tell me what's happening here.
Ask your girlfriend.
She's the one calling all the shots now.
She won't shut up.
(cell phone rings)
Yeah, hello.
It's for you.
- Hello.
- Hi, sweetie. How's your day going?
Uh. Interesting. Dear.
So, what, you working with Ian now?
It turns out helping someone escape
from FBI custody is a criminal act.
And he's the only criminal we knew.
- So we called him and made a deal.
- Well, you're, um...
(coughs)
You're... you're... you're all right, yeah?
I mean you're safe?
Yeah, we both are.
Riley's right here, doing
something clever with a computer.
I'm tracking him through the... Hey!
I'm tracking you through the GPS
in Shaw's phone.
They take a turn anywhere we don't want,
we'll know it. So don't worry.
If Ian tries to double-cross us, we can call
the FBI and tell them right where you are.
- And where to find Ian.
- And where is that?
Right across the street
from where we're hiding,
at the intersection
of Wall Street and Broadway.
Well, you figured out the clue.
Simple. "Heere at the wall."
Wall Street and Broadway.
Ben, there is a catch.
We made Ian believe
he could have the treasure.
It was the only way
we could get this far.
He's here.
(Riley) Here we go.
Ben.
You all right? No broken bones?
A jump like that could kill a man.
Naw, it was cool.
You should try it sometime.
The Declaration of Independence.
And the meerschaum pipe.
All yours.
- That's it?
- That's it.
I knew you'd keep your promise.
Now, where is it? Where's my treasure?
It's right here.
The map said "Heere at the wall,"
spelled with two E's.
Wall Street follows the path
of an actual wall
that the original Dutch settlers built
as a defense to keep the British out.
The main gate was located at a street
called De Heere, also two E's.
Later De Heere Street was renamed
Broadway after the British got in.
So, "Heere at the wall."
Broadway, Wall Street.
(English accent) Cheerio.
Just a moment, Ben.
Ian, if you break our deal, the FBI
will be only a few minutes behind you.
You might get away, you might not.
Is that all the map said?
Every word.
Oh, Ben.
You know the key
to running a convincing bluff?
Every once in a while
you've got to be holding all the cards.
Dad.
Is there anything else you want to tell me?
Trinity Church. We have to go
inside Trinity Church.
Good. Excellent.
Well, why don't you ask Dr. Chase
and Riley to join us?
I'm sure they're around here somewhere.
Are you all right?
What do you think? I'm a hostage.
Sit. Sit down.
- Let him go, Ian.
- When we find the treasure.
No, now. Or you can figure out
the clues for yourself.
Good luck.
Ben.
I don't think you fully appreciate
the gravity of the situation.
Let's have a look at that map.
It's, uh...
It's... it's really quite something. It's, uh...
It really is remarkable. Take a look.
- (Ian) "Parkington Lane."
- "Beneath Parkington Lane."
But why would the map lead us here,
then take us somewhere else?
- What's the purpose?
- (Patrick) Just another clue.
Dad. No, you're right. Parkington Lane
has to be here somewhere.
A street inside the church?
Not inside. Beneath.
Beneath the church.
- I'm so sorry, Ben.
- None of this is your fault.
- I co...
- Come on.
Look.
Cooperation only lasts as long
as the status quo is unchanged.
As soon as this guy gets to wherever this
thing ends, he won't need you anymore.
Or... or any of us.
So we find a way to make sure
the status quo changes in our favor.
- How?
- I'm still working on it.
Well, I guess I better
work on it too, then.
Hey! Par... Hey, I found it!
- Him!
- Ben!
It's a name.
Parkington Lane.
He was a third-degree master mason
of the Blue Lo...
Hey! Stop!
Easy.
- Whoa!
- Oh!
Careful no one steps in him.
All right, put it down.
OK. Who wants to go down
the creepy tunnel inside the tomb first?
Right. McGregor, Viktor, you stay here.
And if anyone should come out without me,
well... use your imagination.
Shall we?
You got a light?
(Ben) Careful.
Watch your step.
Come here.
Why does that never happen to me?
What's this?
It's a chandelier.
Here.
- (Riley) Wow.
- (Ben) Look at the elevators.
(Patrick) A dumbwaiter system.
How do a bunch of guys with hand tools
build all this?
Same way they built the pyramids
and the Great Wall of China.
Yeah. The aliens helped them.
Right, let's go. What are we waiting for?
I'm not going out on that thing.
Dad, do what he says.
(Patrick) Watch your step.
We're right under the Trinity graveyard.
That's probably why
no one ever found this.
(rumbling)
What is that?
(rumbling fades)
Subway.
Shaw! Oh, God, Shaw!
(yells)
(Abigail) Oh, my God.
Hold on! Hold on!
OK, get on the elevator. Jump!
(Abigail) Ben! Grab my hand.
- Come on.
- Ian!
Abigail! Get on!
Jump!
Here.
(screaming)
Ben!
Get down there.
Get down there!
The Declaration.
- Do you trust me?
- Yes.
Oh, no! Ben!
Oh!
Hang on!
Son!
I'm sorry. I'm sorry I dropped you.
I had to save the Declaration.
No, don't be. I would have done
exactly the same thing to you.
Really?
I would have dropped you both.
Freaks.
Get on.
Ian...
it's not worth it.
Do you imagine any one of your lives
is more valuable to me than Shaw's?
We go on.
The status quo.
Keep the status quo.
- (Riley) Now what?
- (Patrick) This is...
This is where it all leads.
OK, let's go.
What is this?
So where's the treasure?
Well?
This is it?
We came all this way
for a dead end?
Yes.
(laughs)
- There's gotta be something more.
- Riley, there's nothing more.
- Another clue, or...
- No, there are no more clues!
That's it, OK? It's over!
End of the road. The treasure's gone.
Moved. Taken somewhere else.
You're not playing games with me,
are you, Ben? Hm?
You know where it is.
No.
OK, go.
Hey, wait a minute.
- (Riley) Hey! Ian, wait!
- (Patrick) Wait, wait, wait!
- (Abigail) Ian...
- (Riley) We'll be trapped.
- (Ben) Don't do this.
- You can't just leave us here.
Yes, I can.
Unless Ben tells me the next clue.
There isn't another clue.
Ian, why don't you come back down here
and we can talk through this together?
- Don't speak again.
- OK.
The clue. Where's the treasure?
Ben?
- The lantern.
- Dad...
The status quo has changed, son.
Don't.
It's part of freemason teachings.
In King Solomon's temple
there was a winding staircase.
It signified the journey that had to be made
to find the light of truth.
- The lantern is the clue.
- And what does it mean?
Boston. It's Boston.
The Old North Church in Boston,
where Thomas Newton
hung a lantern in the steeple,
to signal Paul Revere that the British
were coming. One if by land, two if by sea.
One lantern. Under the winding staircase
of the steeple, that's where we have to look.
- Thank you.
- Hey, you have to take us with you.
Why? So you can escape in Boston?
Besides, with you out of the picture
there's less baggage to carry.
What if we lied?
Did you?
What if there's another clue?
Then I'll know right where to find you.
See you, Ben.
- No!
- (Riley) There's no other way out!
- (Abigail) Come back!
- You're gonna need us, Ian!
We're all gonna die.
It's gonna be OK, Riley.
I'm sorry I yelled at you.
It's OK, kiddo.
OK, boys, what's going on? The British
came by sea. It was two lanterns, not one.
Ian needed another clue,
so we gave it to him.
It was a fake.
It was a fake clue.
The all-seeing eye.
"Through the all-seeing eye."
That means... by the time Ian
figures it out and comes back here,
we'll still be trapped,
and he'll shoot us then.
Either way, we're gonna die.
