From the 1960s to the 2020s, movies about treasure hunting can be as different from each other as the prize the characters are looking for. It’s not always gold that is dug up, after all.
Harrison Ford and Clint Eastwood star as rugged action heroes. There are pirates and outlaws; old legends and holographic maps.
Across the following ten best movies about treasure hunting, they can make you feel the excitement of being an adventure-seeker or be a cautionary tale about being consumed by greed and obsession.
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963)
With a runtime that goes from 163 minutes to 197 minutes depending on the version you watch, this is an epic comedy with car stunts, slapstick humor, and backstabbing.
‘It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World’ (1963)Credit: United Artists
Different groups of motorists witness a car crash, where the driver tells them with his dying breath the location of a buried suitcase with thousands of dollars. Jonathan Winters, Mickey Rooney, Ethel Merman, and more insult or brawl one another en route to the seaside park where the money is hidden.
Director Stanley Kramer was known for his dramas with social messages, like Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner and Judgment at Nuremberg. He would also make It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, a movie bursting at the seams with gags and cameos (look out for Buster Keaton and The Three Stooges). There are many ways to explore how greed can corrupt anyone. Kramer did it with action scenes that are as bonkers as the outrageous comedy.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966)
Director Sergio Leone ends the loosely connected Dollars trilogy with Blondie (Clint Eastwood), Tuco (Eli Wallach), and Angel Eyes (Lee Van Cleef) getting in the middle of the American Civil War as they search for a buried stash of Confederate gold.
‘The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly’ (1966)Credit: PEA
Perhaps it’s not a typical entry about treasure hunting, but The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly proves that if there are no pirates in the story, the next best thing are the outlaws in the Wild West. Eastwood’s performance is as memorable as Wallach’s and Van Cleef’s. Put their characters with Ennio Morricone’s score and the cinematography by Tonino Delli Colli, and you have one of the best Spaghetti Westerns, if not the best.
Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972)
‘Aguirre, the Wrath of God’ (1972)Credit: Filmverlag der Autoren
As Popol Vuh’s ethereal music plays, a long line of conquistadores and their slaves descend a cloud-covered mountainside on their trek into the Amazon jungle. This spellbinding opening shot to the delirious ending, Aguirre, the Wrath of God follows the doomed journey to locate El Dorado, the lost city of gold.
Once Aguirre (Klaus Kinski) enacts a mutiny for control over the expedition, the group becomes lost in the jungle, and it doesn’t take long for the conquistadores to become paranoid of violent, unseen local tribes. This visually striking portrait of colonialism by director Werner Herzog becomes one of the bleaker examples of the self-destructive side to treasure hunting.
Romancing the Stone (1984)
Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner star as exotic bird smuggler Jack T. Colton and lonely romance novelist Joan Wilder, who become an unlikely team when criminals chase them in the Colombian jungle to get a treasure map in Joan’s possession.
‘Romancing the Stone’ (1984)Credit: 20th Century Fox
Unlike Turner’s breakout femme fatale role in Body Heat, Joan is a more vulnerable character, and the wildest adventures she has had are the ones she creates for her novels. But when her sister is held for ransom, she becomes a true heroine. The only screenplay by Diane Thomas, who passed away in a car accident in 1985, has good pacing that hops between Jack and Joan’s growing romance and the action-packed treasure hunt they are on.
The Goonies (1985)
‘The Goonies’ (1985)Credit: Warner Bros.
A group of friends goes on a treasure hunt that could save their homes, while a crime family chases after them. The impressive ensemble played by young stars makes this an iconic ‘80s film, as does its heartwarming (and cheesy) theme on the power of friendship.
The Goonies takes place in rainy and foggy Astoria, Oregon, making for one of the coziest entries on this list. The Pacific Northwest setting is just one of the many wonderful visuals, so too are the underground tunnels full of booby traps and One-Eyed Willie’s magnificent pirate ship that could make any viewer jealous that they can’t explore it themselves.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) must rescue his estranged father, who has been kidnapped by the Nazis while on the search for the Holy Grail. Raiders of the Lost Ark is a classic, but The Last Crusade makes the “treasure” so personal that it earns this third chapter of the series a place on this list.
‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade’ (1989)Credit: Paramount Pictures
Finding the Holy Grail forces Indy and Henry Jones, Sr. (Sean Connery) to be a team. But to get there, there is much comedy gold in how they butt heads. And, of course, there are the signature elements that make an Indiana Jones movie so much fun. There are the beautiful locations from Utah to Venice and the real-life Al-Khazneh of Petra. There are high stakes in the action set pieces. And there is that erudite knowledge that Indiana can easily pull from his mind.
Treasure Planet (2002)
‘Treasure Planet’ (2002)Credit: Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
A map falls into the hands of Jim Hawkins (voiced by Joseph Gordon-Levitt) that could solve his mother’s financial problems by leading him to Captain Flint’s loot of a thousand worlds. While a box office bomb when it was released, Treasure Planet is an underrated Disney film that deserves a second chance. The mix of traditional 2D and 3D animation is a great combo, along with reimagining Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel, Treasure Island, with a science fiction spin.
Alien creatures move through the sky like humpback whales. Flint’s map is turned into a spherical object that reveals a holographic star map. And there are the sci-fi touches only this version of Stevenson’s novel could have, in the artificial gravity that is activated on the ship to a supernova set piece.
National Treasure (2004)
‘National Treasure’ (2004)Credit: Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
American historian Ben Gates (Nicolas Cage) deduces that a key clue to the lost Freemason treasure is on the back of the Declaration of Independence, and he steals the document to keep it out of the hands of crime boss and ex-friend Ian Howe (Sean Bean). While Cage isn’t the only reason to watch this — Diane Kruger and Justin Bartha are just as good as allies — Cage does make this role something only he could pull off.
Ben can be a typical action hero, with slightly bizarre quirks that fit the tone of National Treasure. If you want your dose of fast-paced, over-the-top historical fiction, this is the one for you.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006)
The simple plot of Curse of the Black Pearl is no more. Dead Man’s Chest is full of pit stops, ulterior motives, and the Kraken as Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), Elizabeth Swan (Keira Knightley), and Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) race to unearth the buried chest holding the still beating, barnacled heart of Davy Jones, captain of the Flying Dutchman.
‘Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest’ (2006)Credit: Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
Nighy’s villainous performance increases the danger for the trio, and the CGI effects that transform him are still stunning. Adding to what composer Klaus Badelt did, Hans Zimmer brings more swashbuckling glee in the score. And there are the action scenes that are bursting with creativity. When was the last time you saw a sword fight on a runaway water wheel? Dead Man’s Chest has it, and so much more.
La chimera (2023)
Josh O’Connor plays a grave-robber in this melancholic drama by director Alice Rohrwacher.
‘La chimera’ (2023)Credit: Neon
There is magical realism in La chimera that comes from the stylized cinematography by Hélène Louvart and how Arthur (O’Connor) uses dowsing twigs to find buried Etruscan tombs to loot. That gives an eccentric tone for this story, along with the cast and music choices. But at its core, La chimera is about heartbreak and grief, made all the stronger thanks to O’Connor’s performance that goes from a simmering temper before retreating back into defeated silence.
