Riley Poole (National Treasure)

Riley Poole is a fictional character appearing in National Treasure, and its sequel, National Treasure: Book of Secrets. He is the partner and best friend of Ben Gates and is known for his witty comments and skill with computers. He is played by American actor Justin Bartha.

Biography

Not much is revealed AbOUT Riley's history before his role in helping Ben Gates in treasure hunting, other than that he worked in a windowless cubicle. He is very skilled with computers, and this is a great help in treasure hunts. He has been able to hack into the National Archives, Buckingham Palace, and many other places of high security. Riley is often shunted to the side, and Ben is recognized as the main finder of the treasures. Often not knowing all the facts of history, he is frequently annoyed when Ben or Abigail know something crucial to a treasure's discovery. On the rare occasion that he does know something crucial, he is usually very pleased. He receives .5% of the treasure's worth, seeing as Ben was only willing to accept 1% and they divide it equally, as the finder's fee from the treasure that was found, and buys a Ferrari 360 Spider (which was later impounded by the IRS). He is not good at managing his finances, however. For example, his accountant started a company for him on an island that didn't exist, and this gets him into trouble with the IRS. Riley wrote a book discussing the topic of his treasure quest and many other "government conspiracies" called The Templar Treasure, however, he does not get much recognition for his role in finding the treasure. He is known for his humor and witty comments that lighten Situations. In the second movie his loyalty shows when he offers to be left behind so his friends can escape. He later tries to go back for Ben when he (Ben) stays behind in a different situation so the others can escape - meaning that Ben would drown.

Personality

Riley has been know for his many witty comments about situations. Examples of his comments include:

• Riley: "How do a bunch a people with hand tools build all this?" (referring to the vast underground staircase)
• Ben Gates: "The same way they built the pyramids, and the great wall of China..."
• Riley: Yeah, the aliens helped them...

• Riley: "I have thirty seconds to disable the alarm."
• Ben: "You did that in twenty-five seconds."
• Riley: "That's why I tell people to get a dog."

• Riley: "So Let's Recap: We broke into Buckingham Palace, broke into the oval office, stole a page from the President's secret book, and even kidnapped the President of the United States. What are we going to do next? Short-sheet the pope's bed?"
• Ben Gates: Well, you never know..

• Riley: (in an English accent after tripping Buckingham Palace's fire alarms) God Save the Queen!

External Links

• Benjamin Gates (National Treasure)
• National Treasure
• National Treasure: Book of Secrets