Nobody's gonna die.
There's another way out.
Where?
Through the treasure room.
Here.
Riley.
Looks like someone got here first.
I'm sorry, Ben.
It's gone.
- Listen, Ben...
- It may have even been gone
before Charles Carroll
told the story to Thomas Gates.
It doesn't matter.
I know. 'Cause you were right.
No, I wasn't right.
This room is real, Ben.
And that means the treasure is real.
We're in the company of
some of the most brilliant minds in history,
because you found
what they left behind for us to find
and understood the meaning of it.
You did it, Ben. For all of us.
Your grandfather, and all of us.
And I've never been so happy
to be proven wrong.
I just...
really thought
I was gonna find the treasure.
OK.
Then we just keep looking for it.
I'm in.
OK.
Not to be Johnny Rain Cloud here,
but that's not gonna happen.
Because as far as I can see,
we're still trapped down here.
(Abigail) Yeah.
(Riley) Now, Ben,
where is this other way out?
Well, that's it.
It doesn't make any sense,
because the first thing the builders
would have done after getting down here
was cut a secondary shaft back out for air...
- Right.
...and in case of cave-ins.
Could it really be that simple?
"The secret lies with Charlotte."
(gasps)
Scrolls from the library at Alexandria.
Could this be possible?
(gasps)
It's a big... bluish-green man,
with a strange-looking goatee.
I'm guessing that's significant.
Yes!
Riley, are you crying?
Look.
Stairs.
(thud)
(coughs)
Hi.
Do you have a cell phone I could borrow?
- Just like that?
- Just like that.
You do know you just handed me
your biggest bargaining chip?
The Declaration of Independence
is not a bargaining chip.
Not to me.
Have a seat.
- So what's your offer?
- Oh...
How about a bribe? Say, uh...
ten billion dollars?
I take it you found the treasure?
It's about five stories
beneath your shoes.
Hm.
You know, the Templars
and the Freemasons believed
that the treasure was too great
for any one man to have, not even a king.
That's why they went to such lengths
to keep it hidden.
That's right.
The Founding Fathers believed
the same thing about government.
I figure their solution
will work for the treasure too.
Give it to the people.
Divide it amongst the Smithsonian,
the Louvre, the Cairo museum...
There's thousands of years
of world history down there.
And it belongs to the world,
and everybody in it.
You really don't understand
the concept of a bargaining chip.
OK, here's what I want.
Dr. Chase gets off completely clean,
not even a little Post-it
on her service record.
OK.
I want the credit for the find
to go to the entire Gates family,
with the assistance of Mr. Riley Poole.
And what about you?
I'd really love not to go to prison.
I can't even begin to describe
how much I would love not to go to prison.
Someone's got to go to prison, Ben.
Well, if you've got a helicopter,
I think I can help with that.
- (man) Freeze! FBI!
- (sirens)
- Freeze! Don't move!
- Show me your hands!
- Put your hands up.
- Move, move, move.
You're under arrest, Mr. Howe.
We've got you on kidnapping,
attempted murder...
and trespassing on government property.
Yeah. You got it, chief.
Thank you. Bye.
They want us in Cairo next week
for the opening of the exhibit.
They're sending a private jet.
That's fun.
Yeah, big whoop. We could have had
a whole fleet of private jets.
Ten percent, Ben. They offered you
ten percent and you turned it down.
Riley, we've been over this.
It was too much. I couldn't accept it.
I still have this splinter that's been festering
for three months from an old piece of wood.
OK, I'll tell you what.
Next time we find a treasure
that redefines history for all mankind,
you make the call on the finder's fee.
That's not as funny.
What do you care?
You got the girl.
- It's true.
- It's true.
Rub it in.
Enjoy your spoils...
while I sit on one percent.
One stinkin' percent.
Half of one percent, actually.
One percent. Unbelievable.
I'm sorry for your suffering, Riley.
For the record, Ben,
I like the house.
You know, I chose this estate
because in 1812 Charles Carroll met...
Yeah, someone that did something
in history and had fun. Great. Wonderful.
Could have had a bigger house.
(crunches gears)
- I made something for you.
- You did? What?
- A map.
- A map?
Where does it lead to?
You'll figure it out.
(she laughs)
(floorboard creaks)
Grandpa!
You're not supposed to be up here,
looking at that.
I just wanted to know.
Well, you're old enough, I suppose.
You should know the story.
OK, here we go.
It was 1832.
On a night much like this.
Yah!
Charles Carroll was the last surviving
signer of the Declaration of Independence.
He was also a member
of a secret society known as the Masons.
And he knew he was dying.
He woke up his stable boy
in the middle of the night
and ordered him to take him to
the White House to see Andrew Jackson.
Because it was urgent
that he speak to the president.
Did he talk to him?
No. He never got the chance.
The president wasn't there that night.
But Charles Carroll had a secret.
So he took into his confidence
the one person he could,
my grandfather's grandfather,
Thomas Gates.
What was the secret?
A treasure.
A treasure beyond all imagining.
A treasure that had been
fought over for centuries
by tyrants. Pharaohs.
Emperors. Warlords.
And every time it changed hands
it grew larger.
And then suddenly...
it vanished.
It didn't reappear
for more than a thousand years.
When knights from the First Crusade
discovered secret vaults
beneath the Temple of Solomon.
You see. The knights who found the vaults
believed that the treasure
was too great for any one man -
not even a king.
They brought the treasure back to Europe
and took the name "the Knights Templar."
Over the next century
they smuggled it out of Europe
and they formed a new brotherhood
called the Freemasons.
In honor of
the builders of the great temple.
War followed.
By the time of the American Revolution
the treasure had been hidden again.
By then the Masons included
George Washington.
Benjamin Franklin. Paul Revere.
They knew they had to make sure
the treasure would never fall
into the hands of the British.
So they devised a series of clues
and maps to its location.
Over time the clues were lost or forgotten,
until only one remained -
and that was the secret that Charles Carroll
entrusted to young Thomas Gates.
Charlotte.
"The secret lies with Charlotte."
Who's Charlotte?
Oh... not even Mr. Carroll knew that.
Now look here, Ben.
The Freemasons
among our Founding Fathers left us clues.
Like these.
The unfinished pyramid.
The all-seeing eye.
Symbols of the Knights Templar,
guardians of the treasure.
- They're speaking to us through these.
- (man) You mean laughing at us.
You know what that dollar represents?
The entire Gates family fortune.
Six generations of fools...
chasing after fool's gold.
(Grandpa) It's not about the money,
Patrick. It's never been about the money.
Come on, son. Time to go.
You can... say your goodbyes.
Grandpa?
Hm?
Are we knights?
(chuckles)
Do you want to be?
All right. Um... kneel.
Benjamin Franklin Gates,
you take upon yourself the duty
of the Templars, the Freemasons
and the family Gates.
Do you so swear?
I so swear.
(man) I was thinking about
Henson and Peary,
crossing this kind of terrain with nothing
more than dog sleds and on foot.
- Can you imagine?
- It's extraordinary.
(beeping)
We getting closer?
Assuming Ben's theory's correct
and my tracking model's accurate,
we should be getting very close.
But don't go by me -
I broke a shoelace this morning.
- It's... it's a bad omen.
- Shall we turn around and go home?
Or we could pull over
and just throw him out here.
OK.
Riley, you're not missing that little
windowless cubicle we found you in?
No, no. Absolutely not.
(continuous beep)
Why are we stopping?
I thought we were looking for a ship.
- I don't see any ship.
- She's out there.
(beeping)
Look... this is a waste of time.
How could a ship wind up way out here?
Well, I'm no expert, but...
it could be that the hydrothermic properties
of this region
produce hurricane-force ice storms
that cause the ocean to freeze
and then melt and then refreeze,
resulting in a semisolid
migrating land mass
that would land a ship right around here.
