Salt (2010)

director: Phillip Noyce

writer: Kurt Wimmer

starring: Angeline Jolie, Liev Schreiber, Chiwetel Ejiofor

genre: Action, Thriller

This film is one of those rare action flicks that has non-stop hard hitting action for ninety minutes straight and is all done with a brain. Originally, written for a male lead star, in which Tom Cruise was the primary candidate but after he turned it down because it was too similar to his role in Mission: Impossible the filmmakers changed the script and reworked the role for a female lead in Angelina Jolie.

Angelina establishes herself as the queen of action once again. She proves she is no less than a man when it comes to playing an out-and-out ‘action-oriented’ character. So lets start of with a question. Who is Salt?

The film answers this question in a tight 100-minute span telling us everything about the CIA operative Evelyn Salt (Angelina Jolie) who is also a spy. One day, as she is leaving work to go home to her husband for their anniversary, a strange man walks into the C.I.A. offices with an extremely odd accusation about Salt. As she and her partner, Ted Winter (Liev Schreiber), sit around to hear him talk, things start to get a little crazy. This man, who is considered a defector, claims that Evelyn is actually a Russian spy who has been planted in the United States to kill the President. Salt freaks out, thinking that this can’t be true, and makes a run for it. Ted is on her side at first, but as the counter-intelligence officer Peabody (Chiwetel Ejiofor) steps in, he starts to realize that Evelyn could actually be a Russian spy. Her actions of running away are not helping her but she wants to make sure that her husband is safe, even if that means risking her life.

As the movie goes on, we learn more and more about who Salt really is. The question is whether or not she can prove her innocence before being captured. Whether or not that's true is what we find through a series of high-octane ancion scenes with mad car chases and a myriad of twists and turns (into an assassination plot) to keep you occupied. Salt's colleague Ted  plays an important part giving the plot its much-needed depth and diversion. Salt then carries the hole film onto her lanky shoulders with ease. The espionage backdrop, double crossing and interrogation scenes are well utilised to enhance the tension in the first half. Without wasting any time, the music and noise gets the adrenalin rushing. The first half is super tight and everything happens so quick that you wouldn't want to check that pending SMS. The Cold War references add a touch of historical intrigue and mystery giving the setting a sense of realism.

The action is absolutely non-stop but the best part about it is that it’s believable. Director Philip Noyce does not go over the top to the point where the action seemed unreal. Being that this movie is about 90% action, there is great story telling occurring as well. The twists and turns in the plot are very surprising and keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire time. Throughout the entire film, you will be questioning who Salt really is. As the story gets deeper you start to become attached to the character but the best part is that you don’t really ever know her true intentions. That hopefully will leave the film open for a sequel.

I believe that Jolie has finally bridged that gap where one is able to look at her character as an action star, rather than a female or male. Every performance in the film is as strong as Jolie from the amazingly talented actors, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Liev Schrieber.The film is short (about 100 minutes running time), fun and you get to see Angelina Jolie kicking butt and looking hot. Do watch it on the big screen.

Personal Rating:

Review by Danai725