Before becoming a CIA officer, Evelyn Salt (Angelina Jolie) swore an oath to
duty, honor and country. She proves loyal to her pledge when a defector accuses
her of being a Russian sleeper spy. Salt goes on the run, using all her skills
and years of experience as a covert operative to elude capture, protect her
husband and stay one step ahead of her colleagues at the CIA.
Salt really doesn't want to kill anybody. On the day all hell breaks loose,
she's just looking forward to a quiet anniversary dinner at home with her
kindly, nerdy husband (August Diehl).
Then in walks an old Soviet agent, wanting to defect and a wild story to tell. Apparently, there are Russian nationals embedded within our intelligence agencies, and at a signal, they will commence their doomsday plan. One of those agents, he says, is Salt.
From there, Salt goes on the run, with the CIA, FBI and the Secret Service after her. Those Russians might want a piece of her, too.
Sometimes they're chasing her, sometimes she's chasing them, but the movie is careful to slow down long enough for viewers to catch their breath and find their place within the story.
"Salt" can seem ridiculous at times.
At one point, Salt seems to be steering a car by using a Taser on the driver's leg. Each spasm makes the car accelerate.
"Salt" is a far cry from the action and storyline of Mr. & Mrs. Smith, which, in my opinion, is one of Jolie's better action movies. The main thing is that "Salt" holds together. Its basic strategy is to leave audiences in the dark for much of the action, but each tidbit we're given fits into the broader picture.
The action scenes are imaginative and elaborate without seeming fake.
Chiwetel Ejiofor and Liev Schreiber offer vivid support as two distinctly different government types (the unimaginative suit and the independent thinker). The movie never forgets the human element.
I wish I'd seen a little more from Liev, if just to make him more likeable.
If you exclude the ridiculous factor, the basic thought behind this one is a
solid one. But there is just too much keeping it from being a blockbuster.
2.5 Buckets