(beeping continues)
(beeping quickens)
(continuous beeping)
(clank)
Hello, beautiful.
(man) Have Viktor
check the fuel in the generators.
Two years ago, if you hadn't shown up,
hadn't believed the treasure was real,
I don't know
if I ever would have found Charlotte.
You would have found it, I have no doubt.
That's why I didn't think it was
as crazy an investment as everyone said.
(Ben) I'm just relieved that I'm not as crazy
as everyone says. Or said my dad was.
- Or my granddad. Or my great-granddad.
- (chuckling)
OK!
Let's go!
- Let's go find some treasure.
- Yeah, bring us back something.
Urgh.
(terrified gasps)
Oh, God!
You handled that well.
This is it.
It's the cargo hold.
Do you think it's in the barrels?
Gunpowder.
Ooh! Ooh! OK...
Why would the captain
be guarding this barrel?
I found something!
What is it?
Do you guys know what this is?
Is it a billion-dollar pipe?
It's a meerschaum pipe.
Ah, that is beautiful.
Look at the intricacy of the scrollwork
on the stem.
- Is it a million-dollar pipe?
- No, it's a clue.
Let me see that.
No, don't break it!
We are one step closer to the treasure,
gentlemen.
Ben, I thought you said that
the treasure would be on the Charlotte.
No, "The secret lies with Charlotte."
I said it could be here.
It's Templar symbols.
"The legend writ."
"The stain effected."
"The key in Silence undetected."
"Fifty-five in iron pen."
"Mr. Matlack can't offend."
It's a riddle.
I need to think.
"The legend writ."
"The stain effected."
What legend?
There's the legend of the Templar treasure,
and the stain effects the legend.
How?
"The key in Silence undetected."
Wait.
The legend and the key...
Now there's something.
A map.
Maps have legends, maps have keys.
It's a map, an invisible map.
So now...
Wait a minute. What do you mean,
"invisible" - "an invisible map"?
"The stain effected"
could refer to a dye or a reagent
used to bring about a certain result.
Combined with
"The key in Silence undetected,"
the implication is that the effect is to make
what was undetectable detectable.
Unless...
"The key in Silence" could be...
Prison.
Albuquerque.
See, I can do it too.
Snorkel.
That's where the map is.
Like he said, "Fifty-five in iron pen."
"Iron pen" is a prison.
Or it could be, since the primary writing
medium of the time was iron gall ink,
the "pen" is... just a pen.
But then why not say a pen?
Why... why say "iron pen"?
'Cause it's a prison.
Wait a minute. "Iron pen" - the "iron"
does not describe the ink in the pen,
it describes what was penned.
It was "iron" -
it was firm, it was mineral...
No, no, no, that's stupid.
It was... It was firm,
it was adamant, it was resolved.
It was resolved.
"Mr. Matlack can't offend."
Timothy Matlack was the official scribe
of the Continental Congress.
Calligrapher, not writer. And to make sure
he could not offend the map,
it was put on the back of a resolution
that he transcribed,
a resolution that 55 men signed.
The Declaration of Independence.
Oh!
Come on, there's no invisible map on the
back of the Declaration of Independence.
That's clever, really.
A document of that importance
would ensure the map's survival.
And you said there were several Masons
signed it, yeah?
Yeah. Nine, for sure.
We'll have to arrange a way to examine it.
This is one of the most important
documents in history.
They're not just gonna let us waltz in there
and run chemical tests on it.
- Then what do you propose we do?
- I don't know!
We could borrow it.
Steal it?
- I don't think so.
- Ben...
the treasure of the Knights Templar
is the treasure of all treasures.
Oh, I didn't know that.
Really?
Look, Ben... I understand your bitterness.
I really do.
You've spent your entire life
searching for this treasure,
only to have
the respected historical community
treat you and your family
with mockery and contempt.
You should be able to rub this treasure
in their arrogant faces,
and I want you to have
the chance to do that.
How?
We all have our areas of expertise.
You don't think mine are limited
to writing checks, do you?
In another life...
I arranged a number of operations of...
questionable legality.
I'd take his word for it, if I were you.
So don't worry.
I'll make all the arrangements.
No.
I'd really need your help here.
Ian... I'm not gonna let you steal
the Declaration of Independence.
OK.
From this point on
all you're going to be is a hindrance.
Hey!
What are you gonna do?
Are you gonna shoot me, Shaw?
Well, you can't shoot me.
There's more to the riddle.
Information you don't have. I do.
I'm the only one who can figure it out,
and you know that.
He's bluffing.
We played poker together, Ian.
You know I can't bluff.
Tell me what I need to know, Ben,
or I'll shoot your friend.
Hey!
Quiet, Riley!
Your job's finished here.
Look where you're standing.
All that gunpowder.
You shoot me,
I drop this, we all go up.
Ben...
What happens when the flare burns down?
Tell me what I need to know, Ben.
You need to know...
if Shaw can catch.
Nice try, though.
Get out, Shaw!
Fool!
Riley, get over here!
- What is this?
- Smuggler's hold. Get in!
Move! Get out of here!
- What?
- Move! Get out!
Follow me.
Let's go, let's go!
She's gonna blow!
Get down.
OK, let's go.
Before someone sees the smoke.
(Riley coughing and spluttering)
There's an Inuit village
about nine miles east of here.
- It's popular with bush pilots.
- All right.
(Riley pants exhaustedly)
- Then what are we gonna do?
- Start making our way back home.
No, I meant about Ian. He's gonna steal
the Declaration of Independence, Ben.
We stop him.
(Riley) Is it really so hard to believe
that someone's gonna try to steal
the Declaration of Independence?
(Ben) The FBI gets 10,000 tips a week.
They're not gonna worry about
something they're sure is safe.
But anyone that can do anything
is gonna think we're crazy.
Anyone crazy enough to believe us
isn't gonna want to help.
We don't need someone crazy. But one
step short of crazy, what do you get?
Obsessed.
Passionate.
Excuse me.
- Dr. Chase can see you now, Mr. Brown.
- Thank you.
(softly) Mr. Brown?
The family name doesn't get a lot
of respect in the academic community.
Huh. Being kept down by the man.
A very cute man.
Thank you.
- Good afternoon, gentlemen.
- Hi.
- Abigail Chase.
- Paul Brown.
- Nice to meet you.
- Bill.
Nice to meet you, Bill.
- How may I help you?
- Your accent. Pennsylvania Dutch?
- Saxony German.
- Oh!
- You're not American?
- Oh, I am an American.
I just wasn't born here.
Please don't touch that!
Sorry. A neat collection.
George Washington's campaign buttons.
You're missing the 1789 inaugural, though.
- I found one once.
- That's very fortunate for you.
Now, you told my assistant
that this was an urgent matter.
Ah. Yes, ma'am.
Well, I'm gonna get straight to the point.
Someone's gonna steal
the Declaration of Independence.
It's true.
I think I'd better put you gentlemen
in touch with the FBI.
- We've been to the FBI.
- And?
They assured us that the Declaration
cannot possibly be stolen.
- They're right.
- My friend and I are less certain.
However, if we were given the privilege
of examining the document...
we would be able to tell you for certain
if it were actually in any danger.
What do you think you're gonna find?
We believe that there's an...
encryption on the back.
- An encryption, like a code?
- Yes, ma'am.
Of what?
Uh... a cartograph.
- A map.
- Yes, ma'am.
A map of what?
The location of... (nervously clears throat)
...of hidden items
of historic and intrinsic value.
- A treasure map?
- That's where we lost the FBI.
You're treasure-hunters, aren't you?
We're more like treasure-protectors.
