Salt, the latest action-thriller headliner for Angelina Jolie, might best be compared to a high stakes race: after brief set-up, it's basically GO GO GO with the only stops being those that are required. In Phillip Noyce's (Rabbit Proof Fence) political-thriller, Jolie plays Evelyn Salt, a CIA operative who is accused, by a Russian defector, of actually being a Russian plant whose plan is to kill the Russian president at the funeral of America's Vice President. Salt may not have the dark intricacies of The Dark Knight or the memorable characters of Pirates of the Caribbean or Iron Man, but it fits comfortably into that third tier of big-budget entertainment: wholly enjoyable, slightly silly fun that doesn't leave a lasting impression.
After an opening straight out of Die Another Day (did they use the same bridge?), Salt returns home to resume work at the CIA. After the accusation, in which the defector tells of a the K.A. Program designed to plant agents (sometimes for decades) to be activated to take out targets of the Russian government) she flees, which leads to a conflict of interests. Her co-worker (Liev Schreiber) tries to stay optimistic, never caving in to the idea that she could be a Russian plant, while a Homeland Security official (Chiwetal Ejiofor) seems more inclined to immediately proclaim her guilty. But after the set up, the movie pretty much becomes "See Angelina Run and Jump," and surprisingly, that's not a bad thing. Though the chases aren't necessarily inventive in their staging or choreography (kudos though, for finding the most out there way to incorporate a church organ into an action scene). All in all, it's relatively routine stuff, but the script keeps the film lean, without too many characters or subplots mucking up the works. Salt is all forward momentum, and it manages to be convincing enough even as the plot's magnitude expands by a factor of 100 halfway through, and feels like a mix between a 70s paranoia thriller and the most overblown of James Bond films.
As far as performances go, like the film, they're competent, engaging, and tough, though not terribly nuanced (not that they really need to be...). Jolie once again confirms my belief that she's best suited to these sorts of roles, and I think we should all be glad that Tom Cruise dropped out of the role. Jolie has the looks and personality to keep you guessing along with the constant revelations, whereas someone like Cruise would simply smile and we'd guess which side he's on. But really, out of everyone, perhaps the best thing about the movie isn't within the movie itself. It's actually the marketing for the film, which, as best as I remember, doesn't show as much as a second of footage from the film's second half, where the scale is upped almost constantly. After a scene in a crypt reached its climax, my friend turned to me and asked, "wait...so it's over already?" Oh no, far from it. Salt is, through and through, extremely ordinary, but it's ordinary action film making done with enough competence, and so refreshingly lacking in clutter, that it's hard to ding it for too much. It won't break your heart like Toy Story 3, and it won't warp your mind like Inception, but it will keep you entertained and engaged. And regardless of what your thoughts on this summer have been (as far as mainstream film are concerned), it's hard to deny that you'll have enough fun spending 100 minutes asking the question, "Who is Salt?"
Grade: C+
