Not to give the story away, she has something to do with a plot launched during the cold war by Russia to infiltrate key U.S. While Bourne’s identity and background is a fuzzy memory to him and us, Salt seems to know her background. That in short is what the movie is about, a typical action/adventure/spy/thriller. That spirit combined in a completely skilled spy, results in some movie mayhem.

Also, as has Bourne, Salt has a little rebellious spirit in her. As was Jason Bourne, Evelyn Salt (Angelina Jolie – if you haven’t figured this out) is raised solely to be an assassin, a spy, or whatever it is her handlers want her to be. As alluded to in the opening sentence, Salt has some similarities to the Bourne series. But this one deserves a little explanation, if only to test your credibility. Most of the details of the movie can be found in often boring detail elsewhere. Too bad all her chasing around and scaling elevator shafts is for naught as the film turns stupid, throwing in double-crosses that make little sense, a “Manchurian Candidate”-meets-“The Boys of Brazil” scheme, and a hint that we’re headed for - please no! - sequelsville.Regurgitating the plot is not something that’s usually done here. Whether she’s dismantling a table to cobble together a weapon or leaping onto the tops of trucks in Washington, D.C., traffic, Jolie makes a credible action hero. The best moments in “Salt” find Jolie battling friend and foe and exacting vengeance on Soviet conspirators with big plans to kill the Russian president during the New York City funeral of the American vice president. Because the clumsy script by Kurt Wimmer (“Law Abiding Citizen”) cares more about shuffling around the jangled story pieces rather than creating believable characters, good actors such as Liev Schreiber (“X-Men: Origins Wolverine”), who plays Evelyn’s chummy boss, and Chiwetel Ejiofor (“2012”), as Evelyn’s CIA chief pursuer, don’t register with audiences and wind up being left in Jolie’s action dust. Smith,” “Beowulf” and those lame Lara Croft films - Jolie commands every scene she’s in, sometimes to the detriment of the other characters. The sex change adds a refreshing dimension to a male-dominated genre.īut while Jolie saves “Salt” from itself several times, the film still demonstrates how her star power comes with a price when a screenplay can’t match her smarts.Īs in her previous action flicks - “Wanted,” “Mr.

When Jolie, one of the few actresses who wields enough clout to enact change in Hollywood, expressed interest in the role, Edwin became Eveyln. Jolie even manages to affect a sense of regalness when required to don a fur hat and coat to symbolize that, yes indeedy, she just might be a Russian spy in disguise! Nuanced, this film isn’t.Īs many know, her part was originally intended for a guy, reportedly Tom Cruise. The accomplished actress injects vigor, style and intensity into the role of Evelyn Salt, a rogue CIA spy who may be a Soviet double-agent. The Phillip Noyce-directed misfire’s greatest asset is its star, Angelina Jolie. But once the great plot reveal gushes forth during an interrogation scene, the film bucks out of control and disintegrates like a John Edwards alibi. The sleekly made, laughably ridiculous “Salt” has the heart and brain of a paperback “original,” a hack thriller that doesn’t give a Cold War about logic and character - just about shocking us with cockamamie surprise twists and chase scenes.Īdopting a go-for-broke approach like that can be absurd fun, and in its taut first 20 minutes, “Salt” does grab you, especially during a disturbing prologue set in a North Korean prison in which the lead character, stripped to bloodied panties and bra, is tortured. Publishers often released the uninspired results in paperback rather than hardcover, a confidence-lacking move similar to a movie shuttled to the direct-to-video dungeon. His successful Jason Bourne series, which were turned into the jet-paced Matt Damon film franchise, spawned a slew of copycats who assumed - quite falsely - that following Ludlum’s road onto the best-seller list only required plots be more preposterous. THE LATE Robert Ludlum arguably remains the master of the deliciously ludicrous, highly addictive spy novel.

Salt movie rating review