Mr. Brown, I have personally seen the back
of the Declaration of Independence,
and I promise you, the only thing there
is a notation that reads,
"Original Declaration of Independence,
dated...
"Four of July, 1776." Yes, ma'am.
But no map.
(exasperated sigh)
It's invisible.
Oh! Right.
And that's where we lost
the Department of Homeland Security.
What led you to assume
there's this invisible map?
We found an engraving
on the stem of a 200-year-old pipe.
Owned by Freemasons.
- May I see the pipe?
- Uh, we don't have it.
- Did Big Foot take it?
- It was nice meeting you.
Nice to meet you, too.
And, you know,
that really is a nice collection.
Must have taken you a long time
to hunt down all that history.
If it's any consolation,
you had me convinced.
It's not.
I was thinking, what if we go public,
plaster the story all over the Internet?
It's not like
we have our reputations to worry about.
Although I don't think
that's exactly gonna scare Ian away.
and I'm three feet away.
Of all the ideas
that became the United States,
there's a line here
that's at the heart of all the others.
"But when a long train of abuses
and usurpations,
pursuing invariably the same object,
evinces a design to reduce them
under absolute despotism,
it is their right, it is their duty
to throw off such government
and provide new guards
for their future security."
People don't talk that way anymore.
Beautiful, huh?
- No idea what you said.
- It means, if there's something wrong,
those who have the ability to take action
have the responsibility to take action.
I'm gonna steal it.
(scoffs) What?
I'm gonna steal
the Declaration of Independence.
Uh... Ben?
(Riley) This is... huge.
It's prison huge.
You are gonna go to prison,
you know that?
Yeah, probably.
So that would bother most people.
Ian's gonna try and steal it. And if he
succeeds, he'll destroy the Declaration.
The fact is, the only way to protect
the Declaration is to steal it.
It's upside down.
I don't think there's a choice.
Ben, for God's sakes,
it's like stealing a national monument. OK?
It's like stealing him.
It can't be done. Not shouldn't be done.
It can't be done.
Let me prove it to you.
OK, Ben, pay attention.
I've brought you to the Library of Congress.
Why? Because it's the biggest library
in the world.
Over 20 million books.
And they're all saying
the same exact thing:
Listen to Riley.
What we have here, my friend,
is an entire layout of the archives.
Short of builders' blueprints.
You've got construction orders,
phone lines,
water and sewage -
it's all here.
Now, when the Declaration
is on display, OK,
it is surrounded by guards
and video monitors
and a little family from Iowa and little kids
on their eighth-grade field trip.
And beneath an inch of bulletproof glass
is an army of sensors and heat monitors
that will go off if someone gets too close
with a high fever.
Now, when it's not on display,
it is lowered into a four-foot-thick
concrete, steel-plated vault...
that happens to be equipped
with an electronic combination lock
and biometric access-denial systems.
You know, Thomas Edison tried and failed
nearly 2,000 times
to develop the carbonized cotton-thread
filament for the incandescent light bulb.
Edison?
When asked about it,
he said, "I didn't fail,
I found out 2,000 ways
how not to make a light bulb."
But he only needed to find one way
to make it work.
The Preservation Room.
Enjoy. Go ahead.
Do you know
what the Preservation Room is for?
Delicious jams and jellies?
No. That's where they clean,
repair and maintain
all the documents
and the storage housings
when they're not on display or in the vault.
Now, when the case needs work they take
it out of the vault, directly across the hall
and into the Preservation Room.
The best time for us. Or Ian. To steal it
would be during the gala this weekend
when the guards are distracted
by the VIPs upstairs.
But we'll make our way to the Preservation
Room, where there's much less security.
Huh.
Well, if Ian...
Uh...
Preservation... Hm.
The gala, huh?
This might be possible.
It might.
Ah...
And we are in.
There you are.
(British accent) Hello.
The hallway.
That's what I want.
Game on.
I'll buy that.
Cool.
This just came for you.
I hope it's not from Stan.
"For the woman who has everything else...
Thanks for listening. Paul Brown."
(insistent beeping)
(rings)
Abigail Chase.
Hey, Mike.
- (man #1) Let's do this by the book.
- (man #2) Hallway is secure.
- (man #1) Keep the document level.
- (man #2) No problem.
(Abigail) What have you got?
(man) The heat sensor went off
in the Declaration frame.
(Abigail) Run full diagnostics.
Then I want them all changed out.
Our evil plan is working.
Ben, are you sure that we should?
(Ben) Riley.
- Can you hear me?
- Unfortunately. Yeah.
We're all set in here.
You want to go around to the front
and present your invitation.
You're gonna have to show ID.
Go ahead, man.
Howdy.
I need your invitation
and your ID, please.
(Riley) How do you look?
- Not bad.
- Mazel tov.
This is it.
For you.
- Oh, Mr. Brown.
- Dr. Chase.
- (Abigail) What are you doing here?
- Is that that hot girl?
- How does she look?
- I made a last-minute donation. A big one.
Well, on that subject,
thank you for your wonderful gift.
- Oh, you did get it? Good.
- Yes, thank you.
You know, I really couldn't accept
something like that normally, but...
I really want it.
- Well, you needed it.
- Come on. Romeo. Get outta there.
I have been wondering, though,
what the engraving indicated
- on the pipe that Big Foot took.
- (man) Hi.
- Here you go.
- Oh, Dr. Herbert, this is Mr. Brown.
- Hi.
- Hi there.
- (Riley) Who's the stiff?
- Here, why don't you let me take that?
- So you can take that off his hands.
- (Abigail) Thank you.
A toast, yeah?
To high treason.
That's what these men were committing
when they signed the Declaration.
Had we lost the war, they would have been
hanged, beheaded, drawn and quartered,
and - Oh! Oh, my personal favorite -
and had their entrails cut out and burned!
So, here's to the men
who did what was considered wrong
in order to do what they knew was right.
What they knew was right.
Well, good night.
- Good night.
- Good night.
(Ian) Yeah!
OK, go! Go!
This better work.
Clear!
- On.
- Door one. 30 seconds.
How does it look?
It's working.
It's working...
Unbelievable.
Second door. 90 seconds.
(beep)
(beep)
Well done, boys. Let's go.
- We're in the elevator.
- OK.
I'm gonna turn off
the surveillance cameras. Ready?
In five. Four.
Three... Now.
Ben Gates,
you are now the Invisible Man.
- I'm here.
- Give me the letters for her password.
What do you got for me?
Hit me with it.
A-E-F-G...
L-O-R-V-Y.
Anagrams being listed.
OK.
Top results: "A glove fry."
"A very golf."
"Fargo levy."
"Gravy floe. Valey frog."
Also "Ago fly rev."
Uh..."Grove fly a."
"Are fly gov."
"Era fly gov."
- "Elf gov ray."
- It's "Valley Forge."
"Valley For..."
I don't have that on my computer.
It's "Valley Forge" -
she pressed the E and L twice.
(Ben) We're in.
(Riley in British accent) Hello.
Ben, you're doing great.
Ben, pick it up.
You got about one...
We own video.
- I lost my feed.
- What?
I lost my feed, Ben.
I don't know where anyone is.
I have nothing.
Ben, I have no...
Ben, I have nothing.
Get out of there.
Get out of there now.
I'm taking the whole thing.
I'll get it out in the elevator.
What are you talking about?
Is it heavy?
Shaw. Door three, one minute.
Gates.
What was that?
Who's shooting?
- Damn.
- He's got the bloody map!
Are you still there? Ben?
I'm in the elevator.
- Ians here. There was, uh, shooting.
- I hate that guy.
Hey, Rebecca.
Do you have a Paul Brown on that list?
Paul Brown?
