When I first heard of Salt, I figured it was just another movie with Angelina
Jolie in "action" mode, much like how the Tomb Raider films were, as well as
Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Jolie is an accomplished actress who understands the need for
a box office hit every now and then, so that she can keep working in more
quality films like The Changeling, and A Mighty Heart. And I had initially
written off Salt as being just another grab for cash to keep her career rolling
merrily along. And, on the surface, that’s pretty much what Salt is: a popcorn
film filled with action, adventure and fun with guns.
But director Phillip Noyce does something really interesting here, he makes you
genuinely care for Evelyn Salt, a CIA agent that’s well-played by Jolie. Salt, a
field operative who very nearly lost her life on an undercover mission in North
Korea a few years back, is now looking forward to just pushing papers at a nice,
comfy desk job while being happily married to her German-born husband. But all
that changes when her office--a CIA station in Washington D.C. that’s disguised
as an oil company--receives a visitor, a former Russian spymaster who claims
there is a mole working at the agency.
He tells them that the name of this mole
is Evelyn Salt. And the chase is on. When things get rolling, Noyce keeps things
moving at a frantic, exhilarating pace and maintains this rollicking speed
throughout the film. Jolie, as expected, is a dynamo in the action scenes. She deftly handles guns,
knives and hand to hand combat as easily and effectively as her cinematic male
counterparts James Bond and Jason Bourne (which is ironic, since Salt was
originally written for a male film star, and after Tom Cruise reportedly turned down the
role, it was rewritten for a female and Jolie accepted it).
And while the action
sequences are stunning and unrelenting (and often times way over the top),
Noyce wisely never forgets to make his female spy on the run a sympathetic human
being. Thanks to this factor, as well as Jolie’s subtle and superb acting, you’re
on Salt’s side throughout the chase, even when she starts doing some ruthless
and questionable things. Along with Jolie, Liev Schreiber is also very good as Salt’s boss--who still
tries to help her--as is Chiwetel Ejiofor as a rival CIA agent out to hunt her
down at all cost. If you're looking for an enjoyable, relentless action thriller with a woman
in the lead, then Salt is just what you're looking for.
--SF
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