Uh, no. Not here.
Have a good night.
Are you trying to steal that?
Oh, uh...
It's $35.
- For this?
- Yeah.
- That's a lot.
- Hey, I don't make the prices.
It's, um...
I have $32...
We take Visa.
This is Mike. Sublevel three.
I have an alert.
(sings) Where are you, Ben?
- Where are you?
- Stop talking.
Start the van.
Ben, the...
the mean Declaration lady's behind you.
Hey.
Oh, it's you. Hello.
Mr. Brown, what's going on?
What's that?
- It's a souvenir.
- Really?
Stop chatting and get in the van.
Code red. Code red.
We have a break-in.
Lock it down. Nobody leaves the building.
Get the FBI on the phone.
- Did you enjoy the party?
- Yeah.
(alarm)
- Oh, my God.
- Oh, my God! You did not?
- No...
- Security! Over here!
- Give me that!
- It's yours. Take it.
- Security!
- Uh-uh-uh.
- Over here! Security!
- Got you.
Go.
Viktor! Move!
- We can't just let her go!
- We can. Go!
- Security, over here!
- Wait. No, hold it.
Hold it!
- Wha?
- Oh, bad.
- What do you want?
- Give me the document.
Bad, bad, bad!
- Let me go!
- Just bring her!
No! No!
- That's...
- Go! Go!
(sirens approaching)
And just who might you be?
- Once we catch them what do we do?
- I'm working on it.
Right turn, right turn.
Why don't you just pass me that
document? Then we can all go home.
(horn blares)
Oh, no.
Skidding, skidding, skidding.
- Oh, no!
- Holy Lord!
- Help!
- No! If she falls, the document falls.
Get me next to her.
(horn blares)
- Thank you.
- No!
Got it. Go on.
Abigail!
- Come on. Jump.
- (screams)
- We lost them.
- That's all right. This... is what we need.
Well done, Gates. Well done.
- (Ben) Are you all right?
- No! Those lunatics...
- You're not hurt, are you?
- You are all lunatics!
- Are you hungry?
- What?!
Are you all right?
Still a little on edge from being shot at,
but I'll be OK. Thanks for asking.
Yeah, well, I'm not all right. Those men
have the Declaration of Independence!
- She lost it?!
- They don't have it.
See? OK?
Now could you please stop shouting?
- Give me that!
- You're still shouting. It's starting to annoy.
You'd do well, Dr. Chase,
to be a bit more civilized in this instance.
If this is the real one, what did they get?
A souvenir.
I thought it'd be a good idea to have
a duplicate. It turned out I was right.
I actually had to pay for the souvenir and
the real one, so you owe me $35, plus tax.
- Genius.
- Who were those men?
Just the guys we warned you
were gonna steal the Declaration.
And you didn't believe us.
We did the only thing we could do
to keep it safe.
Verdammt! Give me that!
You know something?
You're shouting again.
I'm pretty sure she was swearing, too.
Well, we probably deserve that.
(man) Ladies and gentlemen...
Ladies and gentlemen, my name is
Peter Sadusky. I'm the agent in charge.
I wanna reassure you,
you are not in danger in any way.
If we all cooperate, we'll get through this
with as little frustration as possible.
Thank you.
Get positive IDs. Search everyone,
including the security staff.
If they refuse,
detain them and get warrants.
- (clears throat)
- Agent Hendricks? You have something?
Um...
- This isn't a day for "Um..."
- We got a tip several days ago
that someone was going to steal
the Declaration of Independence.
Do we have a name on the tipster?
There was no file opened.
We didn't find the information credible.
How about now?
There is not a treasure map on the back
of the Declaration of Independence.
And there's no chance
anyone can steal this either.
I leveled with you 100 percent.
Everything I told you was the truth.
I want that document, Mr. Brown.
OK, my name's not Brown.
It's Gates.
I leveled with you 98 percent.
Wait a minute, did you just say "Gates"?
Gates?
You're that family with the conspiracy
theory about the Founding Fathers?
- It's not a conspiracy theory.
- Per se.
You know what? I take it back.
You're not liars. You're insane.
There's a copy of the Declaration
on display now?
- Yes, we decided to...
- Leave it there.
The guests know something happened,
but they don't know what.
They got him with a Taser at the service
entrance. He doesn't remember a thing.
Also, we found bullet casings.
Did we get a description
from the other guards?
- Which guards?
- The guards that were fired upon.
There weren't any other guards
on patrol down here.
So...
who was shooting,
who were they shooting at,
and why weren't they getting along?
You can't seriously intend
to run chemical tests
on the Declaration of Independence
in the back of a moving van.
We have a clean-room environment
all set up.
EDS suits, a particulate air filtration
system, the whole shebang.
- Really?
- We can't go back there.
What? Why not?
This is the guy. Dr. Herbert said
Dr. Chase introduced him as Mr. Brown.
Not on the guestlist.
Now, the gift-store clerk - she said
he seemed... Well, she said "flustered."
He tried to walk out with a copy
of the Declaration of Independence
without paying.
He paid with a Visa.
"Charge to Benjamin Gates."
A credit-card slip?
Dude, we're on the grid.
They'll have your records from forever.
They'll have my records from forever.
I know. I know. It's only a matter of minutes
before the FBI shows up at my front door.
What do we do?
- We need those letters.
- What letters?
(Ben) You know, get off the road,
take a right.
(Abigail) What letters?
You have the original Silence Dogood
letters? Did you steal those, too?
We have scans of the originals.
- Quiet, please.
- How'd you get scans?
Oh, I know the person
who has the originals. Now shush.
- Why do you need them?
- She really can't shut her mouth, can she?
I'll tell you what, look.
I will let you hold onto this
if you'll promise to shut up, please.
Thank you.
- Ben, you know what you have to do.
- I know what to do.
I'm just trying to think
of anything else we could do.
Well, not to be a, uh, nudge,
but you do realize how many people
we have after us.
We probably have
our own satellite by now.
It took you all of two seconds to decide
to steal the Declaration of Independence.
Yeah, but I didn't think I was gonna
personally have to tell my dad about it.
Hey, not cool! Not cool!
Let me go!
OK. You're let go. Go, shoo.
I'm not going. Not without the Declaration.
You're not going with the Declaration.
Yes, I am. I'm not letting it
out of my sight, so I'm going.
Wait. You're not going with us
with the Declaration.
- Yes, I am.
- No, you're not.
Look, if you wanted to leave me behind,
you shouldn't have told me
where you were going.
(groans)
(police radios)
Clear.
What the...
(Sadusky) Now we're getting somewhere.
(woman) They're digital scans of letters
to the editor of The New England Courant.
Written 1722.
They're all from the same person.
"Your humble servant, Silence Dogood."
Gentlemen...
why is this word capitalized?
Because it's important?
Because it's a name.
OK, I got it.
When Ben Franklin was only 15 years old
he secretly wrote 14 letters
to his brother's newspaper
pretending to be a middle-aged widow
named Silence Dogood.
These letters were written
by Benjamin Franklin.
(Riley) Looks OK.
- Park a couple of blocks away.
- Well, how long do you think we got?
I'm gonna give them a couple of hours
at least. I hope.
What do we do about her?
I've got some duct tape in the back.
(Ben) No, that won't be necessary.
She won't be any trouble.
- Promise you won't be any trouble.
- I promise.
See? She's curious.
Here's what I got on Gates. A degree
in American History from Georgetown,
a degree in Mechanical Engineering
at MIT,
Navy ROTC and Naval Diving
and Salvage Training Center.
Hm.
What in the world did this guy
want to be when he grew up?
We keep our focus on Gates.
Run him to ground.
Compile a family-and-friends list.
Closest relative first.
I want to find out who this guy is.
(doorbell)
Dad.
Where's the party?
Uh, well, uh...
I'm in a little trouble.
- Is she pregnant?
- (Ben) Well, if she is,
are you gonna leave the woman carrying
your grandchild standing out in the cold?
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?
Wait..."The vision to see the treasured
past" must refer to a way to read the map.
Well, I thought the cipher was the map.
No, the cipher was a way
to find the way to read the map.
And the way to read the map can be found
where the "timely shadow" crosses
in front of the Liberty Bell.
Crosses in front of the "house"
of the Liberty Bell. Independence Hall.
Right, so "timely shadow" -
it's a specific time.
- Right.
- Uh, what time?
What time? What time?
Wait a minute, wait.
You're gonna love this.
Excuse me, can I see one of those
hundred-dollar bills I paid you with?
No.
Oh. Well, uh, here,
I have this diver's watch.
It's called a Submariner. I dive with it.
It's actually quite valuable.
- You can use it as collateral.
- Whatever.
Thank you.
On the back of a hundred-dollar bill
is an etching of Independence Hall
- based on a painting done in...
- Hello.
Thank you.
...in the 1780s, who...
The artist was actually a friend
of Benjamin Franklin's. It's wonderful.
- (clerk) Fascinating.
- Hold this.
OK.
I'm not going anywhere.
Now, I think that if we look
at this clock tower...
...we may find the specific time.
- (Abigail) What do you see?
- 2:22.
- What time is it now?
- Almost three.
- We missed it.
- No, we didn't.
We didn't miss it because... uh...
You don't know this? I-I know something
about history that you don't know.
I'd be very excited to learn about it, Riley.
Well, hold on one second, let me just...
let me just take in this moment.
This is... this is cool.
Is this how you feel all the time? Because,
you know... Except for now, of course.
- Riley!
- All right.
What I know is that daylight savings
wasn't established until World War I.
If it's 3pm now, OK, that means
in 1776, it would be 2pm.
- Let's go.
- Riley, you're a genius.
Yeah.
Do you actually know who the first person
to suggest daylight savings was?
- (Ben) Benjamin Franklin.
- (Abigail) Benjamin Franklin.
Is this real?
Just tell me what you told my friend.
Just a bunch of letters.
I can't remember.
Can you remember which ones
you were gonna tell him next?
Yeah, here. S-T-O-W.
(man) Top results: Liberty Bell
and Independence Hall.
(guide) Imagine its impact
back in the 18th century.
It could have been seen for miles around,
which was exactly its purpose,
because it served as a beacon, as it were,
for people to collect and hear...
Good stuff.
(guide) It was in 1846,
on George Washington's birthday,
that the final expansion
of the crack occurred,
retiring the Liberty Bell permanently.
Eventually, it was moved from its place
in Independence Hall steeple
and given its own...
- Idiot.
- (Shaw) Who?
- Me.
- What?
It's not here. It's there.
Come on.
- What bell is this?
- It's the Centennial Bell.
It replaced the Liberty Bell in 1876.
(Abigail) There it is.
All right. I'm gonna go down there,
and you meet me in the signing room.
- OK? All right.
- OK.
All right, let's go.
Hey. What'd you score?
I found this.
Some kind of ocular device.
"The vision to see the treasured past."
Let me take this.
Aw, they're like early American
X-ray specs.
Benjamin Franklin invented
something like these.
Uh...
I think he invented these.
So, what do we do with them?
We look through it.
- (Abigail) Here, help me.
- Uh-huh.
- (Ben) Careful.
- (Abigail) You think?
Whoo...
- What?
- It's just that the last time this was here
it was being signed.
- Ben, there's another tour coming.
- Turn it over.
- Careful.
- Spectacles.
(gasps)
(gasps)
What do you see?
What is it? Is it a treasure map?
It says, "Heere at the wall,"
spelled with two E's.
Take a look.
(Abigail) Ah.
(gasps)
Wow.
Why can't they just say, "Go to this place,
and here's the treasure, spend it wisely?"
(Ben) Oh, no.
- Oh, no.
- Oh, no.
How'd they find us?
Well, Ian has nearly unlimited resources.
And he's smart.
(Abigail) I don't think we can get out
of here without being spotted.
Well, we don't want them to have
the Declaration, or the glasses.
But we especially don't want them
to have them both together.
- So what do we do?
- We separate the lock from the key.
- We're splitting up.
- Good idea.
Really?
I'll take this.
And those. You keep that. Meet me at the
car and call me if you have any problems.
Like if we get caught and killed?
Yeah. That would be a big problem.
Take care of her.
- I will.
- I will.
We're on him.
(Ian) There he is.
- Let's walk this way.
- Wait up.
- Shaw, look. There's the others.
- I got it.
Viktor, meet me at Fifth and Chestnut. Fifth
and Chestnut. They're heading your way.
(car horn)
- (Shaw) Look out! Look out!
- Riley!
- (Shaw) There they are! Move!
- Move!
- Time to run.
- Keep up, Viktor! Move. Come on.
In here.
- Come on.
- Follow me.
That way.
If you're not a steak,
you don't belong here.
(whispers) I'm just trying to hide
from my ex-husband.
- Who, baldy?
- Yes.
Honey, stay as long as you like.
Oh, thank you. Thank you.
You want something?
- Do you want something?
- Shut up.
I see why you left him.
Go around. Go around.
Gates!
Ow!
Aw, come on!
- (yelps)
- Shh-shh-shh.
- Where were you?
- Hiding.
Come on. Let's go, let's go.
Ian. Ian, I've got 'em.
They're heading toward City Hall.
- OK, I'm on my way.
- Out of the way!
Ow!
(car horn)
Whoa!
They're headed for the breezeway
on the north side.
I'll be right there.
Hey, Gates!
Enough, man! Give me the document.
All right, Phil.
Watch out! Get out of my way!
(cyclist) Watch it!
(horn)
(shouting)
Leave them! Let 'em go.
We've got it.
- (woman) FBI. Have you seen this guy?
- (man) No.
Nope, I haven't seen him.
Ted. Philadelphia police
found Gates's car.
It's close.
We got surveillance there now.
Let's go. Tell the boss
we got the car.
(cell phone rings)
- What?
- (Riley) We lost it.
- What?
- We lost the Declaration. Ian took it.
Yeah, uh, OK. You all right?
You both all right?
Yeah, yeah, we're all right.
- Ben, I'm sorry.
- We'll be fine.
Meet me at the car.
Suspect has arrived.
Hello, Mr. Gates.
Mr. Gates, face your father's car and
put your hands behind your back, please.
- (agent) We got one in custody.
- Gates, you're a hard man to find.
Could you please be careful?
Riley, do you know
how to get in touch with Ian?
Excuse me?
That's some story.
Well, it's the same story I tried to tell you
guys before the Declaration was stolen.
- By you.
- No, by Ian. I stole it to stop him.
I did it alone.
Dr. Chase was not involved.
And Ian still ended up with
the Declaration of Independence.
Because of you.
So here's your options.
Door number one,
you go to prison for a very long time.
Door number two, we are going to get back
the Declaration of Independence,
you help us find it, and you still
go to prison for a very long time,
but you feel better inside.
Is there a door that doesn't lead to prison?
- Someone's got to go to prison, Ben.
- Yeah.
So what are these for?
It's a way to read the map.
Right.
Knights Templar.
Freemasons.
Invisible treasure map.
- So what'd it say?
- "Heere at the wall."
Nothing else.
It's just another clue.
(agent) It looks like Ian Howe
could be a false identity.
(Sadusky) Follow up with ATF and INS.
- There's more to it.
- (cell phone rings)
- Standard tap procedure.
- Let's check the signal, folks.
- Lock it in.
- Are we set?
- Checking source.
- Unknown number.
(cell phone rings)
Yes.
(Ian) Hello. Ben. How are you?
- Um, chained to a desk.
- Sorry to hear that.
I want you to meet me on the flight deck
of the USS Intrepid.
- You know where that is?
- New York.
Meet me there at ten o'clock
tomorrow morning.
And bring those glasses
you found at Independence Hall.
Yeah. I know about the glasses.
We can take a look at the Declaration,
and then you can be on your way.
And I'm supposed to believe that.
I told you from the start.
I only wanted to borrow it.
You can have it. And the glasses.
I'll even throw in the pipe
from the Charlotte.
I'll be there.
And tell the FBI agents
listening in on this call
if they want the Declaration back.
And not just a box of confetti.
Then you'll come alone.
- (Sadusky on radio) Take positions.
- Perimeter looks normal.
- (man) Can I get a status report?
- Crow's nest in position. Port side is quiet.
(man) Copy that.
- Gates is on the flight deck.
- Eyes on Gates.
- Do not lose sight of primary mark.
- Brian. You're clear with N YPD.
- I have a visual.
- Gates.
Stay with the program.
I hope your agents are all under four feet
tall and wearing little scarves.
Otherwise Ian's gonna know they're here.
As soon as he shows you the Declaration.
We'll move in.
Don't try anything.
Just let us handle it.
You know, Agent Sadusky,
something I've noticed about fishing:
It never works out so well for the bait.
Sir, we've got some traffic incoming.
Looks like a sightseeing helicopter.
Unit two,
get an eyeball on that chopper.
Agent Michaels, get FAA flight plans
and authorization records on that craft.
If that's not Mr. Howe,
I want to know who it is.
- I got him. He's coming from the north.
- Gates. Are you with me?
Well, I'm sure not against you,
if that's what you're asking.
(white noise)
(Gates drowned out by interference)
We've got some interference
on Gates's mike, sir.
This I know.
(Shaw) Hello, Ben.
Thomas Edison needed only one way
to make a light bulb.
Sound familiar?
- Keep sightlines clear.
- (Sadusky) What's the devil's going on?
There's a lot of commotion.
We can't see Gates.
Go to the starboard observation point
behind the F-16 and here's what you do.
(heavy interference)
Gates? Gates?
(over PA) Air Tour helicopter.
You are in controlled airspace.
Vacate immediately.
(Sadusky) Who's got Gates?
- All agents. Report in.
- (agent) I can't see anything.
- (Sadusky) Did Gates speak to anybody?
- Target is moving.
- He's heading towards the stern.
- I've got him. He's coming this way.
Anyone got a view of our friend Ian Howe?
Ian Howe is not at the stern, sir.
Then why is he heading there?
He's at the observation deck.
Sadusky.
I'm still not against you.
But I found door number three.
And I'm taking it.
- What's he talking about?
- Move in!
Move in! Move in on Gates!
Divers are a go.
- Snipers, go to action zebra.
- All teams, move in. Pursue at own risk.
- I repeat. Pursue at own risk.
- You first.
Holy mackerel. He set us up.
(Sadusky) Agent Dawes. Do you have
a visual? Can you see Gates in the water?
Sir, it's the Hudson. Nothing is visible.
Smart fish.
Hello, Ben. Welcome to New Jersey.
- What'd you do with Abigail and Riley?
- Hope these fit.
We had to guess your sizes.
I said, what'd you do
with Abigail and Riley?
He's the only one who could've
told you that line about Edison.
Did you bring the glasses?
I don't know.
Tell me what's happening here.
Ask your girlfriend.
She's the one calling all the shots now.
She won't shut up.
(cell phone rings)
Yeah, hello.
It's for you.
- Hello.
- Hi, sweetie. How's your day going?
Uh. Interesting. Dear.
So, what, you working with Ian now?
It turns out helping someone escape
from FBI custody is a criminal act.
And he's the only criminal we knew.
- So we called him and made a deal.
- Well, you're, um...
(coughs)
You're... you're... you're all right, yeah?
I mean you're safe?
Yeah, we both are.
Riley's right here, doing
something clever with a computer.
I'm tracking him through the... Hey!
I'm tracking you through the GPS
in Shaw's phone.
They take a turn anywhere we don't want,
we'll know it. So don't worry.
If Ian tries to double-cross us, we can call
the FBI and tell them right where you are.
- And where to find Ian.
- And where is that?
Right across the street
from where we're hiding,
at the intersection
of Wall Street and Broadway.
Well, you figured out the clue.
Simple. "Heere at the wall."
Wall Street and Broadway.
Ben, there is a catch.
We made Ian believe
he could have the treasure.
It was the only way
we could get this far.
He's here.
(Riley) Here we go.
Ben.
You all right? No broken bones?
A jump like that could kill a man.
Naw, it was cool.
You should try it sometime.
The Declaration of Independence.
And the meerschaum pipe.
All yours.
- That's it?
- That's it.
I knew you'd keep your promise.
Now, where is it? Where's my treasure?
It's right here.
The map said "Heere at the wall,"
spelled with two E's.
Wall Street follows the path
of an actual wall
that the original Dutch settlers built
as a defense to keep the British out.
The main gate was located at a street
called De Heere, also two E's.
Later De Heere Street was renamed
Broadway after the British got in.
So, "Heere at the wall."
Broadway, Wall Street.
(English accent) Cheerio.
Just a moment, Ben.
Ian, if you break our deal, the FBI
will be only a few minutes behind you.
You might get away, you might not.
Is that all the map said?
Every word.
Oh, Ben.
You know the key
to running a convincing bluff?
Every once in a while
you've got to be holding all the cards.
Dad.
Is there anything else you want to tell me?
Trinity Church. We have to go
inside Trinity Church.
Good. Excellent.
Well, why don't you ask Dr. Chase
and Riley to join us?
I'm sure they're around here somewhere.
Are you all right?
What do you think? I'm a hostage.
Sit. Sit down.
- Let him go, Ian.
- When we find the treasure.
No, now. Or you can figure out
the clues for yourself.
Good luck.
Ben.
I don't think you fully appreciate
the gravity of the situation.
Let's have a look at that map.
It's, uh...
It's... it's really quite something. It's, uh...
It really is remarkable. Take a look.
- (Ian) "Parkington Lane."
- "Beneath Parkington Lane."
But why would the map lead us here,
then take us somewhere else?
- What's the purpose?
- (Patrick) Just another clue.
Dad. No, you're right. Parkington Lane
has to be here somewhere.
A street inside the church?
Not inside. Beneath.
Beneath the church.
- I'm so sorry, Ben.
- None of this is your fault.
- I co...
- Come on.
Look.
Cooperation only lasts as long
as the status quo is unchanged.
As soon as this guy gets to wherever this
thing ends, he won't need you anymore.
Or... or any of us.
So we find a way to make sure
the status quo changes in our favor.
- How?
- I'm still working on it.
Well, I guess I better
work on it too, then.
Hey! Par... Hey, I found it!
- Him!
- Ben!
It's a name.
Parkington Lane.
He was a third-degree master mason
of the Blue Lo...
Hey! Stop!
Easy.
- Whoa!
- Oh!
Careful no one steps in him.
All right, put it down.
OK. Who wants to go down
the creepy tunnel inside the tomb first?
Right. McGregor, Viktor, you stay here.
And if anyone should come out without me,
well... use your imagination.
Shall we?
You got a light?
(Ben) Careful.
Watch your step.
Come here.
Why does that never happen to me?
What's this?
It's a chandelier.
Here.
- (Riley) Wow.
- (Ben) Look at the elevators.
(Patrick) A dumbwaiter system.
How do a bunch of guys with hand tools
build all this?
Same way they built the pyramids
and the Great Wall of China.
Yeah. The aliens helped them.
Right, let's go. What are we waiting for?
I'm not going out on that thing.
Dad, do what he says.
(Patrick) Watch your step.
We're right under the Trinity graveyard.
That's probably why
no one ever found this.
(rumbling)
What is that?
(rumbling fades)
Subway.
Shaw! Oh, God, Shaw!
(yells)
(Abigail) Oh, my God.
Hold on! Hold on!
OK, get on the elevator. Jump!
(Abigail) Ben! Grab my hand.
- Come on.
- Ian!
Abigail! Get on!
Jump!
Here.
(screaming)
Ben!
Get down there.
Get down there!
The Declaration.
- Do you trust me?
- Yes.
Oh, no! Ben!
Oh!
Hang on!
Son!
I'm sorry. I'm sorry I dropped you.
I had to save the Declaration.
No, don't be. I would have done
exactly the same thing to you.
Really?
I would have dropped you both.
Freaks.
Get on.
Ian...
it's not worth it.
Do you imagine any one of your lives
is more valuable to me than Shaw's?
We go on.
The status quo.
Keep the status quo.
- (Riley) Now what?
- (Patrick) This is...
This is where it all leads.
OK, let's go.
What is this?
So where's the treasure?
Well?
This is it?
We came all this way
for a dead end?
Yes.
(laughs)
- There's gotta be something more.
- Riley, there's nothing more.
- Another clue, or...
- No, there are no more clues!
That's it, OK? It's over!
End of the road. The treasure's gone.
Moved. Taken somewhere else.
You're not playing games with me,
are you, Ben? Hm?
You know where it is.
No.
OK, go.
Hey, wait a minute.
- (Riley) Hey! Ian, wait!
- (Patrick) Wait, wait, wait!
- (Abigail) Ian...
- (Riley) We'll be trapped.
- (Ben) Don't do this.
- You can't just leave us here.
Yes, I can.
Unless Ben tells me the next clue.
There isn't another clue.
Ian, why don't you come back down here
and we can talk through this together?
- Don't speak again.
- OK.
The clue. Where's the treasure?
Ben?
- The lantern.
- Dad...
The status quo has changed, son.
Don't.
It's part of freemason teachings.
In King Solomon's temple
there was a winding staircase.
It signified the journey that had to be made
to find the light of truth.
- The lantern is the clue.
- And what does it mean?
Boston. It's Boston.
The Old North Church in Boston,
where Thomas Newton
hung a lantern in the steeple,
to signal Paul Revere that the British
were coming. One if by land, two if by sea.
One lantern. Under the winding staircase
of the steeple, that's where we have to look.
- Thank you.
- Hey, you have to take us with you.
Why? So you can escape in Boston?
Besides, with you out of the picture
there's less baggage to carry.
What if we lied?
Did you?
What if there's another clue?
Then I'll know right where to find you.
See you, Ben.
- No!
- (Riley) There's no other way out!
- (Abigail) Come back!
- You're gonna need us, Ian!
We're all gonna die.
It's gonna be OK, Riley.
I'm sorry I yelled at you.
It's OK, kiddo.
OK, boys, what's going on? The British
came by sea. It was two lanterns, not one.
Ian needed another clue,
so we gave it to him.
It was a fake.
It was a fake clue.
The all-seeing eye.
"Through the all-seeing eye."
That means... by the time Ian
figures it out and comes back here,
we'll still be trapped,
and he'll shoot us then.
Either way, we're gonna die.
Nobody's gonna die.
There's another way out.
Where?
Through the treasure room.
Here.
Riley.
Looks like someone got here first.
I'm sorry, Ben.
It's gone.
- Listen, Ben...
- It may have even been gone
before Charles Carroll
told the story to Thomas Gates.
It doesn't matter.
I know. 'Cause you were right.
No, I wasn't right.
This room is real, Ben.
And that means the treasure is real.
We're in the company of
some of the most brilliant minds in history,
because you found
what they left behind for us to find
and understood the meaning of it.
You did it, Ben. For all of us.
Your grandfather, and all of us.
And I've never been so happy
to be proven wrong.
I just...
really thought
I was gonna find the treasure.
OK.
Then we just keep looking for it.
I'm in.
OK.
Not to be Johnny Rain Cloud here,
but that's not gonna happen.
Because as far as I can see,
we're still trapped down here.
(Abigail) Yeah.
(Riley) Now, Ben,
where is this other way out?
Well, that's it.
It doesn't make any sense,
because the first thing the builders
would have done after getting down here
was cut a secondary shaft back out for air...
- Right.
...and in case of cave-ins.
Could it really be that simple?
"The secret lies with Charlotte."
(gasps)
Scrolls from the library at Alexandria.
Could this be possible?
(gasps)
It's a big... bluish-green man,
with a strange-looking goatee.
I'm guessing that's significant.
Yes!
Riley, are you crying?
Look.
Stairs.
(thud)
(coughs)
Hi.
Do you have a cell phone I could borrow?
- Just like that?
- Just like that.
You do know you just handed me
your biggest bargaining chip?
The Declaration of Independence
is not a bargaining chip.
Not to me.
Have a seat.
- So what's your offer?
- Oh...
How about a bribe? Say, uh...
ten billion dollars?
I take it you found the treasure?
It's about five stories
beneath your shoes.
Hm.
You know, the Templars
and the Freemasons believed
that the treasure was too great
for any one man to have, not even a king.
That's why they went to such lengths
to keep it hidden.
That's right.
The Founding Fathers believed
the same thing about government.
I figure their solution
will work for the treasure too.
Give it to the people.
Divide it amongst the Smithsonian,
the Louvre, the Cairo museum...
There's thousands of years
of world history down there.
And it belongs to the world,
and everybody in it.
You really don't understand
the concept of a bargaining chip.
OK, here's what I want.
Dr. Chase gets off completely clean,
not even a little Post-it
on her service record.
OK.
I want the credit for the find
to go to the entire Gates family,
with the assistance of Mr. Riley Poole.
And what about you?
I'd really love not to go to prison.
I can't even begin to describe
how much I would love not to go to prison.
Someone's got to go to prison, Ben.
Well, if you've got a helicopter,
I think I can help with that.
- (man) Freeze! FBI!
- (sirens)
- Freeze! Don't move!
- Show me your hands!
- Put your hands up.
- Move, move, move.
You're under arrest, Mr. Howe.
We've got you on kidnapping,
attempted murder...
and trespassing on government property.
Yeah. You got it, chief.
Thank you. Bye.
They want us in Cairo next week
for the opening of the exhibit.
They're sending a private jet.
That's fun.
Yeah, big whoop. We could have had
a whole fleet of private jets.
Ten percent, Ben. They offered you
ten percent and you turned it down.
Riley, we've been over this.
It was too much. I couldn't accept it.
I still have this splinter that's been festering
for three months from an old piece of wood.
OK, I'll tell you what.
Next time we find a treasure
that redefines history for all mankind,
you make the call on the finder's fee.
That's not as funny.
What do you care?
You got the girl.
- It's true.
- It's true.
Rub it in.
Enjoy your spoils...
while I sit on one percent.
One stinkin' percent.
Half of one percent, actually.
One percent. Unbelievable.
I'm sorry for your suffering, Riley.
For the record, Ben,
I like the house.
You know, I chose this estate
because in 1812 Charles Carroll met...
Yeah, someone that did something
in history and had fun. Great. Wonderful.
Could have had a bigger house.
(crunches gears)
- I made something for you.
- You did? What?
- A map.
- A map?
Where does it lead to?
You'll figure it out.
(she laughs)